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.

What They Say

The world’s largest direct seller of beauty and beauty-related products. With $10.7 billion in annual revenues in 2008 (up 8% from 2007), Avon and its approcimately 42,000 associates no serve valued customers in more than 100 countries worldwide. 

The Pitch

Avon has been committed to being the company for women since 1886, the world’s largest direct seller of beauty and beauty-related products.

Is it a product or service?

A Product- world’s largest direct seller of beauty and beauty-related products.

Is this a Franchise or an independent business opportunity?

Representatives are independent contractors, not employees of Avon Products, Inc.Representatives can earn income in two ways: by selling Avon products as a traditional Representative, or by selling and also recruiting others to do the same.

“is a multitiered compensation program that gives top-selling Representatives, known as Leadership Representatives, an enhanced career path. The program allows Representatives to obtain earnings from commissions based on sales made by the Representatives that they have recruited and trained, as well as profits derived from their own sales of Avon’s products. The program limits the number of levels on which commissions can be earned to three and continues to focus on individual product sales and service to customers by Leadership Representatives.”

The Cost

It’s a pay as you go system. You “pre-sell” their products by using their catalogue, you place orders, receive them, sell them, pay for them and repeat.

Do they offer money back guarantee?

 100 percent money-back guarantee

What Kind of Support Do They Offer

• Web-enablement tools and online training
• Avon provides training for all Representatives around the world
• Training and access to local management
• Web-enablement tools and other cutting-edge online training opportunities
• Participate in a retirement savings plan

What Others Say

Better Business Bureau

Avon is a corporate partner with the Better Business Bureau. They have a rating of A+.  The BBB has 76 compliants filed against Avon. Most of the compliants have been resolved.  Read the full report here. 

Final Say: Overall Grade A+

The products pretty much sell themselves. The only downside is that there may be other “reps” working the same customer base as you. And then it becomes, who they like better.

This review was done by guest blogger Jaime Berguido. Jaime is an assistant investigator here at the Home Business Private Eye. If  have a company or service that you would like to review and post here please email me. 

1. Have you got the moxie? Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Forget startup capital, forget years of experience, forget having a huge network of contacts.  This article wants you to look deep inside of yourself and ask some pretty tough questions.
2. Finding Money For Your Business.  Not having enough money to fund your business is one of the biggest killer of the entrepreneurial dream.  This post outlines a couple of places to look for additional funding.
3. MLM Business- How to Make Money Online Selling Other Peoples’s Product. MLM’s are still very popular. And there are many legitimate MLM companies out there. The trick is knowing how to pick out the good ones. 
4. Books For Entrepreneurs. I read The Prince years ago. It might be a good time for a re-read. Never heard of the other 2. Can anyone share a few books that they think are good for entrepreneurs?
5. Your JOB (Just Over Broke) is Killing Your Spirit. This one is kind of wordy but I agree that nothing can kill your dreams of freedom and happiness quicker than a job.  That’s why its important to stay focused on your goals and take immediate and consistent ACTION towards acheiving your goals.

After years of researching various ways to make money from home I have become convinced that the high rate of failure for home businesses has more to do with the types of busunesses people choose rather than the businesses themselves. What I mean by this is many people choose a home business for reasons like how much money they think that can make or how easy it might to run that business while maintaining their full time job. While these are valid considerations they have nothing to do with whether or not they will be successful in that business.  Every theory on being successful in life has at leadst one common theme: Build your business around your passions and success will come to you. Your passions are who you are. They help to make up your personality. So all of those people that fall for the marketing hype and go after whichever home businessses are popular for moment, are setting themselves up for failure. If you want to avoid making the same mistakes thousands of people make each year then you have to find businesses that match your passions and are suited to your personality. I can help you find those businesses. Let me you a little bit about myself.  

 Are There Any Legit Home Businesses?

A few years ago I decided that I wanted out of corporate life. It just wasn’t for me anymore.  I wanted to make a living doing something that I was passionate about, which was helping people.  But like many of the other ‘wage slaves’ I still needed a steady income to support my family. So I started looking for something that I could do part time to bring in additional income.  I’m sure you can image what I was confronted with; hundreds of sites promising to make help me GET RICH QUICK WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, OR MONEY TO INVEST. All of this while I sat back in a beach chair and waited for the mailman to bring me checks.  I knew these were scams and  I paid little attention to them. But I was amazed at how many sites were dedicated to these types of marketing scams. What was even more amazing was the number of "legitimate, unbiased" review sites that promised to give fair and balanced information and they turned out to be another marketing ploy.  

The AHA Moment

But even staying away from the scams I still found little success with the ‘legit’ part time ventures I tried.  Things like eBay, Network Marketing products, and one on one computer coaching. I even tried being a real estate investor at the height of the real estate boom. And although I had some successes (I made some money) I never felt like a success. It was frustrating because I saw other people not as talented as myself making money doing the same things I was struggling with and I couldn’t understand why.  And then I had my AHA moment! I was still trying to do things I was not passionate about  and I did not suit my personality.  I realized that in order to be successful I had to find something that felt right to me. Something that I was so passionate about that I would do it for free. Shortly after that realization I started my blog, the Home Business Private Eye. And I stated helping people to find and start their own home businesses.  And now I ready to take it a step further. 

I’ve This Heard It All Before

Right now I’m going to stop because I can image what you might be thinking. "Yeah, Dakim, remember those hundreds of Get Rich Quick sites you mentioned earlier? Well, I’ve visited them too. And I’ve heard all of the promises that they make. And right now, you’re starting to sound alot like them!" Let me tell you what I am NOT trying to do here:

• Make you rich overnight
• Give you a secret formula that only the richest of people know
• Sell you a product, real or electronic, that you have to then turn around and sell to other people.
• Get you to join my team and then have you go out and get others to join your team. And so on, and so on.

No, what I am offering is much more simple.  I’m offering to help you find the types of business opportunities that your personality is suited for. Why is it important to find a business opportunity that matches you personality? Think about your life. I’m sure there are things that you can do well but you have no real interest in them.  It could be a sport or an activity like cooking. It could even be the job that you hate but it pays the bills.  Now really think about these activities.  Do you excel at them? The answer may very well be yes.  But I bet that it takes effort to accomplish this.  Probably more effort than you really care to give. And I also bet that you get bored or frustrated with these activities quickly.  The reason this happens is simple, they don’t suit you personally. Now there are people you may know that can do the same activities from sun up to sun down and love every minute of it.  They make it look effortless. These people are not abnormal.  Everyone has some skill or interest that they possess that they are passionate about.  The ’secret’ to being successful is to match these interests with the ability to make money doing them. And that’s where I can help you.

The Home Business Private Eye Business Matching Service.

Like I stated before the Home Business Private Eye site is about helping people find and start their own businesses.  The site gives truly unbiased reviews of business opportunities and a host of other resources to motivate and educate a would be entrepreneur.  The Business Matching service I am introducing takes it to the next level. I have developed a questionnaire that will help me to find the type of business opportunities that match YOUR  personality and interests. And when you are truly passionate about what you are doing you have a much better chance at excelling at it. Now, you may have come across other services that seem similar to what I am offering. Let me point few unique benefits of my service:

• This is not ‘feeder’ program for a particular service or product. I am not trying to steer you to one service or another. I do not benefit financially from any of the matches I provide to you.
• This is not a computer generated match service. Just don’t match you with whatever businesses are in your zip code. I handle all of the matches personally.  So it’s an organic match
• Each match is based on your unique responses.   

And probably the best feature of this service is that I’m introducing it at a very low price,  $49.95 $25.00 (Limited Introductory Offer for the 1st 100 customers) for 5 matches.  Why only $25? Because I am trying to gauge the market demand for this service. Believe it or not, there aren’t many services like the one I offering. In fact, I couldn’t find one the does it exactly like I am doing it. If you know of one please let me know about it. I want to offer the best service that I can so I would like see if there is something that someone is offering that I am not. So until I can get a better handle on the market, I’m offering to match you for a very nominal amount. To take advantage of this great offer all you have to do is click on this link to the Questionnaire Page and fill it out.  Once I receive your questionnaire I will analyze it and begin searching my database of businesses to find your matches.  You should receive your matches in your email inbox with in 3 business days. That’s it.  The rest will be up to you.

I’m starting a new feature here on the Home Business Private Eye. I get tons of notices of new home business opportunities but I simply don’t have time to a full review for all them like the ones I done for YTB Travel, American Billing Sysytems, or Shure Pets. But some of the readers might like to know of these opportunities and may start the research themselves. Of course, I wouldn’t be me if didn’t throw in a little extra information to help you choose the right business for yourself.

Last week I recieved a press release annoucing a business opportunity revolving around repairing people’s credit. Given the current economic crisis many people find themselves in trouble financially. The balances on credit cards and other forms of consumer debt continue to grow year over year while at the same time approxmately 20% of Americans have reported being late or missing a payment altogether. This situation has led to the average credit score being lowered for many Americans. So it is safe to say that there is a market for credit repair specialists. Michael Citron of Disputesuite.com claims that his service can train someone to take advantage of the opportunity presented by this situation.

How To Make It Big in Credit Repair

From press release at PRWeb.com:

For many people, the economic situation has been a disaster. Many former auto workers, loan officers and stockbrokers are spending plenty of time on Monster.com these days looking for a new job. But for some industries, the current economy spells the biggest opportunity in decades. Some industries including the credit repair, credit services and credit restoration industries. These industries are flourishing in these turbulent times. Those who are lucky enough to be in this industry have one of the most amazing opportunities available as a home based and or self employed position. Some of these great opportunities include:

the chance to own your own business, be your own boss, and make your own decisions… the chance to make serious money, earn unlimited income, and gain financial freedom … the chance to use your skills to help people in financial distress repair their tattered credit, get back on their feet, and start living again…

There is a wave of opportunity for those in the credit service profession. The need for credit repair services in today’s economy is COLOSSAL. And it’s growing! The wave is here, and those who are taking advantage of it can make it big. Anyone who is considering entering this highly lucrative field should consider 

Is my marketing working? Do I have a massive flow of qualified leads? Is my brand powerful? Is my website fresh and exciting? Is my offer irresistible? Do I have a steady stream of referrals coming from affiliate partners?

 

Things You May Want To Consider

Even though this isn’t a full review, I wouldn’t feel right not giving you some aditional information to consider.:

• Check with local and state governments to see if there are any requirements for certification, insurance, or licenes.
• Check for a professional credit consulting organization. Consider joining them to help establish creditability.
• There is a lot of competition in this industry. There is also much money that can be made.
• The industy is filled with scams (name one that isn’t). Potential customers will have to trust you before doing business with you. 
• Many of the strategies that credit repair specialists employ are easily done by anyone, including your target market. But people still pay for the convenience of having someone else doing it  so don’t be discouraged. 
• If you are an INVESTIGATIVE personality typye then this opportunity made right up your alley. 
• Michael Citron is hosting a free webinar to sell his program.  The webinar is August 20th at 3pm EST, you can register here

Running a new business is hard- opening a dance studio during a recession may seem foolish. Food is a necessity;waltzing is not.  Bu the owners of a new ballroom studio in midtown, Elizabeth Chen and her son Steve decided to gamble.

The rest of the article details what motivated Mrs. Chen, 65 and her son, 38 to dump their clothing import business and open a dance studio in Manhattan. It also provides good pointers for anyone looking to transition to a new business venture:

• "We were losing money everyday". According to Mrs. Chen their clothing import business was hit hard by the recession. It’s important to keep an objective view of your current situation. Many times people can be blinded by emotional ties and fail to see the reality of their situation. 
• "..we didn’t jump inot this blindly. We did our homework".  It is equally as important to keep an open mind on the new venture. Things often look rosy on the other side. The Chen’s are attempting to capitalize on the popularity of ballroom dancing but they were smart enough not to assume that success was guarantee.  They looked into the viability of this business and created a plan to ensure success. 
• "He reached out to insturctors, students, and other dance studios". When doing due dillingence is key to seek input from all sides.  By seeking insight from instuctors, students, and dance studios the Chens will benefit from seeing the business from point of view of everyone involved in the business.  This will no doubt help them to make the business better for all stakeholders.
• "They could not find a bank willing to lend to them, so they relied on their savings as well as loans from relatives and friends."  Traditional sources of funding can be tough to come by during recessions. so you may have to go it alone. This is not bad thing. Having your own money on the line  wil force you to keep a closer eye on the bottom line. While it’s true that many small businesses die prematurely due to lack funding. This should not keep you from making the attempt.
• "The Chens are thinking of hiring a marketing manager". It’s a good practice to focus on your core strenghts and find experts to focus on other areas; people like CPA’s and lawyers. This may not be an option early into your venture. But it should be incorporated into your plans as soon as possible.  

 PHOTO CREDITS: NY Daily News.com

1) Where to be an Etntrepreneur: Entrepreneur.com posted this article profiling 10 start-up friendly cities and success stories from each city. Biggest suprises: Portland Oregon,  Chapel Hill North Carolina, and Madison Wisconsin.

2) Entrepreneur Thrives in Difficult Economy: Chris Hume combines his passion for design with his love for children into a growing company.

3) Entrepreneur Survival Guide: 10 Apps the every entrepreneur should use daily 

4) Mortgage Bake Sale Becomes a Runaway Success: New Jersery woman started selling cakes to raise money to stop foreclouse and it turns into a huge business opportunity.

5) 15 Ways to Take Action NOW!:   15 steps to world domination. If world domination isn’t your thing, then you could use them to help you get control of your life and move you closer to your obtaining your goals.

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