Pink Slip Billionaires

You gotta love problems for the solutions they inspire.
Here are some names you might recognize who were canned,
laid off, or otherwise given the boot. They have joined the
Pink-Slip Billionaires because instead of finding a new
job, they launched their own careers.

Michael Bloomberg – New York City Mayor

David Neeleman – Jet Blue Aircraft

Bernie Marcus & Allen Blank – Home Depot

J K Rawling – Harry Potter

Of the four backgrounds I read on these entrepreneurs,
Rawling's was the most amusing: she was fired for writing
short stories from her desk at work. How funny is that? He
should have offered her a private office for a percent of
the publishing rights.

Gaining control over your life is what it's all about.
Doing something you love or believe in is a good reason to
start your own career. Confucius said: "Find a business you
love, and you will never have to work another day in your
life".

Maybe your day will have longer hours or odd hours at
first, but when you're having fun at what you're doing why
would you care about free weekends? It's all going to
benefit YOU, not them.

The Internet is the biggest revelation of our time. In the
past one hundred years of communication, only the telephone
and aviation equal its development. But its importance to
small business is greater today than either television or
radio.

Three million Entrepreneurs every year find the courage to
start a business of their own. Others fight the fear of "no
paycheck" resulting in two-thirds of all employees hating
their work, their boss or their hours. But they grind away
their life in this situation.

We already know that 49% of all companies are now operated
from the home office, so this is not rocket science. And
did you know – many independent business owners earn less
income than the customers they serve? That's a fact.

I have to go back several years to the day when I first let
go of my 'hostess job' in a fine restaurant and went from
part-time Entrepreneur to full time on the Internet. What
a great feeling it was to plan my own day, design my own
schedule and answer to no one but myself.

Surfing the Internet for a good money-stream is now second
nature to me, and to do this I have learned to use the
Forums. People don't hesitate to gripe about a company or
a program full of BS and hype. They rip them up and down
and others join their whine list. Just as out-spoken are
the ones who like to brag about the successes they have
found, the pay-outs that are hitting their bank accounts,
and the simplicity of the program itself.

I have found a few open doors that I liked the sounds of
and with further due diligence, I joined. You don't even
have to become a member of these Forums, just spend every
spare hour you have reading them on a daily basis. Get one
money stream up and going, and start looking for the next
one. Diversification counts here too.

Look for money streams in the form of residuals or
leveraged income. With some effort up front and a minimum
investment, get it going and coast while you look for
another money stream. Many use this strategy to build their
bank account while collecting a paycheck. Good idea if
your ultimate plan is to break-away from your Dilbert cube.

As Entrepreneurs in the fastest growing area of the
economy, we as the risk takers and wealth generators might
be looked upon as grasshoppers as we search for our
answers. What makes us jump? I can tell you the simple
answer: the desire to create. And high self-esteem adds
serious fuel.

Motivation comes from anyone who tells us, it can't be
done. We love an impossible challenge. We are dreamers. We
want to control our own lives. We see things that others
can not. Above all, we believe in ourselves. We leave a
boring job to take on the fearsome adventure with the last
of our savings. We are a strange lot. So tell me, given the
choice, would you choose being bored, or being terrified?

Your answer may or may not qualify you for Entrepreneurship.

2007 Esther Smith

----------------------------------------------------
Smith is an accomplished artist with two online galleries,
an author/publisher and believer in residual or leveraged
income. Her ebook, Invitation to Internet Success, is free
to all.

http://thepermanentventure.com/InternetSuccess.pdf

Contact Info on her website:

http://thepermanentventure.com/2up.htm

Protect your biggest eBay selling tool!

Every seller on eBay understands the importance of feedback
and how crucial it is to protect it. Feedback allows you to
know what type of person you are dealing with and is
perhaps the most valuable asset you can have when dealing
on the largest auction site in the world – eBay!

Every visitor interested in an item on your listing, will
quickly go through your feedback before dealing with you.
Typically, eBay feedback gives an idea about the way you
conduct your dealings and also includes any bid retractions
you may have made necessitating you to protect your
feedback. Feedback is usually non removable and your
feedback profile indicates how efficiently you handle
issues and how you deal with winning bidders and offensive
customers.

Through your feedback, visitors can find out how long you
have been associated with eBay and how many times you have
changed your user name. Frequent change in username may
create a negative impression about you and imply that you
are trying to hide something.

One reason why its so important to protect your feedback is
that everyone can view your feedback and a person viewing a
feedback profile or a seller doesn't have to be necessarily
involved in the transaction.

Now that you have understood how failing to maintain your
feedback can lead to damaging consequences, let me quickly
tell you how you can protect it.

A golden rule for successful dealings with customers is to
be polite at all times. Getting good ratings largely depend
on how happy your customers are! Be prompt in answering
customer queries and ideally queries through email should
be addressed in less than 24 hours. Most sellers understand
the importance of quick response and therefore set up an
auto responder to let potential customers know that they
will be attended to shortly. However, if you don't have
such a system in place and have not been able to respond
immediately, do craft a nice email to tell them how sorry
you are for the delayed response.

When you communicate with the winning bidders before
closing a sale, make sure that you first thank them for
choosing you and your products over others. Also request
them to leave a positive feedback if they are satisfied
with the product. It can be mutually beneficial, as you can
in turn promise to return their favor by posting a positive
feedback about the bidder as well. However, if they are
not, request them to inform you about the same before
leaving a feedback. Also close on a positive note hoping to
do more business with the bidder in future.

Starting your transaction on a friendly note goes a long
way in developing healthy relations with your customers.
Respect your customers' sentiments and if someone wants a
refund don't question it – just do it! By asking him why
they wants a refund is like opening a can of worms. In most
cases, the customer is not too happy about your product and
will tell you in detail why he didn't like it.. Being
polite and sensitive to customer needs lead to more
business and of course, plenty of positive feedback.

Finally, when you sell leave feedback only after you
receive it! A happy customer is always the first to leave a
feedback, so wait for it.

----------------------------------------------------
John Thornhill is an eBay PowerSeller and trades on eBay
under the username planetsms. He earns $1000s every week
selling info products on eBay. If you want John to mentor
you and show you how he is so successful visit
http://www.mentorshipmonthly.com/

Staying Committed To Your Home Business

You are one month in. Your website has only had a hundred
visitors, none of the advertising strategies you are using
seem to be working and you have only made fifty dollars.

Or maybe things are not that bad. You might be getting a
steady stream of traffic, and have pulled in a few hundred
dollars.

But the money still isn't rolling in like you dreamed. You
keep reading about people earning thousands a week and
becoming millionaires, but it doesn't seem like that will
ever happen to you. You find yourself getting discouraged.
After all, there are more entertaining things to do than
sit at your computer and work. Perhaps you want to watch TV
instead, or play with your kids. Before you know it, you
are starting to forget about your struggling home business.

Well, stop. The moment you start thinking about giving up
is the moment you start down the path to failure.

The fact is, most people never do manage to earn a serious
income online. And the reason is quite simple: they give
up. They stop trying. They decide that it all seems too
difficult, and they go to do something else.

So, how do you avoid getting to the stage where you just
want to quit? Or if you feel like that now, how do you get
started again, and this time keep yourself at it?

The first thing to realise is that this is not a game. This
is work, a business. You therefore need to treat it like a
job. There is no boss to keep you working, so you need to
do that yourself. You cannot believe all those claims about
making money by sitting on the couch. Maybe some people
manage that: but I have never met any! If you want your
home business to be a success, you will have to work and
put in time and effort.

Clear a workspace. If you have more than one computer,
designate one as your 'work computer'. This will help you
stay organised. It will also mean that every time you sit
down at your workspace, your mind will start to recognise
that now is the time to start thinking about your business.

In your workspace, make sure that everything you might need
is close at hand. If you suffer from procrastination, make
sure you have everything before you start. If you are
constantly getting up and down from your computer, you will
never get anything done.

It can also provide a small morale boost. If you have been
working at a messy desk surrounded by dirt and clutter,
clearing yourself a professional looking workspace can make
you feel more professional, more serious about your
business, and more willing to sit down and work.

Second, set yourself a timetable. Tell yourself that at a
certain hour you will sit down and work. Get yourself into
a routine. This means that if the temptation to give up
does arrive, you might find it easier to work through as
you know that at a certain time you have to sit down and do
some work.

This also makes it easier to avoid distractions. Maybe a TV
show you want to see is on. A little voice in your head
tells you that you can leave your business to look after
itself for one day. But if you have a set time at which you
tell yourself you have to sit down and work, it's easier to
ignore that little voice and record the program instead.

Third, make sure your friends and family respect what you
are doing. Many people will assume that if you are sitting
at your computer, you are free to do chores, run errands,
or just to go out and have fun! The last one can be
difficult to resist.

Tell them what you are trying to do. Ask for their
patience. And make sure they understand that when you are
at your computer, you do not want distractions. It will
also be easier to make excuses to friends as to why you are
not able to go out with them if they know why.

They can also be a useful tool to help stop you quitting.
Giving up and admitting failure is easier to do if the only
person who knows about it is you. The idea of having to
explain it to your friends and family could be a powerful
incentive to keep working!

In the end, it comes down to treating your home business
like you would a real job. If you want to quit your day
job, you need to be earning a steady, reliable income. You
can only get that by putting in the work.

Do not be discouraged! Yes, many people fail. But the main
reason they do so is because they do not take it seriously
and end up quitting.

If you keep going, eventually you will find the success you
are dreaming of.

----------------------------------------------------
Anita Buchan is a successful affiliate marketer who now
wants to help others earn the same money she does. For
honest reviews of genuine home business opportunities,
visit http://www.dont-get-scammed.biz

Is Classified Advertising worth the trouble?

Online Classified Advertising is prolific throughout the
internet. It isn't very hard to set up a classified site
but are they worth using?

Like standard paper advertising it is about finding the
right classified site to advertise with. All site proclaim
to have the most comprehensive readership but there are few
questions you should ask before you waste any of your
precious time.

1. Is the site free? If it is free are there options to
promote your classified for a fee?
2. How many classifieds are currently listed in your
desired category?
3. Where are the classified targeting?
4. Do the classifieds have individual counters?
5. Do you have to put banners on your site or other
reciprocal links to have your classified listed?
6. Will my classified be listed in the search engines or
other reciprocal classified sites?

Lets look at each question one at a time.

1. Free sites can be very good but it does depend on the
readership and the promotion of the sites. Consider how you
came across the site and what the ads are that are listed
therein. If you think that the site may be worthwhile put
your classified in and see how it goes. Some of the free
sites allow for you to pay to have your listing promoted at
the top of the category. Depending on your finances and how
many others are listed in your category it can be
worthwhile. Also check how long a paid listing lasts
compared to a free listing. Even so, it would be
recommended you wait until you monitor the site further
with your free classified.

2. You really need to look at how many listings there are
under the category you wish to put your classified in. The
reason being your competition may be really hefty. If you
can put your classified in a less obvious category if you
find the obvious one has a huge amount of listings. For
example if you have a classified on business opportunities,
try placing your ad in advertising or marketing. It may
seem a bit broad but you may also find a better response.

3. Some classified sites are very specific and others are
very broad. Consider the site you are looking at and what
the type of classified listings are. Obviously you would
not list a business opportunity in a car classified site.
Also consider where geographically the classified site is
targeting. If you have a product or service that is only
applicable in the USA don't place a classified in
Australia. Whilst this seems obvious you would be surprised
at how many would not consider this.

4. Individual counters on classifieds are very useful. What
these count is how many times your ad has actually been
opened on the classified site. If your classified is not
being opened very often you should consider your headline.
It is the headline that will encourage people to look at
your classified in the 1st instance. If you are getting
lookers but no sales 1st look at your classified content
then at the statistics of your website if you can. Your
website statistics will tell you who has actually gone into
your site from the classified. Very useful.

5. If you find to get your classified displayed you need to
add reciprocal code or banners you are not really in a
classified site but a traffic or banner exchange. That is
ok if you don't mind using this type of service but if it
is a pure classified site you are after skip this type of
site. A discussion on traffic and banner exchanges is
beyond the scope of this document.

6. Classified sites that either work on a reciprocal
classified site, have the classifieds indexed into the
search engines or both are well worth listing with. If they
are free as many are this is all the better. There is great
value in this type of listing as you enhance the
opportunity for sales. If the site does list with search
engines and reciprocal classified sites make sure you
understand any fees that are involved. Whilst we have found
very few require a fee many may do.

Summing up we recommend you consider classified advertising
for your online marketing. It is a smart and inexpensive
way to build your business. We do not however advocate that
this be your only way of advertising should you really want
to increase your online business income. There are numerous
options out there that will cost very little in time and
money to implement and maintain.

----------------------------------------------------
Katherine Quirke is an Australian based business
entrepreneur. She has worked in the IT industry for over 10
years and owned a number of businesses over the last 20
years. Sharing her knowledge has become a passion and she
now spends much time mentoring and assisting businesses
worldwide. Further information may be referenced at:
http://www.yourbusinessresource.info

Marketing Effectively With Safelist

When you get started with internet marketing, there are lot
of places that you will be looking, and sooner more often
than later, you will run into a safelist. A safelist is
essentially a group of people that are willing receive each
others emails for any variety of reasons. Usually, a
safelist is geared towards marketing, where all the members
agree to see each other's e-mails. This is an ideal form
of marketing as it ensures that your ad copy and promotions
will only go to the people who want them, ensuring that
you're not wasting your time and that you are not annoying
people who don't like to get unsolicited e-mails.

There are several pros and cons to marketing on a safelist.
One good thing is that you get to direct your ad campaign;
you can send emails to the people who will be the most
interested in your service. Similarly, most safelists
start out with free membership, and when you're just
starting out and deciding if this form of internet
advertising is for you, you can investigate it at no cost.
However, one thing to keep in mind is people on safelists
are more often interested in having you view their ads than
taking a look at yours. Similarly, if you have a large
one, you and everyone on it will receive a correspondingly
large number of e-mails. You will need to write some very
intriguing headlines to stand out of the crowd on a list
like that.

When looking through safelists, you are going to need to
pick one that suits you. For instance, a large safelist
will get your ad copy out to different people, but a
smaller one will probably end up getting you more
attention. Similarly, when you go looking around at
safelists, you'll find that some of them are pay; you need
to decide whether or not you want to put some money into
being able to do things like post more than once in a day,
or getting to see other paid safelist posts.

Getting started with a safelist is easy! First, find a
safelist that meets your needs, whether its a large one or
a small one. When writing your copy, make sure that your
headline is interesting and will tempt people into opening
it to see what you're selling. For this, try using soft
selling techniques rather than hard ones; soft sells work
better online. Remember to put down your name and contact
information for your new customers, and to reach the
maximum amount of people, repost your ad every other day.
To promote variety, rotate your ads through your different
safelists to make sure that people don't get tired of
seeing them.

Safelists are one more tool you can add to your list it
terms of getting your name out there, and it's a tool that
others are already using. Don't get left behind; find your
safelist today!

----------------------------------------------------
To learn more about effective internet marketing strategies
visit: http://www.RichWealthyMarketer.com
Randal Williams aka 500KMentor is an Expert Internet
Marketer, MLM and Direct Sales industry leader with
business that spans 10+ countries. Randal specializes in
Lead Generation, Advanced Internet Marketing, No Cost
Prospecting and SEO.

eBay Seller Gets More Sales

As an eBay seller you can get more sales from your auction
sites if you use the eBay tools that are available to you.
These helpful tools should be used for setting up and
running your seller sites the right way for the type of
items you'll be selling in your auctions.

You can find the eBay tools and resources you need for
setting up and designing your auction sites at eBay and
other auction themed websites.

eBay Seller Listings

After you have found a product that you want to sell on
your auction site search the eBay seller item listings and
locate the same and similar items.

Keep track of the items prices on the seller sites that are
listed.

Take note on when the auctions began and when they will be
ending.

Go back to them many times and check out which of the sites
are getting the most sales of the item you also want to
sell.

eBay Seller Sites

Take note on the auction sites that get more sales than the
others, how they are set up, designed, and their overall
look.

You can also compare these seller sites to the other
auctions that didn't do as well as they did.

When you start setting up and designing your own eBay
seller site you'll have alot of other auctions to compare
to that have already run or are up and running.

This part of your plan will save you alot of time and
you'll also get better results.

Compare Prices

Add up the price that you could sell the item for at a
profit after paying your best priced and reliable supplier.

Compare your price to the prices of the other eBay seller
sites that had a good amount of sales.

If you can make a profit by coming close to, matching, or
beating these prices you have found a good product to sell
on your eBay seller site.

eBay Tools

You can find alot of articles, ebooks, eBay tools, and
resources that will show you how to set up an eBay seller
site that looks like it was designed by an experienced eBay
store owner. This will increase your sales and success as
an eBay seller.

eBay Sales

Start off with a small to medium inventory. After your
auction begins you can lower the price just enough as
needed to get more sales or raise the price just enough as
needed to cover your costs and profits.

There will be more new visitors and customers going to your
eBay seller site or store and any improvements you add to
the setup and design will increase the sales in your
current and future auctions.

After a while if the item sells well, then you can buy more
from your supplier than you did on the first order.

Buyer Discounts

You can offer your customers a discount when they buy more
than one item from your eBay auction site or sites that are
listed in your eBay store.

Your customers will appreciate any discounts that you offer
to them. They will feel that they got a good deal from an
eBay seller on something that they needed and/or wanted.

eBay Shipping

If two or more items are ordered from your auction site
that can be shipped to the customer together in the same
box or as part of the same eBay shipping order you can
offer a discount on the s/h cost.

Your customers will appreciate it if you use a shipping
calculator in your auctions because they will be getting an
accurate s/h cost based on their location.

This eBay tool is offered for use in all seller auctions
and can be found on the eBay business shipping page.

Auction Details

Put all of the buyer discount, shipping, and other
important details in your auction where your customers and
visitors can easily find them.

If you have an eBay store with other related auction items
you can mention that and you can list some of them with
their description and picture towards the bottom of your
auction listing.

eBay Seller Plan

A good sales plan will help you find the right products to
sell in your eBay auctions.

It will also help you set up and design an effective
auction site that improves your online business.

Follow your sales plan and you will be a successful eBay
seller !

----------------------------------------------------
Eric Scott is an internet marketing researcher who
specializes in eBay home business. To find more about
setting up and designing an eBay auction site, eBay seller
plans, sales, tools, and resources:
http://www.Internet-Work-At-Home-Online-Info.com