Make 6% per Month–ETF Trading

ETF Exchange Traded Funds–Investing Opportunity for Serious Investers

ETF exchange traded funds–This just came across my desk and concerns exchange traded index funds.  This looks like a solid business opportunity for serious investors who already have some hands-on, personal investing experience.  Prior  ETF investing is not prerequisite, but if you have never heard of ETFs, this may not be for you.  This is an intense, advanced course and will require an ability to follow through on a detailed course of study.
Read more

Do You Like Yourself Well Enough to Succeed?

So, do you like yourself well enough to succeed?  I was asking myself this as I drove to work this morning.  I’d started off thinking, "How much do you have to like yourself to succeed?"  And, of course, I was thinking about what it takes to start a home business, in this case a solely Internet based business.  It seems to me that before you even start thinking about business planning, if you need to ask yourself at least once if you like yourself enough to succeed–to stick it out through the teething of starting your own home business.

And yes, up above I mentioned that I was driving to work, because I do work.  The truth is, there are some conveniences to keeping the day job.  For one thing, inspite of the aggravations, I do like many of the people I work with.  And second, more practically, it solves the health insurance problem.  I also work in an area that I know quite a bit about, and that also has some advantages.  Now, having said that, there I was driving to work on a day that I really did not want to be going to work.  And that conflict is what many of us–you and I–bump up against.  In having the "job," we lose certain choices.  Or rather, the choice to have a job entails certain consequences and obligations that restrict other choices.

I know many, me included, may sometimes say that having a job isn’t a choice, but to my way of thinking, no matter how coerced I may feel by necessity, nevertheless, at some point I do choose.  It is a hard pill to swallow, having to accept responsibility for what we often seem to have no control over.

Choosing to start your own home business is not the same choice to quit your day job.  I suspect that many reading this are motivated to think about starting an Internet business as a replacement of their day job, but that doesn’t have to be the case.  What motivates you to want to quit your day job?  Bad pay? Lousy boss? Dull and repetitive? At odds with your personality?  You want more money?  A bigger game? More responsibility?  Just what is it that makes you want to fire your boss?

Are you successful at what you do?  I’m making a guess here that people who are generally successful, or at least good at what they do are probably more confident and more likely to like themselves enough to allow themselves the chance to succeed.  Let me ask you this, "Do you feel too big for your job?"  In that case, perhaps it is time for a change.  The question is, then, do you have an exit strategy? 

Hmm, exit strategies . . . . I do not recommend  burning bridges, if possible.  I say that because I, personally, am a bridge burner.  I’ve tried to change over the years, and I think I’m better about this, but there is a part of me that wants to do Sherman’s march to the sea when I leave a job.  We bridge burners do not always do the best exit planning.  So, a word a caution, before you dynamite the "bridge", have something waiting for you on the other side.

 

Marketing Video Courses Coming Soon-Really!

This is just an update to let you all know that I will start uploading video courses soon.  I know that "soon" is a pretty flexible term.  However, I have finished installing a secure download page and shopping cart, so I will now be able to start loading the video material.

I haven’t figured out pricing just yet, but don’t worry, it won’t be expensive.  If you are brand new at using the Internet to make money online and still in the dark about what it means to start your own home business, I will be providing material that should answer some of your questions.

One thing I’d like to do is tie in some of the video material with posts and articles discussing the ways and means of using the Internet to run your business.  The Internet provides certain technological advantages, but as far as  business goes, the territory is wide open.

How Do I Get a Tax Identification Number?

Burning question for those wanting to make money online by starging their own Internet home-based business.

How do I get a tax identification number?  The answer is short and sweet.  After you read the answer, please pay attention as I explain why this may not be necessary for you.

Here it is.  The SBA (Small Business Association) says,

For a Federal Tax ID number, please contact the Internal Revenue Service for Form SS4. This Form is available through their web site at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf.  You may call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and ask for the Small Business Tax Kit #454.

Tax information for starting a business can be found by going to http://www.irs.gov/businesses/index.html. You will need to contact the Department of Revenue for state taxes (if any). Please consult your local telephone directory in the "State Government" section for the office in your state.

That last line about consulting your own Department of Revenue is pretty important if you are going to need a sale tax permit.  I won’t go into this right now, but getting such a permit is free and generally very easy.  In many cases, such as in my State, Iowa, you can get it online and be up and running in 15 minutes.

Why you may not need a Tax ID number.  Generally speaking, a small home business that does not have employees will not need a Federal Tax ID.  A sole proprietorship generally does not need an EIN, or Employer Identification Number.  If you are going to incorporate, you may need an EIN, or Federal Tax ID.  Most of us, operating as single or two person home, Internet businesses, will not need an EIN to start with.

Also, do not automatically buy the general advice about incorporating as an LLC.  Although there is no harm in doing so, it may simply not be necessary.  Just about all of the business advice I see out there for Internet marketers tells you to incorporate.  Talk your plans over with an business attorney to figure out the best course of action for you.  Starting a business, especially your own home Internet business, is not a case of one size fits all.  Every situation is a little bit different. Please don’t let the self confessed Internet pundits tell you otherwise.

Schedule Master Lite– Personal Scheduling Software

Welcome to Schedule Master Lite!  This is a simple, intuitive scheduling software application that is similar to the Schedule Master Elite program, and though it has plenty of functionality, it does not have all of the utility nor design niceties of Schedule Master Elite.  Nevertheless, it is chock full of function.

Schedule Master Lite will allow you to schedule appointment times in 1/2 hour increments for any day of any month of any year you wish.

It allows fields for the following information:

• Name
• Business name
• Location
• Appointment subject
• Start Date and End Date
• Recurrence pattern indicater
• Home address
• Work address
• Alternate address
• Home phone
• Work phone
• Cell phone
• Email address
• Website
• Facebook info
• Linkedin info
• Twitter info
• Description field for extended entries and other relevant information
• Event field to describe event
• Results field to record any notes as a follow-up to the event

Price: $1.01

Instructions

This software is very easy to figure out, and below, I have provided some screenshots to give you an idea of what to expect when you open it up. 

1. When you activate the program, you will be presented with a screen that has a schedule book icon on the left. 
2. Click on the icon.  You will need wait a few moments and the schedule book will appear.
3. On the right you will see a column of calendars.  You can change the day, month, and year by clicking on the relevant arrows and calendar spaces. 
4. In order to bring the data entry layout into view, you double click on one of the appointment times in the large, yellow appointment screen. Double clicking will bring the layout into view, and you will enter you information in the information fields presented. 
5. In the upper menu bar, you will also see a button that says, "New."  If you click on new, you will bring up a new layout page, and this would be the same layout page that you get by simply double clicking on one of the appointment schedule bars in #4, above.

By working with the buttons on the top menu, you will be able to save your entries, as well as print out hard copies of your schedules.

If you need help, please contact me at marketing@stranddavisenterprises.com.

After payment, you will be immediately transferred to a secure download page for immediate download of the product.  You will also receive an email giving you the download link.  In the event that you are not immediately transferred to the download area, you will be presented with a button to click that will take you to the secure download area.  Payments are secure and processed through PayPal, but you don’t have to be a member of PayPal to make a purchase.

 

Just $1.01

 

 

I’m very sorry, but this software is not Mac compatible.  This software works only on PCs.  You must have XP Home, XP Professional, or Vista with .NET installed.  If you are running XP or Vista, you should have the most recent version of .NET installed on your PC.  You can download .NET for free from Microsoft.  The program requires 20MB of free space.

All sales are final.  However, if for any reason the software does not work to your satisfaction,  I will refund your payment. 

Here are some screenshots:
(These are not the best screen shots, and for that I apologize.)

 

 

Help Me Get Rid of My Job!

Is having a job really such a good idea?  I am of such a perverse turn of mind, that I have never liked the idea of having a job.  I have had many jobs and truth be told, I have a job now in addition to my online income.  But I am never easy with the idea of employment and the bigger the employer, the less easy I am with the whole idea.

One of the jobs I did, in fact, truly love was when, many years ago, I worked as deckhand on a commercial fishing vessel.  This was a 54 foot single ended bottom fisher working out of Newport, Oregon.  Those of you from Oregon familiar with this part of the coast line may have an idea of just how long a go this was.  Anyway, it was just the skipper and me and maybe another deckhand or two, and we were the kings of the ocean when we were on the water.  Loved the job.  We owed no one.  We were free and independant.

The other day, I ran across a 2006 blog post from Steve Pavlina titled, "Ten Reasons You Should Never Get a Job."  I'm writing about this because I think it is very relevant for anyone seeking greater business/financial/job independance.  Basically, Steve breaks it  As the title makes clear, Steve has 10 main reasons for not getting a job, and here are some of the highlights:

• Income for Dummies  Why is getting a job so dumb?  Because you only get paid when you’re working.  Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working?  Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working?

• Limited experience  The problem with getting experience from a job is that you usually just repeat the same limited experience over and over.  You learn a lot in the beginning and then stagnate.  This forces you to miss other experiences that would be much more valuable.

• Too many mouths to feed  Employee income is the most heavily taxed there is.  In the USA you can expect that about half your salary will go to taxes.  The tax system is designed to disguise how much you’re really giving up because some of those taxes are paid by your employer, and some are deducted from your paycheck.  But you can bet that from your employer’s perspective, all of those taxes are considered part of your pay, as well as any other compensation you receive such as benefits. 

• Way too risky  Many employees believe getting a job is the safest and most secure way to support themselves.

I think you get the idea.  Steve's ninth reason is truest for me:  "Loss of freedom."  To some degree, we spend much of our lives and education beging trained to accept the loss of freedom that comes with most employment.  Steve's article may very well be a classic of blogging, and I enourage you to check out, "Ten Reasons You Should Never Get a Job."

If any of this resonates as true, if you feel a little bit of tug at your guts, don't give up.  If you have any dream at all of working for yourself, don't give up.  Keep at it, step by step.  Just keep going.

 

Online Business Opportunity v.s. Online Jobs

The number of Internet searches related to "online jobs," "work at home jobs," and "work at home Internet jobs" is staggering.  I mean, this is a very popular search request, and I suspect there is a certain amount of desparation driving what might be considered a frenzy of interest.  The phrase, "online job" gets 450,000 local searches on the Google external keyword tool.

When you examine what people are searching for in the way of jobs, you see a phenomenal number searches for data entry, typing, customer service, survey, envelope stuffing, transcription, and the like.  Survey and envelope stuffing "job" are generally scams, and these days "data entry" has been co-opted and corrupted to mean buying into a course that teaches pay per click advertising, such as Google Adwords.  Probably the most common legitimate online job areas are customer service, transcription, medical billing, and virtual clerical/assistant work. 

My impression of the interest frenzy in online jobs is that the job searchers see themselves as relatively unskilled and are looking to the Internet for low to medium wage employment.  Stay at home mothers and senior citizens make up much of the group searching for such jobs.

I did a quick search on Yahoo Answers and found a really good answer to a question asking about the top ten work at home Internet jobs.  Here is an excerpt from one respondant:

Ok, when you say you are looking for a work at home job, what are you really meaning? Are you looking to telecommute for a company that will pay you for data entry, etc?

Or do you mean that you are looking for an online business opportunity? Meaning that you promote products online and make a commission on sales?

Just to make something clear, the paid to read email or paid to take surveys programs are not anything that you will be able to make any money with. You will be lucky to be able to cover the cost of your internet access with those. Trust me, I did those back in 1997 and it is not the same today.

If you are looking for a legitimate home based business opportunity, there are many companies that you can join. Many are the typical home party type companies like Tupperware, Mary Kay, Candles, etc. With these types of opportunities you are required to purchase a kit. You are also responsible for advertising your business and getting leads and customers. Many of these types of companies allow you to run your business online exclusively.

The reason I like this reply is because the writer spells out the difference between online telecommuting, business opportunity, and quasi scams such as surveys, email reading, and data entry.   Actually, data entry–if you are talking about a salaried telecommuting job  may be legitimate.  However, more and more often I see PPC scams being advertised as "data entry" in order to fool people into thinking they are "buying" into a legitimate job. 

This site is really about business opportunity.  Because many of the people coming to Simpleocity are coming from an Internet marketing context, I will be discussing much of what by now may be considered a sort of standard repetoire of Internet marketing.  In other words, affiliate marketing, ecommerce, EBay, selling information products, blogging, site flipping, free lancing, article marketing, and so forth.

However, when you and I talk about online jobs from the perspective of creating our own business, then really there is no limit to the end of possibilities.  Generally speaking, online business–just as any business anywhere–breaks down into two categories, goods and services.  So one question is what are you offering–goods, services, or both?  Wherever you can identify a niche demand, you have a potential business, whether it be web design, a lawn vacuuming service, dog walking, pinball machine repair, or anything else.  I mean, the field is wide open.

I’ll say it again, the field is wide open.  I repeat this because I know a lot of people who see this are skipping around Internet marketing sites, and the discussion in Internet marketing it tightly manipulated by very successful, very clever marketers.  And in IM, the talk is all about Google Adwords, article marketing, and niche affiliate sites, and blog flipping.  Before you know it, you might find yourself thinking that there is nothing else.  Well, those are all fine money makers if you take the time to really learn the skills, but they are just a tiny part of the potential for online home business.

The Internet is a great tool and does change the landscape a bit.  Because affiliate marketing, article marketing, eommerce, and blogging are areas I know something about, I’ll spend time with them and provide resources to learn about them in greater depth.  These are area where virtually anyone can get a toe hold.  However, as I mentioned above, the spectrum of possibility when it comes to home Internet business is mind boggling, and I caution you to not let yourself be manipulated into thinking that affiliate marketing, for example, is all there is to business opportunity. 

All for now.  Thank you for reading.  There is more on the way . . .

 

Update on Writing Your Business Plan

No matter if you are running a tiny, one person, closet-based Internet home business, you can still benefit from writing a business plan.  In fact, having a business plan (at least of some sort) is generally considered essential to long term success.

I wanted to mention that I’ve uploaded a series of articles explaining the parts of a business plan and why the individual sections are important.

The business plan is generally something you write with the idea of presenting it to financial advisors and prospective funding sources to outline the business and its factors for success.

However, there is another reason for writing a business plan.  The business plan is an excellent analytical tool.  Whether you have already started your business or are still in the thinking stages, a business plan will force you to think and analyze it in detailed, crystal clear clarity.

If the whole idea of a business plan sounds too intimidating, no problem.  Just start setting up your business and get on with making money online.  Business, after all, is action.  Writing a business plan should not be something that bogs you down.  Just start putting the plan as it exists in your head into action.  Over time, you will begin thinking of your project in terms of a business and writing a business plan will begin to make more sense and no longer be so intimidating.

Writing a Business Plan–Basics You Must Know

Whenever I start publishing about the need to understand something about business, I worry that the subject may seem so overwhelming that you might just give up.  Remember that business is action.  While business planning is important, the point of the planning is to help you take effective action, not to bog you down.   Read more

Essential Elements of a Good Business Plan

Even if you are starting your home Internet business as a single person that you are running from your bedroom, you still need a business plan.  I’d like to take a moment and suggest what I think are some of the essential elements of good business plan.  also keep in mind that a business plan may be a work in progress.  In fact, you may have started on the Internet trying to make money without ever thinking or having thought of yourself as a business.   You may have discovered that over time, bit by bit, you began thinking of your Internet activities in the context of a business.  Without realizing it, you started developing and may still be developing a business plan.  So a business plan can originate and take shape from practical day to day activities.  And it can change. Read more

Next Page »