December 30, 2008

Selling Tips for Auction Sites



If you are looking to sell items on auction sites such as Ebay, there are a few ways to make your selling more profitable. Many people jump into Ebay and start selling before they realize that like anything else, it is a business. If you would like to sell on Ebay and make a healthy profit, here are some great tips.

It is important to find an item that you can sell that can make you a healthy profit. There are many items that sell well on Ebay, unfortunately though the market is saturated and there are dozens of competitors that are at each others throat. If you are just starting out, choose an item that doesn't have a lot of competition and that is easy to sell. You might find one or two items that will earn you a few dollars a day. And actually a few dollars a day profit is good when starting out instead of losing money.

Auction sites can cost a lot. Figure in fees such as listing fees, final purchase fees, payment processing fess and shipping fees, so do your homework, and figure out exactly how much an item costs to sell. Most auction site sellers only make a dollar or two on an item, even though they get it dirt cheap. Unless you have a special product don't expect to make wide profit margins. A few bucks is typical.

It is also important to state your product, return policy and shipping policy clearly. You don't want a person taking advantage of you or your product. Make sure everyone that enters into a transaction with you is well informed. So follow these tips to selling on auction sites.

December 27, 2008

Keep Proper Records for your Business



If you have as mall business, then it is extremely important to keep proper records for your business. Many small business owners don't realize just how important proper records can be. Many records are necessary for tax purposes, paying out money and keeping track of businesses that owe you money. Without your ability to keep proper records, your business can be ruined easily.

If you are a small business, it is actually very easy to keep detailed records. Many people that do business online love the easy way you are able to get quite detailed information about your business and its functions. For instance, businesses that use Paypal, can download all their transaction data either into an Excel spreadsheet or Access database and easily analyze their data. You can easily find out what payments have been made over a day, week, month or year. You can also calculate fees, and net earnings.

Businesses that do business on Ebay are also able to download lots of information on their business, such as listing fees and the products that they sell. This can help lots of businesses with tax records as well as inventory reports.

Many ecommerce web sites have back end functions built in so you can figure out taxes, inventory on the fly and shipping costs. With the use of computers you can easily keep great records that can you help you analyze your sales data or quickly prepare your taxes. So read the above tips for great ways to keep proper records.

December 20, 2008

Payment Services for Online Merchants



If you are an online merchant, one of the biggest obstacles making a successful business is getting paid from your customers. When the internet first started out, very few people had credit card processing technology, so the only way you can get paid was via a check or money order. While that definitely had an impact on ecommerce, today it is easier than ever to transfer money online from customers to merchants. Here are some tips on payment services.

There are two main payment services; Paypal and credit card processors. Paypal has completely revolutionized the industry since its inception and has made many people expand their business and ease their operations by transferring funds from buyer to seller, fast, easy and reliably.

Paypal holds each members personal and financial data on their server, so it is very difficult to conduct fraud. Paypal is also a very secure and reliable way to transfer money.

Credit Card processors are also a viable option. Used primarily by larger businesses, credit card processors allow a web site to take credit card orders over the phone, or through a ecommerce shopping cart. Credit card processors usually charge a monthly and per transaction fee. They are a little more expensive than Paypal but are open to more customers that shop online. Fraud is a little more rampant with credit cards because there are more ways to use stolen credit cards then using a Paypal account. So if you are looking for a great way to complete transactions online, check into these payment services.

December 8, 2008

Motivational Seminars



If you need to be inspired or to learn a skill that can help you back at the office, then you should look into motivational seminars. Motivational seminars are a great way to improve the morale and performance of your managers, coworkers or small business entrepreneurs. Here are some tips on motivational seminars.

Many people find that motivational seminars can have a profound affect on their lives. Motivational seminars teach people how to achieve their goals in life and work and can be extremely positive to your morale and relationships with other people.

Most seminars are very affordable and usually cost less than $100 per day. Depending on the topic and the speaker, a motivational seminar can last for one day or many days. Many successful people either run motivational seminars or are guests at them. You might want to choose a motivational seminar where many successful and famous people speak, giving the audience lots of insights and ways to cope with their obstacles in order to achieve. Most motivational seminars are located in bigger cities or at top corporate or vacation spots where it is easy for people to relax and congregate. If you would like to achieve in your personal or business life, look into attending motivational seminars.

December 3, 2008

Who is zulhusni

This is one of my best friend blogger which today i am thinking of writing a review for him. Alright, things gonna get personal. Firstly, of course zulhusni is his name. Live in Malaysia and still doesn’t have a chance to go abroad. Zulhisam is his father’s name. And zulkifly is his grandpa’s name. All three of them got the same front name ‘zul’. What amaze me that he is only 19 and still studying but he still manage as a teens make money online by blogging.

gaya seorang pendakipoyobiler laa mjlis kawen aku plak...me and somad

he in his first year architecture student in IIUM. He is an active and outdoor teen. Moreover, camping and hiking are his hobby and martial arts are his favorite sport. 18 when he first start blogging with blogspot and learn a lot from his father. His father is the one that inspired him on blogging after zulhusni saw his father made his first million with the internet business. Now, he is part timer blogger and a student

Zulhusni dot com a.k.a teens make money online

This blog is dedicated as a personal and an information blog. It was launched on June 2008 after months of learning. He will more focusing on posting about blogging and how to earn extra money only with blogging. As a teen, he always tell his friends to involve in online business especially blogging. Therefore, Teens Make Money Online | Zulhusni is a place for them and for you! If you would like to know more about him and his blog, just just visit www.zulhusni.com

December 1, 2008

Business Plans



If you are a small business owner or trying to get a business off the ground, you can benefit from creating a business plan. A business plan is a road map which details your products, services, and your market segment. Your business plan can help explain your businesses purpose to others and help you clarify your goals and your businesses aims.

Business plans are not only useful for a business owner, they are integral in acquiring financing either commercially or through a government or state loan or grant. Most businesses forgo the business plan especially if they are small because they think that a business plan takes too much money to create and can be too time consuming.

Today you can buy business plan software that can help you step by step create your business plan from scratch. The software is usually very affordable and can help you get your business plan on paper in a short amount of time. With a business plan you can show the banks, investors and the government that your business is well thought out and that you are committed to making it succeed. So if you are looking for a way to understand your business better or acquire financing, look into creating an important business plan.

November 28, 2008

Shipping Software



If you have an auction site business or ecommerce web site, you are probably dealing with many items each day that need to be shipped. Shipping items can take a lot of hard work and can be very time consuming. If you want to save valuable time each day while increasing your businesses organization, you should look into shipping software.

There are several types of shipping software available and most software is very easy to use and affordable. Many people love the convenience of shipping software. Most shipping software integrates with payment processors such as Paypal and can automatically print out shipping labels for items that were sold.

Another great shipping software feature is that you can buy postage online and print out shipping labels which include the postage fee. These shipping software options allow you to print out professional labels with postage already paid for the item. Many shipping software programs can even mask the amount of postage you pay on the label, so the sender doesn't know exactly how much you paid for shipping. This is a great feature for Ebay sellers that charge for handling and other services in their shipping fee. So if you are looking to automate your ecommerce or auction site business, use shipping software to save time and money.

November 20, 2008

Business Employee Blunders



Everyone wants to improve their business. No one that owns a business should ever be comfortable with their current position. You should always strive to be better, no matter how good you are doing at the time. However, improving does not always meet on the customer side of your business, but rather how you handle your employees. After all, just like a business is nothing without customers, it is nothing without good employees.

So what are the ways you can improve your business on the employee level? You may be making some blunders that are greatly jeopardizing your employees happiness and wellbeing and not even know it.

Using customer feedback to determine what is wrong with your company.-
This may be one of the worst mistake a business owner can make. Sure, you want to listen to your customers feedback, but you will want to take what they have to say with a grain of salt. Why? Because what the customer says is one sided, and does not accurately describe the situation. If this situation happens with an employee too many times, and the employee does not get the opportunity to present their side of the story as well, then the employee will begin to have issues, especially when it comes to dealing with a problematic customer. Your employee may find it easier to walk away rather then deal with the situation. By avoiding this situation, or at the very least, allowing your employee to defend themselves, you will avoid a potentially hazardous situation.

Another form of this blunder is by producing feedback or survey forms, and basing any type of merit reward on these. The main reason that this will not work accurately is because of 2 facts. First, the customer is more likely to fill out a survey if something was not right, rather then excellent customer service. Second, the best employee in the world may never receive a survey review, while a bad employee, who just happens to be in a good mood that day, receives a few. This is unfair to everyone involved.

Introducing set merit rewards- Merits should be just that, rewards. Not all good deeds are the same, so they should not receive the same reward. Imagine if you were the employee who saved 15 customers from stopping service, and you received the same reward as the person next you did, yet they only saved 3. Would that make you feel unappreciated?

On the other end of the spectrum, you could use caution when rewarding employees for recovering from a foul up. If a employee messes up, and then corrects the problem, they probably should not receive a reward for it. This makes it seem acceptable to mess up, provided that you can redeem yourself.

Giving your employee a set way to sale products or deal with customers- You may think that your way of selling your product or business to customers is the perfect way to sell, and that everyone should use your approach. While your way of selling may work for you, it may not work for all of your employees. Why? Because everyone has a different personalities, and your way of selling just simply may not work for them. If you allow your employees freedom to sell, as long as their way is not immoral or harmful to your business, will benefit your business greatly.

November 15, 2008

Forex Courses



You have probably heard about Forex before. Forex stands for foreign exchange trading and is very popular for online web marketers as well as online day traders. No doubt, there are plenty of people that profit from Forex trading, however, just like any other investment vehicle; Forex has its risks and advantages. If you are looking into Forex trading, you should consider taking a Forex course, to find out if Forex is right for you and also learn the ins and outs, so that you can be a knowledgeable trader.

Forex courses are either given in person or taught online. Many people that live in a big city can easily attend a Forex course. Most of the time, Forex courses only take a few days and you can really learn a lot as well as meet people that are also planning on becoming Forex traders. If you are not in a big city or rather learn from the comfort of your own home, you can take online courses. These courses usually include downloadable materials, interesting forums and instruction with a Forex trader.

Forex courses can be very inexpensive. Many Forex courses can cost as low as $200 and offer a great return on your investment by teaching you important information about Forex. Other classes can be more expensive, but provide much more extensive instruction and special tools to make your trading easier. So if you would like to learn to trade in the foreign currency markets, check out the many Forex courses either on campus or online to teach you the proper way to trade.

November 5, 2008

Buy in Bulk



If you own a small business, then you probably look to save as much as you can to squeeze out a profit. Many businesses save money by buying in bulk. If you have a small business and would like to buy in bulk, here are some tips.

Small business owners can save thousands of dollars each year by purchasing in bulk. No matter what your business is, you can save. Many people usually join price clubs that service almost all small businesses by offering deals on paper products, food, office equipment and travel. Price clubs are enterprises such as Costco, and Sam's club. It is very easy to join these price clubs and you can save lots of money buying supplies that you need.

If you are in a special business, you might want to shop online. Many small businesses are finding cheap suppliers on auction sites such as Ebay. Many liquidators need to sell supplies in bulk and a lot of businesses are buying them up very quickly. Years ago, it was almost impossible to network with so many liquidators in a very short time. The internet has made getting in touch with suppliers extremely easy. So if you would like to save money, especially for your small business, buy in bulk.

November 1, 2008

Your Business Website



Did you know that your business cannot afford to not have a website? It's true, in the 21st century, even the smallest businesses have websites, and the reasons are clear. Over 90% of all households in America now have some form of internet connection, whether it be high speed broadband, or dialup. Out of these 90%, about 65% start their search for new products or services online. Numbers like that tell you that you cannot afford to NOT have a website.

So you have decided that you need a website, now what? Depending on your computer skills, there are two options: Make your own website or get it made by a professional. We will dive into both.

Making Your Own Website

Making a website may sound easy, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, much like running your business. You will not only need to research about your industry, you will have to dive into a whole new industry, the website industry, as well.

First and foremost, you will need a name and a place to keep your website.

Your name, known as a domain name in the internet world, will be the way that people access your website. You will need to pick something that is easy to spell and to remember. There are literally billions of domain names currently, so you may have to get a little creative. Domain names are a yearly fee, typically around $10.00.

A host company hosts your website on their servers. Hosting is a monthly fee, ranging from $3.00 all the way up to $15.00+ depending on the type and size of the hosting. There are 3 main things to look at when you are deciding on hosting.

1) Space size- How much room with you have to host your website? Hosting size is measured in megabytes (mb). Take into account that a typical, status page is about one tenth of a megabyte, and go from there.

2) Bandwidth size- each time a visitor visits your right it takes bandwidth to display the website for him. Bandwidth is typically measured in Megabyte (mb) or Gigabyte (gb). The higher amount of bandwidth available, the more visitors you will be able to show your website too.

3) Special features- Since you are new at making websites, you will want to look for a hosting company that offers specials features for new designers. These features may include a website builder, forums, guest books, counters, Invite pages, and so on. This is especially useful as installing these types of features yourself can get somewhat complicated.
After you find a hosting company and a domain name, you will then need to build your website. Websites are coded in a language known as HTML. Unless you are extremely experienced in HTML, you will not be able to code a website by hand. Instead, you will need to use a website builder to complete the job.

There are several free website builders available online. Just use your chosen search engine and see what you come up with.

If you want to get a little more fancy and have more options available to you, then you may want to consider paid software programs such as Frontpage or Dreamweaver, both of which are available for about $100.

While making your own website seems better from a financial aspect, you also have to consider the quality and effort a professional teams of website designers can offer you.

Hiring A Professional

Hiring a professional may be your best option if you do not the time to build a website for yourself or if you want special features within your website.

Remember, the professional does this for a living and will provide you with the highest quality. They will also typically handle everything from buying and setting up the domain name to updating the website on a weekly basis.

A professional will sit down with you and discuss your ideas and aspirations. Once they believe that they have a good idea of what you are looking for, then they will create your website.

Hiring a design professional can vary, depending on your region, and what you want on your website. Typical prices are anywhere from a couple of hundred, well in the thousands.

October 26, 2008

WIFI on the Go



If you have a laptop and are looking to use the internet when you are away from your home or office, look into WIFI. WIFI is a way for your laptop computer to easily access the internet from any place that offers a wifi hot spot.

WIFI has been around for a few years, but since the technology has expanded and has become affordable, more and more people are using it. Wifi hot spots are popping up all over America and today, there are several cities that are making their entire area one huge wifi hot spot so that everyone can enjoy internet access whether they are at home, at the office or at the park.

Wifi usually only requires a wifi card to enable internet access. Most laptop computers today come with these wifi components already built in. A wifi hot spot is very easy to find and most cafs and restaurants set up their own wifi hot spots so that customers can bring in their computers and surf the web while purchasing coffee or lunch. Many hotels and airports are also adding wifi hotspots. Many of these hot spots charge for using the service. Usually the cost can be $5 to $10 an hour or a small fee for a day or months unlimited use. So if you are looking for a great way to access the internet no matter where you are, check out wifi.

October 23, 2008

Build a Home Office with the Right Office Tools



If you have a small business, then you probably are working from the privacy and comfort of your own home or apartment. Many people that start out a business, usually start their business out small and then build it. Most people call home their office for the first few years or a lifetime, if there business is primarily a function to supplement their income. If you are working in a home office, you need the right office tools to make your work more efficient, economical and look professional.

Most people usually start out with a computer system. After all, computers are the most versatile office tools ever created. Not only are they great for email and spread sheets they also are the heart of your ecommerce business.

It is also important to have computer accessories such as a scanner for scanning and recording important papers and a printer for copying out documents or computer created receipts.

If you have an auction site business, look into a professional label printer. Many shipping services such as UPS can rent you a true professional printer for only a few dollars a month. These label printers can save you time and money on shipping out products.

Another great tool to have in your office is a postage scale. If you ever want to figure out how much an item weighs or costs before selling it, then a postage scale is a great idea. So if you are building a home office, make sure that you include the right tools.

October 12, 2008

Investing Your Time to Make Money



There is an old saying: "you have to have money to make money." With today's advancements in technology, this could not be further from the case. If you know where to look, then making money just from your time is easy. These type of jobs do not require any skills what so ever, just time.

Now before you get excited, you must know that the majority of people who attempt this do not actually make a fulltime living off of it, no matter what the ads tell you. These types of jobs are good for people such as college students, stay at home moms, or people looking for a small amount of additional income.

Now, take for example, you are walking through the grocery store and you to a booth that is offering a taste of the latest food. Once you finish the sample, the lady behind the booth asks "So how did you like it?" you reply with your answer and she writes it down and give you a coupon for the actual product. Did you know that you just unknowingly took a survey about that product. In much of the same fashion, online business ask you to try their product or service, and then tell them what you liked and did not like about it. This helps companies imporve and tailor their products and services so that they reach the most customers.

One of the largest make money for free is taking surveys. Thousand of programs are available that directs you to the surveys, some of which require a membership fee, while others do not. The membership fees are typically small, usually less then $40. Once you sign up, you will either have a page that you visit daily to check for new surveys, or have new surveys emailed to you as they come in.

Most survey companies will ask about your life situation and your interests. While this may seem nosey, the real reason is so that the company to match you with surveys that match you interests. The more information you provide, the better opportunities you will have.

Some survey's require you to purchase their product or service before you can take the survey. However, once you complete the survey, not only do they pay you for finishing it, but they also reimburse you the amount of money you spent initially.

You will want to take special care when searching for jobs that do not require money. The internet is full of "get rich quick" schemes. While the promotions may seem great, chances are they are either extremely hard to accomplish, or bogus. Another old saying works well in this situation: "It is sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."

So lets say for example you sign up with a survey company. The next day you receive an email telling you that you are eligible for a survey though a popular online video rental website, and you will receive $20.00 for taking the survey. To receive the service, you must pay $9.99 initially, which covers a month of service. One you analyze the service, you will then take the survey. Once the survey is complete, your account will be credited with the $20.00 for taking the survey, and the $9.99 that you spent on the service.

October 9, 2008

Small Business Databases



Many small business collect a lot of information. It is unfortunate that with so much information that small businesses collect it is very difficult for them to use the information optimally. While collecting information is easy, analyzing information can be very difficult if you do not have a database. Here are some tips on using a database to analyze and organize your small business information.

There are many different types of databases applications that you can use, one of the easiest is MS Access. If you already own MS office, then there is a good chance that you also have MS Access. MS Access has received great grades from many people for organizing and analyzing information. For instance, wouldn't it be great to keep track of all your sales, so you can see when the best business time of year is for you or at what hours of each day you sell the most. You can do this very easily.

You can even pinpoint the customers that buy your products by age, location and gender. This would be great information to have when starting an advertising campaign. Many people are blown away at how powerful a database can be for their business. The best part about databases is that they are very easy to use and incredibly easy to sort information. For instance, MS Access offers premade databases for many common small databases use such as product inventory, customer forms and shipping details. So if you have a small business, look into small business databases.

October 4, 2008

Forex Courses



Forex trading is wildly popular as a way to invest from the privacy of your own home. Forex stands for foreign exchange trading and has been growing in popularity the last couple of years. If you would like to get into Forex, here are some tips on finding great courses to learn how to trade Forex.

Forex while easy to understand is not a trading platform that a newbie should enter without the proper training and information. Forex online trading is just like any other investment vehicle; Forex has risks and can cost you dearly if you are not knowledgeable or responsible. If you are interested in Forex, then you should look into courses that teach the basics of Forex as well as how to minimize your risks.

There are plenty of Forex course that either give instruction at a classroom or online. Many people choose to learn the basics of Forex from the privacy of their own home and on their own schedule. There are many Forex classes available and some of them are very affordable at less than $200. You can find them easily on the net, usually just by doing a search, There are some online Forex classes that actually let you sit in on a real trades in session so you can see the process of trading Forex. So if you would like to get into Forex trading, look into Forex courses.

September 28, 2008

Limit Your Exposure to Bad Credit



If you are having difficult financial problems, the last thing that you want to experience is bad credit. Bad credit on only one credit card or loan can have effects on all your loans and credit cards. You can even pay higher rates on your insurance and lose a valuable job due to your bad credit rating. If you think you may suffer from bad credit, here are some tips on limiting your exposure to bad credit.

If you find yourself not able to pay certain bills, contact your creditor immediately. You will want to talk to someone that can help put you on a payment plan or help you with your temporary financial difficulty by lowering the interest rates or stopping the accruing interest on your loans or credit cards.

You should also check your credit report each year to make sure that there are no mistakes or inaccuracies. Mistakes on your credit report can cost you dearly and the sooner you find out about these mistakes, the sooner you can fix your credit rating.

If your wallet or identity has been stolen, contact your creditors and credit reporting services immediately. You can stop any bad reporting or other institutions giving out loans or credit cards to an illegal entity. So follow these tips to limit your exposure to bad credit.

September 18, 2008

Interviewing Future Employees



Many small business collect a lot of information. It is unfortunate that with so much information that small businesses collect it is very difficult for them to use the information optimally. While collecting information is easy, analyzing information can be very difficult if you do not have a database. Here are some tips on using a database to analyze and organize your small business information.

There are many different types of databases applications that you can use, one of the easiest is MS Access. If you already own MS office, then there is a good chance that you also have MS Access. MS Access has received great grades from many people for organizing and analyzing information. For instance, wouldn't it be great to keep track of all your sales, so you can see when the best business time of year is for you or at what hours of each day you sell the most. You can do this very easily.

You can even pinpoint the customers that buy your products by age, location and gender. This would be great information to have when starting an advertising campaign. Many people are blown away at how powerful a database can be for their business. The best part about databases is that they are very easy to use and incredibly easy to sort information. For instance, MS Access offers premade databases for many common small databases use such as product inventory, customer forms and shipping details. So if you have a small business, look into small business databases.
If you have been in business for any amount of time, you have learned that hiring new employees is an art form. You have to be extremely careful, especially considering that potential employees will put their best front forward when interviewing. You have to be able to see through the fronts they put up, and really find out whether or not they are right for you business. Unless you master this, you will have some bad situations on your hands.

So what can you do to ensure, or at least improve your chances of getting good employees? The key is to be prepared before hand, and to answer the right questions.

Your preparation should begin long before the employee arrives. You should have a substantial amount of information about the person from their application. Review this information thoroughly.

Most applications ask for job history. I recommend that you call these places, not only to verify that the potential employee actually worked there, but also as a character reference.

Most applications also ask for personal references. Call these references and ask specific questions. Pay attention to their answers, especially if they seem to be the exact same, as this may be a sign that they were couched beforehand.

The Interview

Once you have reviewed the employee's application and decide that they may be right for your company, the next step is get them to your business for the interview.

Have a notepad handy so that you can take notes. You may even want to consider using a recording device as well. A voice recorder will come into handy if you forget parts of the interview.

Talents and Skills

You must remember that talents and skills are not only developed in the workplace. A childhood interest may have bloomed a passion for something that no workplace could create. Because of this, you will want to examine what was gained from every aspect of their life.

Character and Personality

One important thing that you have to remember when interviewing a potential employee is the fact that each person has their own character traits and personality. It is up to you to learn as much as you can about this person's personality, and how it will relate to your business. You will want to find out if a character trait will conflict with your business before hiring the person, as it could cause problems later on.

Questions to ask

What have you learned from previously successful times in your life?
What have to learned from a time in your life when you were down?
Did you learn from mistakes?
What interested you the most as a child?
Can you name one specific hobby or interest that carried over into your adult life?
What skill or talent would you consider to be your best?
What have you learned from others?
What work experience taught you the most?

You should never hire someone on the spot, but instead you should take time to reflect on the interview and your notes. This will give you a chance to analyze exactly how you think this person would perform in your business. You may come across something that you did not notice beforehand.

Once you have decided that you will hire the person, call them with the good news and hope for the best!

September 15, 2008

Selling on Auction Sites



Did you know that your business cannot afford to not have a website? It's true, in the 21st century, even the smallest businesses have websites, and the reasons are clear. Over 90% of all households in America now have some form of internet connection, whether it be high speed broadband, or dialup. Out of these 90%, about 65% start their search for new products or services online. Numbers like that tell you that you cannot afford to NOT have a website.

So you have decided that you need a website, now what? Depending on your computer skills, there are two options: Make your own website or get it made by a professional. We will dive into both.

Making Your Own Website

Making a website may sound easy, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, much like running your business. You will not only need to research about your industry, you will have to dive into a whole new industry, the website industry, as well.

First and foremost, you will need a name and a place to keep your website.

Your name, known as a domain name in the internet world, will be the way that people access your website. You will need to pick something that is easy to spell and to remember. There are literally billions of domain names currently, so you may have to get a little creative. Domain names are a yearly fee, typically around $10.00.

A host company hosts your website on their servers. Hosting is a monthly fee, ranging from $3.00 all the way up to $15.00+ depending on the type and size of the hosting. There are 3 main things to look at when you are deciding on hosting.

1) Space size- How much room with you have to host your website? Hosting size is measured in megabytes (mb). Take into account that a typical, status page is about one tenth of a megabyte, and go from there.

2) Bandwidth size- each time a visitor visits your right it takes bandwidth to display the website for him. Bandwidth is typically measured in Megabyte (mb) or Gigabyte (gb). The higher amount of bandwidth available, the more visitors you will be able to show your website too.

3) Special features- Since you are new at making websites, you will want to look for a hosting company that offers specials features for new designers. These features may include a website builder, forums, guest books, counters, Invite pages, and so on. This is especially useful as installing these types of features yourself can get somewhat complicated.
After you find a hosting company and a domain name, you will then need to build your website. Websites are coded in a language known as HTML. Unless you are extremely experienced in HTML, you will not be able to code a website by hand. Instead, you will need to use a website builder to complete the job.

There are several free website builders available online. Just use your chosen search engine and see what you come up with.

If you want to get a little more fancy and have more options available to you, then you may want to consider paid software programs such as Frontpage or Dreamweaver, both of which are available for about $100.

While making your own website seems better from a financial aspect, you also have to consider the quality and effort a professional teams of website designers can offer you.

Hiring A Professional

Hiring a professional may be your best option if you do not the time to build a website for yourself or if you want special features within your website.

Remember, the professional does this for a living and will provide you with the highest quality. They will also typically handle everything from buying and setting up the domain name to updating the website on a weekly basis.

A professional will sit down with you and discuss your ideas and aspirations. Once they believe that they have a good idea of what you are looking for, then they will create your website.

Hiring a design professional can vary, depending on your region, and what you want on your website. Typical prices are anywhere from a couple of hundred, well in the thousands.
If you are looking for extra income or even a full time job in which you can work from home at your own schedule, there is nothing easier than selling on auction sites. Selling on auction sites has never been easier or more popular. Millions of people each day visit auction sites to either sell their items or buy items on the web. If you are looking to sell on auction sites here are some great tips.

It is very easy to sell on auction sites. Many people think that they have to know technical information or be well versed in computers; the truth of the matter is that within a few minutes you can be selling your items on Ebay or other auction sites and making a healthy profit.

Auction sites such as Ebay make it extremely easy for average people with no computer experience to sell their items. With easy to use interfaces that literally walk you step by step through the entire listing and selling process, you can be up and running in no time.

If you are interested in selling on auction sites for more than just a part time job, there are many software programs that can easily automate your auction site business. Whether it is listing software, shipping software or selling managers, you can easily sell your items and keep track of your auction site business with ease. So if you are looking for either a supplemental or full time income, look to sell on auction sites.

September 8, 2008

Making Money On Your Website



You probably started your business website to increase your profits. That is why you added a shopping cart, and information about your company, right? While this is a great way to increase your profits, did you know that they are many other opportunities online to make money? You will be able to make additional money on your website, provided that you know about the programs that are available to you.

Affiliate Programs

Perhaps on of the most popular affiliate program online today is Google Adsense. Google Adsense is a program provided by the popular Google search engine. It is a pay per click program, which means that each time a visitor clicks on the links that you have placed on your website, you will earn a specific amount of money. The typical amount of money earn per click is 10 cents. Google provides you with all the codes you will need to add the ads to your website. The links are customizable so that the colors and fonts will match your existing website. Once you place the code on your website, the links will then generate to match your content, which means that the visitors visiting your website will be more likely to click on the links, since they were relevant to what they were searching for in the first place.

Another popular affiliate program online is Amazon. Amazon allows you to sell specific products on your website for profit. The amount you make is typically a percentage of the amount the person pays for the item. Amazon allows you to display as many items as you would like, and does not require any amount of content to do so.

If you are having trouble finding affiliate programs, then you may consider joining an affiliate network. An affiliate network is a website that offers a wide variety of products and services to sell on your website. This allows you to easily search for affiliate program in which you want to market. It also will monitor all of your commissions from the various programs, add it to one account, and then send you one check once the amount in your account exceeded your specified amount. If you have ever tried to manage several affiliate programs at once, you will greatly appreciate this feature.

It is important to look for affiliate programs that offer high commissions. If a affiliate program is only going to give you a penny per sale, then why bother?

You may also want to consider joining affiliate programs that offer tier programs. A "tier" program allows you to not only sell their product or service for profit, but it also allows you to recruit others to do the same. Once you recruit others, you then gain profits for each of their sales as well. A 3 tier program allows you to collect profits for the people your recruit AND the people they recruit. Essentially, you make money off of their efforts.

Setting Your Website Up With These Programs

Placement is one of the most important things when it comes to affiliate advertising. You do not want to clutter your pages with ads, since it will take away from your original content. Instead, you will want to use the ads sparely, and in appropriate places. If a visitor searches for electronics and you post Amazon codes for children's book on the same page, then chances are the visitor will not click on your link.

Like I mentioned before, the Google Adsense ads will self tailor themselves to the content in which the links are found on. If you place a Google ad code on a page talking about Phone cards, then all of the ads will be related to phones. I would only use one Google Ad code per page, to make sure you do not clutter up the page. Plus, a visitor is more likely to click on an ad if they do not feel that they are being bombarded by them.
As we discussed in part one, having a great work history and ethic does not guarantee that you will retain your job. There are many culprits to blame, such as changing economic times, technology replacing humans works, and outsourcing work to foreign companies. The only real way that you ca retain your job is not put yourself in the position to be fired. This may seem impossible, but is really quite simple. You have to become your own boss.

Perhaps you are not worried about loosing your job, but you realize that you will never have the chance to advance any further in the company you are working for. Your monetary resources are capped out, and you will not be able to provide any better of a lifestyle for you and your family unless your pay increases. Again, the only way you will be in total control of your finances is to become your own boss.

The only way to be the boss is to start your own business. "But I do not have very much money, if any at all." you say. Well in today's culture there are quite a few businesses that can be started for little or no money at all. This is not a get rich quick scheme, I am not saying that you will be making five grand a month from the very beginning, but I am telling you, that no matter the amount of money that you have, you should still be able to start a business without much fuss.

Here are some more examples of businesses that require little or no money up front:

Bookkeeping

Are you good with numbers and organization? If you are, you may want to think about starting a book keeping business. This business is pretty easy to market since every type of person, and business may need someone to update their business books.

The only thing you may need for this type of job is a program(if you are using a computer) and the necessary paperwork. If you have to supply the paperwork, you can charge additionally for this.

You will want to advertise residually at local tax places or office stores. If you want to target businesses you may want to look into local business directories. If nothing else, you can put an ad in your local newspaper and go from there.

Home Organization

If you good are at organization, then you may want to consider starting a business organization business.

You may want to consider supplying the materials needed for organization such as boxes, labels, shelves, etc. If you provide the materials, then you will be able to charge for it. You may also require your clients to buy the materials themselves. Whatever you decide will work.

Home organization is best advertised at home stores and in your local paper.

Language Translation

You will help break through barriers caused by language difference and improved communication. Businesses will call you when they know they will be dealing with clientele that speak a different language, typically in advance. Every once and awhile, you may be called in an emergency situation. The pay depends on the amount of people you will have to translate for, and if you are notified ahead of time or not.

If English is your second language, or you just have a liking for foreign languages, you services will come in handy for local businesses that deal with multi-cultures.

If you do not know a foreign language, but you are still interested in language translation as a career or business, then translation books and programs number in the thousands, even for the newest user. It just takes a little time and energy to learn a new language.

Contact local business, doctor's offices, and government agencies and ask if they are in need of translation services.

September 6, 2008

Using Myspace to Promote Your Business



One of the newest phenomena's hitting the business world on the internet is using interactive community sites, such as Myspace to promote your business.

The reasons are clear as to why business owners have chosen to promote their businesses on Myspace. With an average of over half a million long ins a day, Myspace is easily one of the most popular website on the internet today. With this kind of traffic, every business is sure to find a target group that is interested in their products, or services.

Perhaps one of the best reasons for using Myspace to promote your business is the fact that it is free. The only investment you will need is some time to build your profile, and time to find and add people to your "friends list," which in this case is actually your targeted group.

Setting Up Your Profile

Once you sign up, you will be asked to create a profile. Your profile is the single most important thing when you decide to advertise using Myspace. Your potential targets and clientele will look at this profile first. It will literally give them their first impression of you.

You will want to set up your profile with as much information as you can, however do not overdo it and make it seem as if you are just trying to get them to read about your business. A good balance is key.

Do not over use images or other media within your page, so it will load fast for even the slowest of internet connections.

Gaining Targets

One have everything setup on your profile, you will want to begin looking for targets. You will want to look for the type of people that may be interested in your business.

Myspace provides a search feature that allows you to search by age, gender, status, and location. Use this feature to search and find people in your area. Click on their profile, and if they fit your criteria, the use the "add to friends" button. A message will be sent to them, and then they will be able to add or deny your profile. Once you see that they have accepted you, then post a "thank you" message on their profile.

Proper Myspace Etiquette

When using Myspace to promote your business, you will want to practice some etiquette. It is easy to overdo it, which can greatly hurt your image, especially with potential local consumers. After all, the idea is to promote your business, not to hurt it's image.

Spaming, or sending unsolicited messages to random users and addresses, is strictly prohibited, and will get your account deleted. Never send unsolicited or unwanted messages to anyone. However, if the person contacts you first (whether it be by comment, or message) feel free to communicate with them about your business.

Another type of spamming, which is potentially dangerous for your business, is over-posting comments. The comment system on Myspace allows you to post comments on other's profiles, that is usually viewable by everyone that views that person profile. This can be a great way to reach additional contacts, provided that you follow some rules. First, never post a comment solely about your business. Instead, you can post a message thanking that person for accepting your friend request, or thanking them for sending you a friend request, whatever the case may be. The only acceptable way you should post a comment about your business is if the user posted a comment on your profile first.
Never post pictures on other users profile.
Looking for a way to make your auction site business more efficient? There are many tools available that can help you automate your auction site business, fast easily and affordably. Here are some tips on automating your auction site business.

There are three main ways to automate your auction site business, listing software, payment processors and shipping software. Listing software can help you list your items no matter what day or time it is, even in the middle of the night. Listing software is mainly for power sellers that sell more than a few items each day. There are a few great listing programs, one of them is from Ebay and is available for free.

Payment processors are software that helps you check out your customers quick and easy and makes sure that payment has been sent. Payment processors contact your buyers once an item is sold and walks them through the payment process as well as the feedback process. If a payment is made, it can also integrate with your shipping software.

Shipping software is necessary to print labels, calculate shipping and keep track of tracking numbers for customer's shipments. Shipping software can save you valuable time and energy. So if you want to grow as an auction site seller, look into automating your auction site business.

August 31, 2008

Show Your Customers that You Care



If you have a web site that sells products or services, it is important that you show your customers that you care. Just like any other brick and mortar company in the real world, today's web site businesses depend on repeat visitors, quality products and customer service. If you are serious on building a long term ecommerce business online show your customers that you care.

A great way to show your customers that you care is to build a well organized web site that is easy to navigate. Make sure that you web site is easy on the eyes and looks professional. Do not have any popup ads on your web site or too many flash advertisements. One of the worst things that you can do is to welcome your visitors with a pop up and then 100 flashing advertisements. The site will look like a spam site and people will leave immediately.

Make sure the information that you give about your products and services is clear and concise. It is also important to make sure that your refund or exchange policy is clearly viewable and that there is an easy way for your customers to contact you if they have any problems. So if you are building long term business online, make sure that you show your customers that you care.
If you are a web developer or small businessman, it is tough to spread the word for your web site, product or service. Many people just don't have the budget to spend hundreds of dollars for advertising expenses. However if you are a little innovative, there are many ways that you can advertise your web site for free. Here are some tips.

To get your web site well known first do the obvious, make sure that your web site is optimized and submit it to all the major search engines and directories. While many web developers benefit from ranking high in the search engines, you will most likely need to do more to get traffic to your web site.

A great idea is viral marketing, creating an article or product that contains your back link and advertisement that is then submitted to thousands of people to freely download and post to their sites. Many people create valuable articles with their web site link and advertisement; they then post them on several highly trafficked article distribution sites. Within a few weeks you might see a rise in traffic using this technique.

There are also plenty of banner exchange sites, where you choose to show other peoples advertisement in exchange for others posting your advertisement or your banner on their web site. Banner exchanges do contribute to building traffic.

Another great idea is posting valuable information on web sites. If you contribute to a forum or blog, you can leave your signature which includes your product or web site link. This can also build a good reputation for your products and web sites. So if you want to build your web site but don't have a big budget, try some of these free advertising alternatives.

August 30, 2008

Shipping Software for Auction and Ecommerce Sites



If you are a small business and looking for a way to keep track of all your expenses and all the monies that you take in, you should look into online banking.

Online banking has revolutionized the banking industry. Less than a decade ago, people would have to run to the bank each day to check their balances and to check if checks or deposits were made into their account. Today making payments, transferring money and keeping track of your balance is as easy as pie. Online banking truly does offer the public and small businesses great services that are fast, friendly and reliable. Here are some popular services offered via online banking.

Send payments via the internet.
Many people no longer have to send checks in the mail to pay their bills, whether it is a bill for a supplier or a phone bill, you can easily pay it via your online banking account. Plus the cost is usually free with most accounts. You can easily pay each bill monthly or schedule bills to be paid at certain times of the month that are appropriate.

Transfer money between accounts.
If you hold several accounts and are constantly transferring money between them, then online banking is a great help. You can easily transfer money to different accounts automatically and instantly via online banking. Most instantaneous transfers take place within accounts at the same bank. Accounts at other banks usually take more time.

Find out your balance and account history.
If you are constantly checking your balance, and want to look up your account history, you can easily accomplish this with online banking.

So if you have a small business, switch to online banking to make your life easier.
Many people that start doing business online usually are amazed at how complicated it can get to send out a few packages each day. If you are selling lots of merchandise and do not have the proper software you can be wasting your time and creating big headaches for yourself. Here are some tips on choosing shipping software for auction and ecommerce sites.

There are several great shipping products that can make your ecommerce site and auction site business run smoothly. Most shipping software is inexpensive, easy to use and filled with great features.

You can usually find great shipping software that costs only a few cents a day to use. Many larger businesses can purchase shipping software with important features for less than $50 each month. Depending on the size of your business will determine the shipping software necessary.

Whether you run a stand alone database or pull sales information from an Ebay payment processing program, shipping software can cut the time it takes to create labels, calculate postage and keep records to minutes each day.

Many shipping software programs work flawlessly with other great ecommerce packages and can have you completely automated so that selling your items online can be economical. Some of the larger shipping programs also offer great customer support so that if you have a glitch or an important question you can get help and your questions answered immediately. So if you are looking for a great way to automate your online auction site or ecommerce business look into shipping software.

August 20, 2008

Motivational Seminars



If you are looking to start your own small business but don't know what to sell, here are some tips on where to find great start up business ideas.

Many people fail to realize that there are thousands of great business ideas right in front of their eyes, you just have to know where to look. For instance, looking to find a great item to sell on large auction sites, the best place to find items to sell on auction sites is to look carefully at these sites. The best thing about Ebay is that all the sales data is right in front of you. Look through the different categories and find a product that is selling well.

You can look at how many of these products are selling, daily or weekly, how many merchants are selling this product, and how much money does each product usually sell for. Selling an item with this type of information makes the entire process much easier. This information is far too valuable to pass up. If you still have questions, hit the merchant forums. There are always interesting posts on how to find great products and to get the latest buzz on what categories are hot. So if you are looking for start up business items, take a look at the above tips.
If you need to be inspired or to learn a skill that can help you back at the office, then you should look into motivational seminars. Motivational seminars are a great way to improve the morale and performance of your managers, coworkers or small business entrepreneurs. Here are some tips on motivational seminars.

Many people find that motivational seminars can have a profound affect on their lives. Motivational seminars teach people how to achieve their goals in life and work and can be extremely positive to your morale and relationships with other people.

Most seminars are very affordable and usually cost less than $100 per day. Depending on the topic and the speaker, a motivational seminar can last for one day or many days. Many successful people either run motivational seminars or are guests at them. You might want to choose a motivational seminar where many successful and famous people speak, giving the audience lots of insights and ways to cope with their obstacles in order to achieve. Most motivational seminars are located in bigger cities or at top corporate or vacation spots where it is easy for people to relax and congregate. If you would like to achieve in your personal or business life, look into attending motivational seminars.

August 17, 2008

Start a Business With Little or No Money- Part 6



As we discussed in the previous parts, having a great work history and ethic does not guarantee that you will retain your job. There are many culprits to blame, such as changing economic times, technology replacing humans works, and outsourcing work to foreign companies. The only real way that you ca retain your job is not put yourself in the position to be fired. This may seem impossible, but is really quite simple. You have to become your own boss.

Perhaps you are not worried about loosing your job, but you realize that you will never have the chance to advance any further in the company you are working for. Your monetary resources are capped out, and you will not be able to provide any better of a lifestyle for you and your family unless your pay increases. Again, the only way you will be in total control of your finances is to become your own boss.

The only way to be the boss is to start your own business. "But I do not have very much money, if any at all." you say. Well in today's culture there are quite a few businesses that can be started for little or no money at all. This is not a get rich quick scheme, I am not saying that you will be making five grand a month from the very beginning, but I am telling you, that no matter the amount of money that you have, you should still be able to start a business without much fuss.

Here are some more examples of businesses that require little or no money up front:

Apartment and Rental House Preparation

Local real estate agencies that host rental properties as well may hire make ready services for their properties. The best thing about this job is the fact that they typically supply all the tools and materials needed to complete the job.

Make ready services complete not technical services such as cleaning, painting, and small handy work (replacing door handles, light bulbs, etc).

Talk with your local apartment complexes and real estate agencies. You may also consider placing an ad in your local newspaper as well.

Restaurant Delivery Service

Restaurant deliverers, take orders by phone for local restaurants, go pick up the food, and then deliver the food the office or home of the person wanting it.

The only thing you will need is the vehicle in which to transport the food.

You may want to consider a detailed flyer stating the businesses you will pick up from, or a website that contains the complete menus of each. Talk with local businesses about possibly referring you to their customers.

By collecting a delivery charge and tip, the owner makes a substantial amount of money.

Valet Parking

Valet parking is simply the act of driving a person vehicle to a designated area to save the walk.

Local businesses may need valet parking at different times. You will want to contact then so they know that your service are available.

Businesses that offer event planning may also have an interest in your services and may call whenever you are needed.

No only will you receive a fee from the business for providing the service, but the majority of people who use valet parking will pay a tip as well.

Just let your local businesses that your services are available.
If you are starting a small business, or have a small business that is starting to expand, you probably want to look into incorporating your business to make it a separate legal entity from yourself. Creating a corporation or LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a great way to lessen the liability that can occur if your business fails or another party sues your business. Here are some tips on some easy ways to incorporate your business.

Incorporating your business is actually a quite simple procedure. Many people can either incorporate their business on their own or have a lawyer incorporate your business for you.

If you decide to incorporate your business on your own, check out incorporation guide books that have all the information to incorporate your business in the state that you choose. You can easily complete the forms and send them to your government office. You can incorporate your business or start an LLC for less than $200 and that includes choosing your businesses name.

If you don't feel like going it alone, you can hire a lawyer that will incorporate your business fast and easy. Most lawyers will charge you less than $500 and fill out the necessary paperwork as well as register your businesses name for you. So if you are looking to start a small business or expanding your present business, look into incorporating it.

August 9, 2008

Scams to Avoid Online



If you surf the web, have a web site or ecommerce site, or sell on auction sites, you should be prepared to be scammed. There are thousands of hackers trying to hack your computer, business or scam you out of money each and everyday, here are some tips that help you avoid scams.

There are major ways to avoid scams and hackers online. Have a powerful antivirus program running all the time, do not click on any links that you are not aware of, and if doing business online, never pay with sources other than check, money order or Paypal. You can cut down your risk to being scammed by following these three tips.

Virus software will help you protect you from general viruses as well as spyware and Trojan horses. Trojan horses are small programs that are inadvertently downloaded and find personal information which is then sent to a database online.

Do not click on links that seem suspicious. You can download a Trojan horse or give away your personal and financial information to an entity other than which was stated. If you do business on auction sites, never accept money or merchandise off the auction site and don't pay with Western Union or Cash. Western Union can not guarantee your payment and many times, it is used for scamming purposes. So follow the above tips to avoid being scammed.
One of the most important functions in any online business is the ability to sell your product. Many small businesses fail not because they have a bad product or service, but because they do not know how to sell their product. One of the easiest ways to sell a product or service is to put together a list of leads or people that fit your market that may be interested in your product.

Many salespeople work hard to put together a list of possible customers. Putting together a list takes lots of time, smarts and plenty of hard work. One of the easiest ways to put together a list is just to buy one, while some lists are a good value, if you are selling a certain product or to a certain list of people, you may find that lists are extremely expensive and usually worth the time and effort to create one yourself.

There are many ways to put together a list. One of the easiest ways to create a list is to set up a web site on a specific topic and offer a free product, service or newsletter. However, in order to get the newsletter, the visitor must submit his or her email address. Depending on the amount of traffic, over a few months you can receive hundreds or even thousands of email addresses that are interested in receiving information on products or services. If you are looking to build your business by developing your contacts, check out the above tips on putting together a list.

August 2, 2008

Start a Business With Little or No Money- Part 6



If you have a web site that you would like to monetize, one of the best ways to create profit is to sell other merchant products on your site. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you share the commission when you either produce a sale for them or produce a lead to their web site. The affiliate merchant sells the product, collects the money, and then sends you the commission once or twice a month.

There are many affiliate marketing sites, each with their own products and each with their own ways to pay their affiliates that sell for them. Some of the well known affiliate sites are Commission Junction, Clickbank, Amazon and PaydotCom.

If your web sites can reach lots of visitors that buy your featured affiliate products you can make lots of profit each month. Many top affiliate sites make thousands of dollars each month just by having their visitors buy other merchants affiliate products.

Most affiliate marketing sites are free to join for affiliates and can be free or cost a few thousand dollars for merchants wanting their products to be sold. Affiliate marketing sites usually just require your contact information and bank information if you would like direct deposit each month or bimonthly to your account. If you would like to monetize your site, look into affiliate marketing sites.
As we discussed in the previous parts, having a great work history and ethic does not guarantee that you will retain your job. There are many culprits to blame, such as changing economic times, technology replacing humans works, and outsourcing work to foreign companies. The only real way that you ca retain your job is not put yourself in the position to be fired. This may seem impossible, but is really quite simple. You have to become your own boss.

Perhaps you are not worried about loosing your job, but you realize that you will never have the chance to advance any further in the company you are working for. Your monetary resources are capped out, and you will not be able to provide any better of a lifestyle for you and your family unless your pay increases. Again, the only way you will be in total control of your finances is to become your own boss.

The only way to be the boss is to start your own business. "But I do not have very much money, if any at all." you say. Well in today's culture there are quite a few businesses that can be started for little or no money at all. This is not a get rich quick scheme, I am not saying that you will be making five grand a month from the very beginning, but I am telling you, that no matter the amount of money that you have, you should still be able to start a business without much fuss.

Here are some more examples of businesses that require little or no money up front:

Apartment and Rental House Preparation

Local real estate agencies that host rental properties as well may hire make ready services for their properties. The best thing about this job is the fact that they typically supply all the tools and materials needed to complete the job.

Make ready services complete not technical services such as cleaning, painting, and small handy work (replacing door handles, light bulbs, etc).

Talk with your local apartment complexes and real estate agencies. You may also consider placing an ad in your local newspaper as well.

Restaurant Delivery Service

Restaurant deliverers, take orders by phone for local restaurants, go pick up the food, and then deliver the food the office or home of the person wanting it.

The only thing you will need is the vehicle in which to transport the food.

You may want to consider a detailed flyer stating the businesses you will pick up from, or a website that contains the complete menus of each. Talk with local businesses about possibly referring you to their customers.

By collecting a delivery charge and tip, the owner makes a substantial amount of money.

Valet Parking

Valet parking is simply the act of driving a person vehicle to a designated area to save the walk.

Local businesses may need valet parking at different times. You will want to contact then so they know that your service are available.

Businesses that offer event planning may also have an interest in your services and may call whenever you are needed.

No only will you receive a fee from the business for providing the service, but the majority of people who use valet parking will pay a tip as well.

Just let your local businesses that your services are available.

July 29, 2008

Show Your Customers that You Care



If you have a web site that sells products or services, it is important that you show your customers that you care. Just like any other brick and mortar company in the real world, today's web site businesses depend on repeat visitors, quality products and customer service. If you are serious on building a long term ecommerce business online show your customers that you care.

A great way to show your customers that you care is to build a well organized web site that is easy to navigate. Make sure that you web site is easy on the eyes and looks professional. Do not have any popup ads on your web site or too many flash advertisements. One of the worst things that you can do is to welcome your visitors with a pop up and then 100 flashing advertisements. The site will look like a spam site and people will leave immediately.

Make sure the information that you give about your products and services is clear and concise. It is also important to make sure that your refund or exchange policy is clearly viewable and that there is an easy way for your customers to contact you if they have any problems. So if you are building long term business online, make sure that you show your customers that you care.
Many people that start doing business online usually are amazed at how complicated it can get to send out a few packages each day. If you are selling lots of merchandise and do not have the proper software you can be wasting your time and creating big headaches for yourself. Here are some tips on choosing shipping software for auction and ecommerce sites.

There are several great shipping products that can make your ecommerce site and auction site business run smoothly. Most shipping software is inexpensive, easy to use and filled with great features.

You can usually find great shipping software that costs only a few cents a day to use. Many larger businesses can purchase shipping software with important features for less than $50 each month. Depending on the size of your business will determine the shipping software necessary.

Whether you run a stand alone database or pull sales information from an Ebay payment processing program, shipping software can cut the time it takes to create labels, calculate postage and keep records to minutes each day.

Many shipping software programs work flawlessly with other great ecommerce packages and can have you completely automated so that selling your items online can be economical. Some of the larger shipping programs also offer great customer support so that if you have a glitch or an important question you can get help and your questions answered immediately. So if you are looking for a great way to automate your online auction site or ecommerce business look into shipping software.

July 20, 2008

Protect Yourself from Auction Scams



If you buy or sell on big name auction sites you should protect yourself from lots of online scams. Every day people lose thousands of dollars due to online scams on auction sites. Here are some ways to protect yourself.

Online scams are very prevalent on Ebay and other auction sites. If you buy an item make sure that the buyer has a positive rating and has some history, usually ten or more purchases or sales. Most of the time, a scammer will have a brand new account with no history.

If you buy an item on Ebay prefer to pay with Paypal. Paypal has excellent buyer coverage and doesn't give the seller any credit card information If you never receive your item you can contact Paypal and request your money back. Usually if there is no proof that an item was delivered you will receive your money fast and easily.

If you are a seller it is important to state your return and exchange policy clearly. Most people fall into trouble when they do not state a return and exchange policy or the policy is not clear. Also make sure that your packages if expensive have tracking numbers. On very expensive orders make sure an item is insured by you or the buyer purchasing the item.

If you sell specific merchandise such as DVD's or CD's make sure that an exchange can only be given for defective merchandise, you don't want a person buying your product, copying it and returning it.
If you have a web site that you would like to monetize, one of the best ways to create profit is to sell other merchant products on your site. The beauty of affiliate marketing is that you share the commission when you either produce a sale for them or produce a lead to their web site. The affiliate merchant sells the product, collects the money, and then sends you the commission once or twice a month.

There are many affiliate marketing sites, each with their own products and each with their own ways to pay their affiliates that sell for them. Some of the well known affiliate sites are Commission Junction, Clickbank, Amazon and PaydotCom.

If your web sites can reach lots of visitors that buy your featured affiliate products you can make lots of profit each month. Many top affiliate sites make thousands of dollars each month just by having their visitors buy other merchants affiliate products.

Most affiliate marketing sites are free to join for affiliates and can be free or cost a few thousand dollars for merchants wanting their products to be sold. Affiliate marketing sites usually just require your contact information and bank information if you would like direct deposit each month or bimonthly to your account. If you would like to monetize your site, look into affiliate marketing sites.

July 18, 2008

Know Your Customer, Increase Your Business



Your business may be making you a profit, but are there things you can do to make it better? Do you offer your customer the best possible transactions? Taking the time to get to know your customers can increase your business. That doesn't necessarily mean getting to know each of them on a personal basis, rather knowing their needs, their wants, predicting the goods or services they will purchase, and being prepared to keep up with changes in the market.

Figuring out the needs of your customers can be tricky. Not only are the needs of the market continually changing, but different demographic classes of the market will want different things at the same time. To find out what your customers need, pay attention to overall business trends. This will help you keep up with what is going on it the business world. It is also important to keep an eye on the competition.

It is very important to know what your customer wants. This varies significantly from knowing what they need. The needs are the things they can't live without including a quality product or service. Wants are added perks that the consumer is looking for. Often, it is the want that is offered that will help a consumer choose between your business and another.

Survey your customers
To find out what customers want, ask them. Customer surveys are a great source of information. You will find out exactly what your customers like and don't like. It is better to offer a short survey with open questions that allows them to express their opinion than pre-formatted boxes that they check off. A want just about every customer out there wants is quality customer service. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than making a purchase, then not getting any support when it doesn't work properly or you have questions about the product or service.

Forecast customer habits
Often, it is quite easy to predict the products or services an ongoing customer will make. For example, they may increase their order close to the Holidays or reduce their order in the summer time. Regardless of the pattern, it will provide you great information to forecast sales with. You will also be ready to meet the needs of these customers better if you are aware of them, leading you to be able to plan ahead for them.

Demands change
Finally, your business has to be willing to keep up with the changing demands of the market. If you decide to stay where you are, be prepared to lose the majority of your customers who the competition who is staying on top of the changing market needs.

Taking the time to really get to know your customers and what they need, want, expect, and plan for changes will allow you to be a better provider of goods or services to consumers. This in turn will earn you the continued loyalty of the customers you have as well as make your business appealing to the rest of the consumers out there.
As we discussed in part one, having a great work history and ethic does not guarantee that you will retain your job. There are many culprits to blame, such as changing economic times, technology replacing humans works, and outsourcing work to foreign companies. The only real way that you ca retain your job is not put yourself in the position to be fired. This may seem impossible, but is really quite simple. You have to become your own boss.

Perhaps you are not worried about loosing your job, but you realize that you will never have the chance to advance any further in the company you are working for. Your monetary resources are capped out, and you will not be able to provide any better of a lifestyle for you and your family unless your pay increases. Again, the only way you will be in total control of your finances is to become your own boss.

The only way to be the boss is to start your own business. "But I do not have very much money, if any at all." you say. Well in today's culture there are quite a few businesses that can be started for little or no money at all. This is not a get rich quick scheme, I am not saying that you will be making five grand a month from the very beginning, but I am telling you, that no matter the amount of money that you have, you should still be able to start a business without much fuss.

Here are some more examples of businesses that require little or no money up front:

Bookkeeping

Are you good with numbers and organization? If you are, you may want to think about starting a book keeping business. This business is pretty easy to market since every type of person, and business may need someone to update their business books.

The only thing you may need for this type of job is a program(if you are using a computer) and the necessary paperwork. If you have to supply the paperwork, you can charge additionally for this.

You will want to advertise residually at local tax places or office stores. If you want to target businesses you may want to look into local business directories. If nothing else, you can put an ad in your local newspaper and go from there.

Home Organization

If you good are at organization, then you may want to consider starting a business organization business.

You may want to consider supplying the materials needed for organization such as boxes, labels, shelves, etc. If you provide the materials, then you will be able to charge for it. You may also require your clients to buy the materials themselves. Whatever you decide will work.

Home organization is best advertised at home stores and in your local paper.

Language Translation

You will help break through barriers caused by language difference and improved communication. Businesses will call you when they know they will be dealing with clientele that speak a different language, typically in advance. Every once and awhile, you may be called in an emergency situation. The pay depends on the amount of people you will have to translate for, and if you are notified ahead of time or not.

If English is your second language, or you just have a liking for foreign languages, you services will come in handy for local businesses that deal with multi-cultures.

If you do not know a foreign language, but you are still interested in language translation as a career or business, then translation books and programs number in the thousands, even for the newest user. It just takes a little time and energy to learn a new language.

Contact local business, doctor's offices, and government agencies and ask if they are in need of translation services.

July 12, 2008

Find an Office



If you are looking to sell items on auction sites such as Ebay, there are a few ways to make your selling more profitable. Many people jump into Ebay and start selling before they realize that like anything else, it is a business. If you would like to sell on Ebay and make a healthy profit, here are some great tips.

It is important to find an item that you can sell that can make you a healthy profit. There are many items that sell well on Ebay, unfortunately though the market is saturated and there are dozens of competitors that are at each others throat. If you are just starting out, choose an item that doesn't have a lot of competition and that is easy to sell. You might find one or two items that will earn you a few dollars a day. And actually a few dollars a day profit is good when starting out instead of losing money.

Auction sites can cost a lot. Figure in fees such as listing fees, final purchase fees, payment processing fess and shipping fees, so do your homework, and figure out exactly how much an item costs to sell. Most auction site sellers only make a dollar or two on an item, even though they get it dirt cheap. Unless you have a special product don't expect to make wide profit margins. A few bucks is typical.

It is also important to state your product, return policy and shipping policy clearly. You don't want a person taking advantage of you or your product. Make sure everyone that enters into a transaction with you is well informed. So follow these tips to selling on auction sites.
If you are thinking of expanding or would like to set up a home base, for most small businesses finding an office makes sense. Most offices for small businesses are surprisingly affordable and can be much a more effective work environment than working from home.

While many people love working from home, if you think your work productivity lacks because you are constantly being distracted at home, you may find finding an office is the perfect answer. Office's for a few people or even one or two people are very affordable and you can usually deduct the entire cost or partial cost on your taxes.

Most people that look into finding an office are amazed that it can be very affordable and easy to set up. Usually phone lines, internet and sometimes even furniture are included in the price of renting an office. Most small offices can be found for less than $1,000 per month and many are less than that. Many small businesses find an office a great way to go legit, not considering themselves a home based business any longer.

If your business has been hiring labor, guiding your labor and managing them is much easier in a true office environment. Many home businesses that find an office usually see a spike in productivity as labor and the business owner can focus better and work together. If you have a small business and would like to find an office to expand or manage your staff better, take a look at the above tips.

July 5, 2008

Sign Up to Be an Affiliate



If you are looking for a great way to increase your profits and expand your business, signing up to be an affiliate is one of the best ways. Signing up to be an affiliate marketer is one of the best ways to cash in on the best products and services being sold on the internet. Here are some tips.

Many products and services that are offered on the internet can be sold through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is an easy concept. If you are the owner of web sites, blogs or forums that receives traffic, turn this traffic into revenue, by offering your visitors great affiliate products. As an affiliate marketer, you are paid for either producing a sale or producing a lead. If you sign up to be an affiliate, you will receive a special link with your private code in the link. Every time one of your visitors clicks your link and buys an item, you are recognized as the seller and are given a huge commission. Many commissions usually range from 10% all the way up to 50%.

The great part of signing up to be an affiliate is that it costs you nothing. It is usually free to join, free to sell a product and once the product is sold, you only have to collect your money. You do not have to worry about delivering the product or any tech support involved in the product. Signing up to be an affiliate is a super easy way to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars off of other people's great products and services.
Software can be extremely expensive for a small business or an individual. Many software programs can cost hundreds of dollars each and a whole suite of software programs can cost close to a grand. For students, small business owners and individuals that need the power of specific software there is another alternative rather than spending hundreds of dollars or downloading software illegally off the internet. Many people are choosing to buy used software.

Used software is perfectly legal. Used software is similar to buying a used CD. The person that originally owned the software uninstalls the software from his or her computer and sells the entire software, CD, instructions, and all to a new buyer. There is a huge market for used software and you can always find great deals

No matter what kind of software you are looking for, you can usually find it in used form. Windows, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop are all available in used form and hundreds of dollars less than what you would pay normally. Some great places to buy used software are online at auction sites and ecommerce web sites. So if you are looking for great software without the high price, check out used software.

July 1, 2008

Ways to Make Your Affiliate Website Successful



An affiliate website is defined as a website that sells other's products or information for profit. This is one of the best types of investment sites simply because you do not have to product any of the products, just the website to market them.

Here are a few ways that you will maximize your profits from your affiliate website.

1) Join affiliate programs that offer high commissions. Each affiliate program is different, especially when it comes to the amount of money is paid for each referral. If you are only going to make a fraction of a penny each sale, why bother when they are thousands of other programs that offer much more?

2) Join 2 or 3 tier programs. A "tier" program allows you to not only sell their product or service for profit, but it also allows you to recruit others to do the same. Once you recruit others, you then gain profits for each of their sales as well. A 3 tier program allows you to collect profits for the people your recruit AND the people they recruit. Essentially, you make money off of their efforts.

3) Join affiliate programs that offer lifetime commissions. Lifetime commission means that you not only make money on the initial sale, but you will also earn commission each time that customer comes back and buys something additional.

4) Join Google Adsense. Google Adsense is by far one of the most profitable and well known affiliate program on the internet today. Instead of making money based on sales, you make money based on when someone clicks on the link. Perhaps one of the best features is the fact that the ad generated by Google Adsense is targeted towards the content on your website. This means that the customers that visit your website are more likely to click on the ads because they pertain to what they were looking for in the first place.

Alternatively, Google also allows you to place a search box on your site, and you will be paid each time someone uses it and visit a link.

Because Google Adsense changes its links to match the content on the page in which it is found, it can be used easily on every page of your website, including pages with other affiliate links on them.

5) Join affiliate networks. An affiliate network is a website that offers a wide variety of products and services to sell on your website. This allows you to easily search for affiliate program in which you want to market. It also will monitor all of your commissions from the various programs, add it to one account, and then send you one check once the amount in your account exceeded your specified amount. If you have ever tried to manage several affiliate programs at once, you will greatly appreciate this feature.

6) Optimize your website. You will want to make your page friendly for both search engines and your visitors.

Search engines use bots to scan and track your website in order to index it. You must provide these bots with easy to read code, keywords, and content. Use keywords and information that describes the product you are trying to sale.

More importantly, you will want to make your page friendly for your visitors. Make sure you have a clear, easy to read website that remain constant throughout.

Make sure that your pages load quick, as you may have some customers that are on dialup. Make sure you include a navigation menu on all pages of your website, which leads not only to the type of product that they are looking for, but also other categories as well. You never know if some may be looking for a specific item, but may also stumble on something they were technically looking for, but something they are still interested in none the less.
If you have a laptop and are looking to use the internet when you are away from your home or office, look into WIFI. WIFI is a way for your laptop computer to easily access the internet from any place that offers a wifi hot spot.

WIFI has been around for a few years, but since the technology has expanded and has become affordable, more and more people are using it. Wifi hot spots are popping up all over America and today, there are several cities that are making their entire area one huge wifi hot spot so that everyone can enjoy internet access whether they are at home, at the office or at the park.

Wifi usually only requires a wifi card to enable internet access. Most laptop computers today come with these wifi components already built in. A wifi hot spot is very easy to find and most cafs and restaurants set up their own wifi hot spots so that customers can bring in their computers and surf the web while purchasing coffee or lunch. Many hotels and airports are also adding wifi hotspots. Many of these hot spots charge for using the service. Usually the cost can be $5 to $10 an hour or a small fee for a day or months unlimited use. So if you are looking for a great way to access the internet no matter where you are, check out wifi.