Avoiding Home Business Scams - Tips and Tricks
Now maybe the reason you’re interested in setting up a home business is because you’ve seen an ad somewhere, or you’ve been approached by someone. It was all about a great work-from-home money-making opportunity, and you’re excited. Finally, you can quit your job!
If you’re thinking of working from home by someone else’s rules, though, you have to realise that at least 99% of the offers out there are scams – after all, if it was that easy to pay a few dollars and make thousands, wouldn’t everyone be doing it by now? Here are the biggest scams out there, how to recognise them, and how to avoid them. Location, Location, Location. Where did you see that work from home offer? If you got it in the post, or by email, or saw it on a poster taped around a telephone pole, then I can guarantee you right now that it’s not a legitimate offer. If you saw the ad in a newspaper, in a jobs magazine or on a jobs website, then it’s a little more likely to be legit – but not much. Always check out any offer, and assume it’s a scam until you have iron-clad proof to the contrary. Envelope Stuffing. This is the most established work-from-home scam, and it’s been going for decades now. Basically, once you pay your money and sign up to work from home, you’re sent a set of envelopes and ads just like the one you responded to. You might make some money if someone responds to your ad, but eventually there just won’t be a market for it any more. Anyway, work from home offers like this are illegal pyramid schemes. You won’t make any money putting letters in envelopes – get over it. Charging for Supplies. The practice of charging for supplies is hard to pin down to any one scam – it’s the way almost all work-at-home scams work (including the envelope stuffing, above). You’ll be asked to make a small ‘investment’ for whatever materials would be needed to do the work – and then you’ll be sent very shoddy materials that aren’t worth anything like what you paid, and you’ll find that there’s no market for the work anyway. |
If anyone asks for money upfront, run. A real company should be willing to deduct any ‘fees’ from your first paycheque – if they won’t do that for you, then that’s because they don’t ever plan to pay you.
Working for Free. This variation on the scam is common with crafts. You might be asked to work at home making clothes, ornaments or toys. Everything seems legitimate – you’ve got the materials without paying out any money, and you’re doing the work. Unfortunately for you, when you send the work back, the company will tell you that it didn’t meet their ‘quality standards’, and will refuse to pay you. Then they’ll sell on what you made at a profit, and move on to the next sucker. Never do craft work from home unless you’re selling the items yourself. Note that you don’t need to be selling to consumers (you could be selling to wholesalers), but you still need to be the one deciding what you make and getting the money. Home Typing, Medical Billing, and More. There are lots of work-from-home scams that involve persuading you that some industry has more work than it can handle, and so has to outsource to people working from home. For example, you might be told that you’d be typing legal documents, or entering medical bills into an electronic database. These scams have one thing in common: they all say that all you need is your computer and they all then go on to say that you need to buy some ‘special software’. This software might appear to be from a completely unrelated company, but don’t be fooled – the whole reason the ‘work-from-home’ ad was there to begin with was simply as cynical marketing for the software. As you can see, running a ‘home business’ that just involves ‘working’ for one company is a bad idea. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Here’s the clincher, though: even with entirely legal work-at-home offers that do pay you for your work, you still won’t make anywhere near as much as you can with your very own home business. So why bother with them at all? |
Ways To Reduce Tax Burden For Your Small Business
An ideal lawyer will not just have a string of impressive credentials or gold lettering on his door. He or she will be caring, concerned, and devoted to their work. You need to think carefully before laying your trust in a lawyer after all in some cases your life, future, money or property will be in his hands.
Apart from doing extensive research to short list possible lawyers you must ensure that there is not conflict of interest, that you understand everything the retainer agreement states, and that you have checked the references and details regarding the practice. You will know the lawyer you have chosen is the perfect one if: 1. He makes an effort to spend time to understand your case himself. He will not assign a legal assistant to take facts of the case down. 2. From experience and knowledge he will know what is relevant and what is not. He will set aside and ignore irrelevant facts, opinions, and personal emotions that cloud the case on hand. 3. He will insist that the footwork for the case be done thoroughly. All facts must be checked for accuracy and solid arguments jotted down with backing of earlier rulings. 4. He will not just focus on the problem at hand but examine the problem from all sides. This will create a complete picture highlighting all factors of relevance and the different ways one can approach the case. 5. He will use his foresight and anticipate moves by the opposition or opinions of the jury or judge and plan way ahead. Like a master chess player he will plan the case not by the day but by many hearings ahead. 6. He will not waste time beating around the bush or create verbose statements—many words strung together which look impressive but mean nothing. He will insist that the case and its arguments be clearly stated. 7. He will be self-disciplined, thorough, and self confident. Courteous at all times he will respect you as well as all the staff who work for him. 8. He is recommended by not just his friends and relatives but by other professionals of good standing and from his field. 9. He will not just present to you his victories but be happy to tell you why and how he lost certain cases. 10. He will lay the cards on the table and tell you clearly whether your case stands to win or loose. He will not claim that winning is guaranteed. He will be honest and upfront about his opinions and advice. The bottom line is that the lawyer must be worthy of your trust. Use your inborn instincts and don’t go by the lawyer’s good looks or fancy car or office. After all it is competence in law and in court that is of essence to you. Everyone worries about taxes and looks for ways and means of reducing the tax burden. When you have a small business of your own you must up date your knowledge of tax laws that pertain to “small businesses.” As a business owner you must understand clearly about accounting systems and tax planning. |
Sit down with your accountant and plan on ways of maintaining business expenses, filing receipts, planning on “tax saving” investments, and a strategy for running the business in the most beneficial way.
Did you know that: 1. According to law you can reduce your tax liability by hiring family members to carry out work in your business. Pay your children and spouse to perform assigned duties. This way you can shift from higher tax rates to lower ones. 2. Consider hiring independent contractors instead of employees. You will save on payroll taxes. However ensure that you meet the IRS’s criteria. 3. Think about “deferring income” postpone receiving money to January instead of December. This means that payments received will be up for “tax” calculations a year away. However ask your accountant’s advice as the benefits are dependant on profit and losses for the year and your corporate legal structure. 4. Take advantage of tax deductions allowed for charitable donations. Make donations in November or December instead of January so that you can include the donations for tax deductions in the current year. 5. Maximize your expenditure on equipment and office supplies. Buy in advance for a quarter and use the tax deductions allowed in the current fiscal year. 6. Include expenses of business related travel in the current year. 7. Pay all bills due before the end of the year. Payment to cell services, rent, insurance, and utilities related to the business can be included for accounting and applicable tax waivers. 8. Plan a retirement plan and make payments before the end of the year. This will reduce your income for the year and proportionately the tax due. Be sure to check on the limits. Plan a feasible and beneficial strategy with your accountant. 9. Be sure to deduct from your taxable income money paid to licensing fees, businesses taxes, and annual memberships to businesses related organizations. Be sure to deduct interest paid on borrowings for running the business and related fees. Insurance premiums paid to insure the business office and machinery are eligible for tax deductions. Make a list of your memberships and check which ones are eligible for tax deductions. 10. Check whether you have deducted management and administration expenses as well as money spent on maintenance and repairs of equipment. Decide whether a cash accounting system or accrual one will benefit your business. The tax deductions are different depending on the system you use. When setting up your small business take the advice of a tax and accounting professional as to which accounting system would be most suitable. |
Essential Steps You Need To Take To Succeed With any Affiliate Program
After you have joined an affiliate program, there are several crucial steps you will need to take in order to succeed. Without taking the steps outline below, your chances of succeeding will be limited. By simply following these guidelines, you will be able to increase your affiliate commissions and earn some money you can live on.
A lot of people fail with affiliate programs because they do not have the necessary affiliate program information. Generally, the best way of succeeding with affiliate programs in to choose a niche; create a useful and content-rich and keyword-rich website on the specific topic of your niche, and add in your affiliate links and AdSense ads. So what is the critical affiliate program information you will need to know, and the steps you need to take for you to succeed with your affiliate program? 1. Set your objective of how much you want to earn. You will need a goal to work towards. How much do you want to earn per month? It also helps to visualize what you want to achieve with this goal. Pay off your car? A holiday? You must start with an achievable amount, and gradually increase this amount. 2. Find a niche that suits you and your interests. Your business is a long term commitment, thus you will need to get involved with an affiliate program in a niche that interests you. The internet is full of affiliate program information; make an effort to do your research and find the best niche to suit your interests. 3. Select a lucrative niche. You will need to have affiliate program information about how profitable any opportunity you are interested in will do. Your goal is to make money, and you need to establish how profitable your business will be. The internet has information about profitable niches, and you will need to know these before you decide the best opportunity for you. |
4. Another critical affiliate program information you will need to have is the reputation of the affiliate merchant. You need programs with good reputation and high quality products or services that will be easy to sell.
5. Create a useful, motivating, content-rich and keyword-rich website which search engines will pick. Offer some free tips and tools on your site; make your visitors want to come back to your site. This is very critical because more visitors to your site mean more sales and more money for you. 6. Place AdSense on your site. If you have a website with a lot of visitors, you can easily earn some money from AdSense. 7. Get Links. This is very important affiliate program information you will need to always remember. Linking to other sites will help improve the ranking of your site. One way links are more important that reciprocal links. 8. List your website in major and niche directories. 9. Write and distribute articles. This strategy extremely essential; and it is a cost effective way to market your affiliate program. 10. Be Patient! It normally takes a few months of consistent effort before you can start to see any benefits. Do not be discouraged, do not give up. Your efforts will start to show after about three months as search engines will start to send traffic to your website. Outlined above is crucial affiliate program information you will need to know if you want to succeed and make some money as an affiliate. By simply following the recommendation above, you will see your affiliate growing gradually. A lot of people fail because they do not have the important affiliate program information they need and the guidelines on how to succeed. As a result, they do not know how to earn any money or increase their affiliate checks. These steps can help you increase your earnings. |
Simple Steps to Self-Motivation and More Sales
Every day of your life you are selling yourself, nothing happens until you're successful at doing that.
We're all in the selling business whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter whether you're a lawyer or an accountant, a manager or a politician, an engineer or a doctor. We all spend a great deal of our time trying to persuade people to buy our product or service, accept our proposals or merely accept what we say. Before you get better at persuading or influencing other people - you need to get better at self-motivation and selling yourself. Here are 10 simple steps to self-motivation: #1 - You must believe in the product Selling yourself is pretty much like selling anything. Firstly, you need to believe in what you're selling. That means believing in "you." It's about lots of positive self-talk and the right attitude. The first thing people notice about you is your attitude. If you're like most people then you'll suffer from lack of confidence from time to time. It really all comes down to how you talk to yourself. The majority of people are more likely to talk to themselves negatively than positively - this is what holds them back in life. It isn't just about a positive attitude; it's about the right attitude - the quality of your thinking. Successful people have a constructive and optimistic way of looking at themselves and their work. They have an attitude of calm, confident, positive self-expectation. They feel good about themselves and believe that everything they do will lead to their inevitable success. If you're in a sales job or a business owner or a manager then you need to continually work on your attitude. You need to listen to that little voice inside your head. Is it saying you're on top, going for it and confident, or is it holding you back. If you're hearing - "I can't do this or that" or "They won't want to buy at the moment" or "We're too expensive" then you'd better change your self-talk or change your job. Start to believe in yourself and don't let things that are out with your control effect your attitude. Avoid criticising, condemning and complaining and start spreading a little happiness. Remember the saying of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company - "If you believe you can do a thing, or if you believe you can't, in either case you're probably right." #2 - The packaging must grab attention Like any other product we buy, the way the product is packaged and presented will influence the customer's decision to buy. Everything about you needs to look good and you must dress appropriately for the occasion. And don't think that just because your customer dresses casually, that they expect you to dress the same way. The style and colour of the clothes you wear, your spectacles, shoes, briefcase, watch, the pen you use, all make a statement about you. #3 - Smile No need to get carried away, you don't need a big cheesy grin, just a pleasant open face that doesn't frighten people away. #4 - Use names Use the customers name as soon as you can but don't over do it. Business is less formal nowadays however be careful of using first names initially. Make sure your customer knows yours and remembers it. You can do the old repeat trick -"My name is Bond, James Bond" or "My name is James, James Bond" |
#5 - Watch the other person What does their body language tell you? Are they comfortable with you or are they a bit nervous? Are they listening to you or are their eyes darting around the room. If they're not comfortable and not listening then there's no point telling them something important about your business. Far better to make some small talk and more importantly -get then to talk about themselves. It's best to go on the assumption that in the first few minutes of meeting someone new, they won't take in much of what you say. They're too busy analysing all the visual data they're taking in. #6 - Listen and look like you're listening. Many people, particularly men, listen but don't show that they're listening. The other person can only go on what they see, not what's going on inside your head. If they see a blank expression then they'll assume you're "out to lunch." The trick is to do all the active listening things such as nodding your head, the occasional "UH-HUH" and the occasional question. #7 - Be interested. If you want to be INTERESTING then be INTERESTED. This really is the most important thing you can do to be successful at selling yourself. The majority of people are very concerned about their self-image. If they sense that you value them, that you feel that they're important and worth listening to, then you effectively raise their self-image. If you can help people to like themselves then they'll LOVE you. Don't fall into the trap of flattering the other person, because most people will see right through you and they won't fall for it. Just show some genuine interest in the customer and their business and they'll be much more receptive to what you say. #8 - Talk positively. Don't say - "Isn't it a horrible day" or "Business is pretty tough at present" or any thing else that pulls the conversation down. Say things like (and only the truth) - "I like the design of this office" or "I've heard some good reports about your new product." #9 - Mirror the other person This doesn't mean mimicking the other person, it just means you speaking and behaving in a manner that is similar to the customer. For example, if your customer speaks slowly or quietly, then you speak slowly or quietly. Remember people like people who are like themselves. #10 - Warm and friendly If you look or sound stressed or aggressive then don't be surprised if the other person gets defensive and less than willing to co-operate. If you look and sound warm and friendly, then you're more likely to get a positive response. This isn't about being all nicey-nicey. It's about a pleasant open face or a warm tone over the telephone. Before we can get down to the process of selling our product, our service or our ideas then we need to be as sure as we can be - that the customer has bought us and that we have their full attention. |