poniedziałek, 2 lutego 2009

Top 10 Internet Home Business Ideas You Can Start and Run in Your Underwear

With over 300,000 “Internet Home Business” related searches on the internet every month, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of demand for information on how to make money on the internet. Sadly, this also means that there are a lot of shady characters preying on this group of people.
Want More Internet Business Ideas?

Check out ::

10 More Work at Home Internet Business Ideas You Can Do in Your Fuzzy
Bunny Slippers


I knew someone who fell for one of these once - they taught him how to make money online, and then all he did was sell seminars - on how to make money online. The fact that he had never actually made any money online was beside the point… I guess. Not surprisingly, I’m not a big supporter of his business.

Can anyone make money online? I do believe so. But not everyone WILL make money online, because as I have said before, making money on the internet takes a long time to learn, and most people give up because it can be extremely frustrating.

My one piece of advice for starting an internet home business is this :: Don’t expect to make any real money for 365 days (or so!) . Although I will add that service-based businesses tend to bring in revenue faster, I would still allow for a full year to replace your outside-the-home salary.

The good news about this industry is that as long as you are willing to put in the hours (days… weeks…. months….. ) to learn the ropes, you can bootstrap your business with extremely little money, generally speaking. Some businesses take more to start than others. I’ve probably directly invested less than $3000 getting this blog up and running, and now revenue is increasing at about a 125-140% pace every month after being in business for 16 months.

So, where do you start from here? Some general rules of thumb:
Pre-packaged programs only work as much as you can customize it and make it unique and your own. Even then, techniques that work for one niche won’t work in all niches.
Be wary of any “system” that promises instant results (especially anything that sounds like a get-rich-quick scheme!)
Knowing the basics of html, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), social media, website marketing and traditional marketing and sales are a must.
Every business is made stronger by specializing in a tight niche. Know your audience and stick to it.

Unless you have a brilliant tech idea that makes venture capitalists drool, you need to determine where your strengths are and which business model you plan on following (and you don’t need this list). I have run three home-based businesses in my life, all of which leveraged my current skill set as the foundation for building the business.

Look over the following list and single out the ones in which you have at least some experience. You probably won’t have all of the skills necessary, so don’t let that stop you! All you have to do is work hard and be willing to learn.


Affiliate Marketing

What is it? :: Promote other company’s products and services on your website. When a sale is made, you get a commission.
Most important skills needed :: PPC (Pay Per Click marketing), sales copywriting, web marketing
Best learning resources :: ReveNews, ABestWeb Forum, ShoeMoney, Rosalind Gardner, Affiliate Classroom
Recommended Book :: Make a Fortune Promoting Other People’s Stuff Online by Rosalind Gardner
Blogging

What is it? :: A chronologically based website filled with articles, reviews, or journal-style writing. You can sell advertising or incorporate affiliate marketing on a blog to earn money.
Most important skills needed :: Copywriting, social networking, affiliate marketing, web marketing
Best learning resources :: ProBlogger, JohnChow, DoshDosh
Recommended Book :: ProBlogger, Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income by Darren Rowse & Chris Garrett
eBay & Auction Selling

What is it? :: Selling or reselling products via an online marketplace like Ebay, Amazon Auctions, or Craigslist. You can sell used goods, buy goods wholesale, or use a drop-shipping service.
Most important skills needed :: Merchandising, sales copywriting, customer service
Best learning resources :: Our very own eBay Selling for eParents, Ebay Learning Center, SaleHoo Training Center, JennyHow
Recommended Book :: eBay 101: Selling on eBay For Part-time or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days by Steve Weber
E-Commerce

What is it? :: Selling products or a technology-based service on your own website.
Most important skills needed :: All of the above, below and then some!
Best learning resources :: Entrepreneur.com’s Online Business Startup Guide
Recommended Book :: The Complete E-Commerce Book: Design, Build and Maintain a Successful Web-Based Business by Janice Reynolds
Arts & Crafts

What is it? :: Creating and manufacturing your own product lines and selling them online.
Most important skills needed :: Creativity, sales, e-commerce
Best learning resources :: eMoms’ CraftBoom, About.com Craft Business 101 Series, Barbara Brabec
Recommended Book :: The Crafts Business Answer Book: Starting, Managing, and Marketing a Homebased Arts, Crafts, or Design Business by Barbara Brabec
Internet Research Business

What is it? :: Doing internet research for corporations, law firms and other small businesses.
Most important skills needed :: Librarian-style research skills, customer service
Best learning resources :: Entrepreneur.com’s Information Consultant Startup Guide
Recommended Book :: Building & Running a Successful Research Business: A Guide for the Independent Information Professional by Mary Ellen Bates
Freelance Services

What is it? :: Providing professional services such as copywriting, design, photography, illustration, and programming usually billed on an hourly rate.
Most important skills needed :: Sales, customer service, trade-specific knowledge
Best learning resources :: Our Freelance Parent channel, FreelanceSwitch
Recommended Book :: The Business Side of Creativity: The Complete Guide to Running a Small Graphic Design or Communications Business by Cameron S. Foote
Recruiting

What is it? :: Recruiting candidates for companies who pay a fee when a hire is made.
Most important skills needed :: Sales, relationship building, networking
Best learning resources :: RecruitersNetwork, HireAbility
Recommended Book :: Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Business (Entrepreneur Magazine’s Start Up) by Entrepreneur Press
Consulting

What is it? :: Providing your specialized industry knowledge to corporations, entrepreneurs, investors or other businesses.
Most important skills needed :: Trade-specific knowledge, sales, customer service
Best learning resources :: Entrepreneur.com’s Consulting Business Startup Guide
Recommended Book :: The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond (CD-ROM Included) by Elaine Biech
VA (Virtual Assistant)

What is it? :: Providing administrative and business support to other business owners and small businesses.
Most important skills needed :: Customer service, organization
Best learning resources :: VirtualAssistantStartups, Entrepreneur.com’s Business Support Startup Guide, VirtualPABusiness
Recommended Book :: The 2-Second Commute: Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants by Christine Durst

If you want tips and ideas on how to promote and market these ten internet home businesses, check out Susan Payton’s companion article on Marketing Your Internet Business. For more home business ideas, check out 10 More Work at Home Internet Business Ideas You Can Do in Your Fuzzy Bunny Slippers.
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Do You Back Up? How to Hack Proof Your Site.

How often do you drive your car in reverse?

Kidding. I’m talking about your website. Christmas Eve I was greeted with a phone call from one of the partners telling me one of our more popular sites got hacked. Sure enough I visited the site and was greeted with a windows-explorer style menu system that let any visitor to the domain browse our server hierarchy, upload and download, delete, and rename files.

After about an hour I was able to spot an edit that had been made in our database that was causing the issues. Luckily, everything on all our sites/servers is backed up every single day so restoring was a snap. I took the time to do a few other helpful fixes, and we were back up and running. My best advice for hack proofing your site is this:
back up regularly.

Not exactly tackling the problem head on, but in my experience a good backup system can prevent excess downtime, give you the time to fix exploits (which are usually well documented, robotic hacks that aren’t that difficult to fix) and get you back on your way. No system is completely hack proof. Look at SSL which just last week was totally cracked. It’s best to do what you can upfront, but I’d divert more resources into creating a solid backup system over a million security product any day. For more proof, check out how this six year old web company was wiped out this week by a disgruntled employee. A security plan and backup routine can make a world of difference in your long term success.

Some helpful tips for Wordpress powered sites:
rename your tables to start with a prefix other than wp_ (update in your wp-config.php)
change your admin username to something unique
log traffic and block suspicious IP’s
don’t leave files writable unless you’re working with them
consider this plugin for extra security help

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! We have some exciting things planned for the coming year.

piątek, 30 stycznia 2009

Two Types of Work at Home Websites

The websites called as the Work at your home websites basically are the vital informative source that help out the people who are searching for any guidance in the respective business. The online world of business is very competitive these days and thus, from the searching of the business to the right manner to go up the ladder is taught and guided on these websites. Thus you should know which are the websites that are useful while which are not worthy of going into. Two Types There are majorly two types of websites that are related to the work at your home opportunities and the information regarding them. The opportunity sites are the websites which offer home business or the work at your own place opportunities. These are the websites that have a tone that recognizes us of the sales language. And mostly you will face yourself with the messages that will ask you to pay for the information you require. These Opportunity websites basically are going to be beneficial for you only if you are searching for opportunities. Whereas, the Informational websites prove to be really important and also for the ones who have no knowledge where to begin. These are the sites that provide you with the informative articles, the message boards as well as prove to be work community. Here you can learn right from the information that will help you work at home to the information about the sites that are already in the business. And what best could be other than the news that these sites are free. Learn to find the Difference Most of the times it is difficult to judge the difference between the two types of websites: the informational and the opportunity giving one. It is because of the fact that there is a slight difference which generally seems to be blurred. So it happens that after you waste a lot of your time that you realize after it that you were onto the wrong one. But I will help you in finding the right type. * The Opportunity sites would have places where to buy something will be seen as an option or even if you need information they will charge you your penny.

* The Informational sites generally focus much on to the information and the message board which they have shown on the website and charge nothing for it.

* There might be some notice regarding the security and the secure system of payment, this should just tip you off that it is the opportunity website. Thus these differences can help you in searching the things you want to on the right site without wasting much time.

Make Money Online Overnight

NOT! 2008 is coming to a close, the traditional job markets are a disaster, and you need to find a way to make money online. With another year just around the corner, now is the time to commit to success and plan for the new year. Is it possible to get rich quick overnight? : NO.

If you have that idea in your head now, get rid of it.

Most of the folks I interact with online looking for help fit one of a few profiles:

  1. total newbie, usually asking ‘how can i make 5000 this month? and i need $1000 in the next 3 hours please.”
  2. newbie asking, ‘how can i increase my online earnings with promotion and marketing?’
  3. experienced, asking ‘how can I take my business to the next level?’
  4. guru, asking ‘how can I share what I know with others?’

By far the largest group of people fit into #1. The most valuable lesson to learn for this group is that success does not come overnight. My favorite all-time quote, which ‘the donald’ it seems also has a love for, is:

the harder I work, the luckier I get.

Every piece of work I do is with this quote in mind. Need more proof that overnight success isn’t likely in your future? Check out this traffic graph courtesy of Seth Godin on traffic to Squidoo.com:

Keep in mind the traffic graph above is for three years! If you take a look at the first year of traffic, you’ll see it’s almost a flat line. Have patience, build your business for long term success, and keep your end goal in mind. Your mission statement, which I just outlined in How to Build a User Generated Content Site from Scratch will be your guide.

Have a great holiday and commit to making 2009 the year your business takes off! :D

How Can I Make Money Online?

How Can I Make Money Online?


Give yourself a pat on the back. Coming to us was the first step in making that happen. Making money on the Internet at home isn’t new, it’s not impossible, and there are thousands of ways to do it.

One important thing to keep in mind is that it takes just as much (if not more) work than a regular 9-5 job. Every day we get requests asking how to make money online; consider this an introduction to the options available.

What Would You Like to Do?

If you are like the majority of people and are looking for an online income but have little web experienced don’t worry! First off, you need to educate yourself as to what is out there and what you want to do. From data entry, to call center support, to completing online surveys, there are plenty of jobs and tasks available, even for those with little experience. Our forums are loaded with information, our job search engine has thousands of jobs and our employer database will connect you with employers looking to hire telecommuting workers. Plus, all of our services are free so there is no risk in getting started.

Match Your Interests to Your Qualifications

Certain professions provide exceptional opportunity to those seeking a home based position. Computer programming, Internet marketing, translation, and transcription positions are endless. If you’re in this boat, two sites worth signing up for are Elance and oDesk. A lot of the positions listed in our engine are project based, so the more proficient you become the more you can make, and the more jobs you complete, the stronger your online resume becomes.

Register Free and Get Started

If you are ready, motivated, and excited to make money online but need some direction here is a good list to tackle:

1. Register on WhyDoWork, setup your profile, find others with similar goals and experience and network
2. Use our home based job search engine to search for home based positions
3. Check out our dedicated job search forum for listings from other members
4. Browse our directory of home based employers and apply directly to them
5. Try out some Get Paid To (GPT) opportunities
6. Start your own online business selling on ebay, or creating a website.
7. Not making money yet? Ask for some help from our community here.

Know What to Look for When Applying

WhyDoWork will not send out resumes for you. If you would like to apply to a position or contact an employer, you must apply externally through their site. Each site has its own application procedure. Be wary of potential employers asking for money to get started: you typically should not be required to pay to work.

Keep your resume current and up to date. If you are working through Elance or oDesk, make sure you do your best to collect positive reviews and ratings from your employers.

If you need advice on an opportunity or company, search our site. If you can’t find the answer, browse our scam reports and ask questions.

czwartek, 29 stycznia 2009

The Fast & Easy Way to Start an Internet Home Business

Many people think that starting an Internet home business is hard. In fact, there is no business in the world that is faster or easier to launch. If you have 15 minutes and a connection to the Internet, I'll show you how to launch your own Internet business right away.

Before you launch your first Internet home business, you need to understand the basics. The first step of having a business on the Internet is having your own website. This is the major stumbling block for most people. They think getting a website is expensive or difficult. It's neither of those things. Actually, it's free and it's easy. In fact, let's go ahead and get your first website setup right now.

To do this I recommend using a free tool called Blogger. Blogger is used for creating blogs on the fly, but a blog is nothing more than a fancy name for a website. To set up your blog website now visit: http://www.Blogger.com

Once you arrive, click the "Create Your Blog Now" button on the page. On the next page enter a user name, password, display name and email address. Then click "Continue". On the next page enter a blog title and blog address. These can be anything you want. Then enter the word verification code and click "Continue". On the next page choose a template for your blog (this is what your website will look like) and click "Continue". Voila... Your blog/website has been created!

Next, click the "Start Posting" button. A new page will appear giving you the option to add content to your new website. Write a title for your page in the "Title" field and then write whatever you want that page of your website to be about in the larger data entry field below the "Title" field on that page. You can use the tools on that page to change your fonts, make links, format your text, add pictures, etc. When you're happy with what you've entered into the page, click the "Publish Post" button. You just created a new page on your website! On the next page displayed, you'll see a link that says: "View Blog". Click that link and you'll see your website live on the Internet. Pretty easy, right?! ;-) Now you can wash, rinse, repeat and create as many new pages on your website as you want.

But let's turn your website into a business first. After all, websites are a lot more fun once they are making money for you.

Here's how:

Get back into your Blogger account and click the "Template" tab. Then click the "AdSense" link near the top of the page. AdSense is a simple but powerful program that allows you to earn advertising revenue from your website. Follow the easy instructions on that page to launch your AdSense account instantly. On the next page click the "Save" button to save AdSense into your website. Then on the next page click the "Republish" button. Your website will instantly be rebuilt now showing a Google AdSense ad at the top of each page on your website. Every time someone visits your website and clicks one of those ads, you earn money from AdSense. You now have a moneymaking business setup on the Internet. How long did that take? 15 minutes! ;-)

The only thing you need to do now to start the cash flowing in is get people to visit your new website. One way to do this would be to tell your friends and family about your site. Here are two more easy things you can do to drive an unstoppable flow of traffic to your new website:

Traffic Strategy 1: Tell all the major blog directories about your new blog/website. To do this, visit http://www.PingoMatic.com and enter your blog name, blog URL (that's the link to your website generated by Blogger), check all the boxes on that page and click the "Send Pings" button. This will tell all the blog directories about your new blog/website and you'll start getting some traffic from interested visitors to those directories. Do this each time you add a new page to your blog.

Traffic Strategy 2: Go back to your blog URL/home page and click the "Next Blog" button at the top of the page. This will take you to another blog of another Blogger user. Read through a post or two on that person's blog and look for a link that says "Comments" and click it. On the next page you'll be able to type your comments and a link back to your blog inside a form. Once you've added your comments, click the "Login and Publish" button; and a link to your site along with your comments will be added to that blog. Repeat this process as many times as you want with other blog websites. This will "link you in" to a network of sites all over the Internet helping you drive a steady stream of traffic to your blog.

Blogger is a great tool to launch your Internet home business, but it's not the only tool you should be using. To build a solid Internet home business that you can rely on, you need to register your own domain name and website hosting account. A domain name is your unique home on the web that you own and control. Example: domain names are yahoo.com, ebay.com, google.com, etc.

You could either register your own name as a domain or a keyword of something related to the topic of your business. Either way, if you are going to have a legitimate long-term home business on the Internet, a domain name and website hosting account are required. When choosing a domain name and hosting account, it's important to select a company that has a track record for success. The company I host all my websites with is at: http://www.PlugInProfitHost.com

This top-rated website hosting company also provides several turn-key Internet home businesses called "Plug-In Profit Sites" such as the service I provide to Host4Profit customers myself at: http://www.HomeBusiness.us. The Plug-In Profit Site is a very popular and easy way to start earning multiple streams of income on the Internet. In fact, in addition to the blog you launched a few moments ago, you can get a Plug-In Profit Site setup in the next 24 hours and add another 6 easy streams of income to your Internet home business.

Alternatively, there are other turn-key Internet home business systems such as the one described at: http://www.HomeBusiness.org which provides a proven formula to start making money online within minutes of signing up. In fact, I earn an extra 5-figures every month using the above mentioned system myself.

As you can see, starting an Internet home business is actually a very fast and easy thing to do. Now that you know this, there should be nothing stopping you from earning a little extra income from home on the Internet. Persevere and you can make it your living just like myself and countless others have done.

About Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy: I Was A Washed Up Restaurant Worker Desperately Searching For A Way To Save My Family When I Discovered The Internet And Affiliate Marketing... 24 Months Later I Finally Cracked The Code And Started Earning Over $10,000.00 Per Month... Now The Same System That Saved Me Is Available To You! Check It Out Now At: http://www.HomeBusiness.us