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Tuesday, 23 February 2010

3 Online Business Ideas That Are in Demand

Promoting products that are in demand is one of the keys to making money on the Internet. In this article we will go over three online business ideas that are in demand in working well right now. You will have to come up with specific products yourself.

1. Provide a service for other Internet marketers. There are many Internet marketers catching on to this idea.

However there are many services on the Internet that need more Internet businesses to take care of them. Blog writing is a perfect example of this.

Even if there are thousands of blog writers available right now they could never provide all the needed blog content. There are literally millions of blogs online right now that need the content added to them and the owners are too busy to do it.

Blog writing is just as about as good as it gets if you want a timely Internet business. Their other online services that are in demand right now to. All you have to do is spend a little time researching to come up with them.

2. Start an affiliate business targeting a specific niche. This really is the way to do affiliate marketing today.

You can turn your small niche site into an authority site over time as well. But when you are initially starting out you want to zero in on a very specific niche that gives you less competition.

For example starting a niche affiliate business on Internet marketing would not be the way to go. A better idea would be to target a specific are of Internet marketing such as using an autoresponder to get rich.

Niche marketing as an affiliate helps eliminate some of your competition and still sell products as an affiliate marketer.

3. Start your own blog around a passion you have. This is a great idea because if you enjoy it and never seems like work.

If your passion is also something that you are an expert at that's even better. This really is a great way to provide useful information and have fun at the same time.

The business side of it comes in selling advertising, selling affiliate products, creating your own products, and so on. Turning your blog into a profit center is something that does take time, but if it's something that you are passionate about you can enjoy doing it.

In summary these are three timely online business ideas that would be a good way for you to get started. The amount of money you make will come down to how you develop your business and the amount of effort that you are willing to put into it.

Paul Jesse is an author and Professional Internet Marketer providing free and low cost online business ideas. He invites you to visit his make money at home online website for more free information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Jesse

Sunday, 14 February 2010

How to Profitably Sell Books on Amazon

Knowing which books to offer on Amazon can mean the difference between a good income stream and total failure. Here is what you need to know.

First, how do I sell books on Amazon

Amazon.com has a feature called Amazon Marketplace. This service lets you sell your used books, CDs, DVDs, etc. just by listing their code number (ISBN number for books, etc.) Listings can literally be completed in a minute or less for each item you sell. It does take a few minutes to set up a selling account but there is no charge for doing so. In fact the only time you incur a charge is when something actually sells.

There is one small negative to this approach. It only works with products that have a code number. So if you have antique books or other items without a code number, you will need to set up an amazon shop. There is a monthly fee for setting up a shop but the fees that amazon charges are much less in this method of selling than the direct selling method in the prior paragraph. So if you become a volume seller it is probably worth the investment in getting an amazon shop as the investment will quickly be paid for by the savings in fees.

Second, decide your interest level (i.e. just list books or get a store)

The next step is to decide your interest level. It is going to be a casual thing or will you be treating it as a serious business.

Lets say you were just cleaning house and wanted to make a bit of money on some books or CDs you have. In this instance, it doesn't make sense to set up an amazon shop as you won't earn enough to justify the monthly investment in keeping your shop running. But lets say your passion was yard sales and bargain hunting and you knew that every week you could find and list hundreds of books, CDs, DVDs, etc. In this case getting an amazon shop would be a wise investment.

Basically amazon is structured to satisfy anyone's selling needs and they have a variety of simple tools that will help you achieve your selling goals in a quick, cost effective and efficient manner.

Third, these are the types of books you should not be selling

Selling used books is not an obvious thing to do. Common sense would say that bestsellers are the best kind of book to offer because they have sold millions of copies. But it is their very popularity that makes them poor books to sell. If you do a search on amazon for a bestseller, you will find that many people are selling their used copies, many times for under $1.00. With millions of copies out there, the market is glutted. This is true for any type of bestseller - fiction or nonfiction. Other books types you want to avoid are biographies, cookbooks and political books. And of course books like encyclopedias, readers digest condensed books, dictionaries, etc. are also terrible for resale. Oh, and also avoid old library books. There is nothing wrong with them per se but they will be slow sellers because of the markings the library puts on the books.

The only exception to this rule would be signed first editions. If you find a signed first edition, it will retain value and possibly be worth more than the published price depending on who the author is.

Books you should be looking for are books about specific nonfiction. subjects. (In other words, avoid all fiction books.) For instance, books about cars, boats, playing tennis, collecting coins, herbal medicine, business (as long as they are not best sellers), real estate, gardening, etc. are all excellent books and have a very high prospect of selling for a very high price when compared to a bestseller. I will typically get 50-75% of the cover price selling these types of books on amazon.com.

One other thing to note when choosing books to sell. Try to find books that are in perfect or near perfect condition. These books will have their dust jacket if hard cover. The spine will not be broken. They will not be filled with writing. People know they are buying used books when buying from you but they want a book that is nice and presentable, not one that is falling apart.

Where can you find used books for sale?

Used books are everywhere but your goal is to get them as cheaply as possible - preferably for $1 or less. Places I regularly check include yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops and libraries. Libraries often have used books donated to them that they just put right on the sales table. I think the people who donate them think they will end up on the shelves of the library but they never do. Estate sales and auctions can also provide opportunities to buy books. And keep your eyes open. You never know when you might run into a buying opportunity.

Will all the books sell?

No matter how carefully you pick your books, you will end up with some that just don't sell or are just very slow in selling. This is normal. Chances are good that the book will eventually sell but it could take several months. And if you purchase your used books cheaply enough, the carrying cost of the books that sell will be small. I find that if I list a random selection of 100 books, about 25% of them will sell each month. That means that after 4-5 months, I can pretty much assume that all the books that will sell have actually sold and I may be left with 5-10 books that for whatever reason had no buyers.

At that point, I make one of two choices. I either lower the offering price on amazon to try to attract a buyer or "trade" the book for something more desirable.

The only time to buy bestsellers

There is one time and one specific reason I will buy bestsellers. If I have the opportunity to buy a large number of hardcover (and sometimes paperback) bestsellers in perfect condition for under $1 each (under $0.25 each if softcover), I will usually buy them. However, I will not sell them on amazon.

There are a large number of used bookstores that will buy or trade books with you. They typically give you 20-25% of the books list price if you want cash and up to 50% of the books list price if you want a credit. That means I have a ready outlet for liquidating these books. If it is worthwhile, I can just swap them for immediate cash. Or I can trade them for other books I can sell at amazon. In general, I make out better in a trading situation than in a cash situation but sometimes if I have way too many books, I will just go for the cash option to reduce my inventory. It is a really effective form of inventory management.

Before you jump out and buy 100's of bestsellers, do check with the used bookstores in your area to see what they are offering for these books. Different shops may offer different rates depending on their current inventory. A little shopping around by phone can result in a lot more cash ending up in your pocket.

How much can I realistically make?

The amount you can make in any given month depends entirely on how many books you acquire that month, how well you did at negotiating the cost and how well your books choices were. This is a business where you can easily make several hundred to several thousand dollars a month depending on the above items. Also it is a business that can give you higher returns the longer you do it. The more you sell, the more you get to know what will sell quickly and what will sell slowly. That will let you be a bit more particular about the books you choose in your book hunting. Instead of ending up with lots of unsold books at the end of the month, you will have an inventory that turns over very rapidly.

Book selling is a really fun and stress free way to earn anywhere from a supplemental part time income to a full time income. And with the tools offered at amazon.com, it is really easy to get started and keep the profits flowing. There aren't many businesses where you can make money by shopping but this is one of them!

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Chabotte

Saturday, 13 February 2010

Debt Free - Living Below Your Means

Notwithstanding that there are some who feel that incurring debt is healthy; most of us will not want to get into the debt trap. However, the bad news is that it is not easy to stay away from borrowing especially with the economic crisis and the ever growing cost of living. Once you get into debt and if you are not competent in handling your own finances, you are going to snowball your debt.

There are many ways you avoid getting into debts. Perhaps the best would be to go back to basic where you learn to live within you means. Let's look at some of the helpful tips below:

Start buying off-brand items. Most items, such as food, detergent, clothes, stationeries, and even electrical appliances are more economical in price as compared to the branded ones. Usually for these off-brand items, you can find them in regular stalls, factory outlets or close-out stores.

Always look out for bargains. Buying some branded and quality staff by paying cheaper price is nothing to be shame of. With less to pay, you reduce your financial burden, save more money and get something with quality, is it not a great bargain? You may find such bargains at factory outlets, warehouse sales, discount stalls and retail shops having sales to clear stocks. To add on to the list, you may also go online and find some quality item at online auctions.

Track your spending carefully. Plan a limit for yourself daily and record every cent that spent. This tracking is important as it prevents you from overspending and impulsive purchasing. This practice needs discipline and consistency and thus most people fail to follow through, and it leads to money problem at the end of the month. Consequently, people will resort to borrowing and start incurring debt. They could end up paying more money in terms of interest and even late charges.

Never invest unless you have some extra saving for such purpose. If you have extra money to invest, you should not invest more than what you can afford to lose. Planning you finances before your investment is extremely important. It is advisable to at least have some fund as your backup which is more than or equal to the amount you have planned to invest. Study and understand the policy involved of your investment thoroughly before you put your money into bonds, stocks, forex, or mutual funds. This is to ensure you know the risk you are going to take when you invest.

Spend only on what is necessary to you. Basic needs like food, shelter, clothes and education are some necessities which you to pay for. Avoid buying things which are considered luxuries. They are just items which could only fulfill your materialistic desire. I am not saying that you should lead a Spartan life; you can purchase these luxuries once you can afford them. But at the moment, delay that gratification.

Teach your family members, especially children, the importance of financial management. They have to learn to see the value of money and what is so-called 'hard-earned money'. Be firm to say 'no' when your children demand an expensive toy, even when they began throwing tantrums. Learn to make your own toys, so that your children can at the same time learn and appreciate what you are doing for them.

Get rid of those credit cards so as to solve your spending problem. If you feel more secure to have at least one of such plastic card with you, try leaving home without it. Always pay with cash if possible as you will not need to pay additional interest at the end of the month or risk paying late penalty if you happen to pay late.

Getting into action of making use of the above tips to live below your means is the first step you need to take. There are in fact many other ways which you can practice to avoid yourself getting into the sea of debts. The main point is that living a life free of debt and worry is always possible if you know how and be consistent in what you are doing.

Earning more money in this bad economy is not impossible, you just need to have the right strategies and get the right advice from the right people! Find out how you can actually make and save more money at http://www.makemoneyideas.expertreviewslist.com now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Boo

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Affiliate Marketing Guide - How to Become an Affiliate

Majority of businesses online depend on the concept of affiliate marketing because it is cost-efficient and they earn from it. In fact, some companies hire in-house affiliate marketers just to promote their business, products, or services on the Internet. With its potential as a money-making initiative, this model is regarded as one of the most sought after business or positions online.

If you are the type of person qualified to become an affiliate marketer but does not know where to begin, here are some things that you can start on.

Your main goal as an affiliate marketer is to bring traffic to your partner merchant. By "traffic", we mean a number of people visiting a certain website.

There is no standard in traffic counts. Each merchant has their own desired traffic figures. As an affiliate marketer, always remember to pattern your strategies to your partner's objectives.

To generate your merchant's aspired number of traffic, develop contents in your website based on your market's interests and your merchant's profile. To do this, understand how your partner's business operates and understand what your consumers' behaviour are when online.

On your website content, don't be too pushy. You don't know how hard your push is, they might get out the door. So, keep your information assertive. There should always be a "call-to-action."

As an affiliate marketer, your job is to generate traffic for your partner by way of developing contents or advertising messages about their products or services that are true and credible. You must always be cautious on accepting or promoting merchants because not all of them are ethical in doing affiliate marketing. Search engines has ways in defining who uses irresponsible link building strategies, and what's worse is that your website might get banned.

Zack Lim is an internet affiliate marketer who owns http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com/FreeEcourse. He has helped hundreds of people to start their own affiliate marketing business.

He has recently developed a free e-course showing you a step by step process for starting your own affiliate marketing business easier. To learn how to start your own affiliate marketing business without wasting your time and money, visit http://www.MyAffiliateMarketingOnline.com/FreeEcourse

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zack_Lim

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Generating Wealth - Formula To Success

Everybody says, if only I made a little more money, I would be better off. They think that an increase in their income would make their lives less shabby than it is today. What that ‘little more money,’ they would be able to afford better food, better clothing, better everythings!

Unfortunately, people seem to associate ‘making more money’ with wealth. A person making $12,000 dollars a month seems to be wealthier than one who makes $10,000 a month. And why not? This person has a $2000 advantage over the latter! Isn’t he sure to be deemed wealthier?

The answer is no. A person might be making a lot more money than others, but that doesn’t mean he or she is wealthy. What? Unbelievable? Stay tuned for the answers as to why!

What is Wealth?

Wealth pertains to money and property. Being wealthy means you have an abundance of objects of value. These things may be houses, land, bank accounts, cash, jewelry, and other valuable objects.

When people think of wealth they usually think of stockpiles of gold and silver and the ability to waste money without remorse because they have so much of an abundance of it, it doesn’t matter.

This could not be more wrong. This is not the proper definition of wealth.

The keyword in the meaning of wealth is the word abundance. Abundance means you have more than enough. And yes, of course, this is what we all want to achieve. But unlike what most people desire, it does not mean you can spend without remorse.

Back to the Question

You might still be stumped as to why the man earning $12,000 might not be as wealthy as the man who earns $10,000. Here’s why:

Since wealth is the abundance of objects of value. The more objects of value you have, the wealthier you are right? Now the question is, does a bigger paycheck guarantee more wealth?

The answer is no.

The man who makes $12,000 may take home a bigger paycheck. But what if he spends more than that amount per month? Would he be able to create that abundance he so sorely seeks? And the man who makes $10,000 per month, what if he only spends $5,000 of that per month, would he have surplus at months end?

That is the secret of wealth: Never spend beyond your means. Save, save and save. Remember the old adage? – A penny saved is a penny earned? That has rung true even from the earliest days. Everyone can become wealthy, if they would stick to this single most important idea.

The problem with most people is that money is power. And the more money they have, the more inclined they are to throw it away. If this is how you are thinking, stop! Check back with the previous paragraph and reflect anew. Always remember that thought because without a proper spending plan, there can be no wealth.

How Do I Do That?
Always have a spending plan. Take note of expected income and tally this against prospective expenditures. How much is the gap. If there is no gap or if the expenditures exceed the income, you are in deep trouble. You will want to rearrange your spending patterns if this is the case.

There is no shame in tightening the belt. If your goals include the future, you must prepare for it today.

Remember that the larger the difference between the income and the expenditure, the larger the wealth that can be generated. This is the secret of wealth.

A Wealthier You

That was simple wasn’t it? If it was that simple, why doesn’t everybody do it? The answer is: because it takes a great deal of patience and self-control to live within your means.

Most people are victims of their spending desires. That difference between wealthy people and those who are not is not the difference in their bank accounts but the difference in their attitudes towards spending. If you can hold today for a better tomorrow, wealth is on its way!

So plan your future today! Spend within your means! Choose those that are important and tell yourself, “I don’t really need this right now” if they are not. Make a spending plan and watch your coffers grow!

Daegan Smith is the leader of the fastest growing team of successful home business enterpernuers on the net. Find out how we're creating financial freedom all across the globe and how to get in on the action FREE =>[http://www.comlev.com] Team Blog: http://www.turnkeyinternetbusiness.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daegan_Smith

Wednesday, 3 February 2010

50 Ways to Get Out of Debt

1. Realize that you are in debt.
2. Eat out less. Cooking at home can save a tremendous amount of money.
3. Pass the Starbucks. Brew your own coffee in the mornings. This can save you anywhere from $30 and up each month and even more if you like the "foo-foo" drinks that cost $5 each!
4. Pay all of your bills. Don't neglect your bills. It will come back to haunt you just like Michael Meyers does in Halloween!
5. Pay all of your bills on time. Just one late bill payment can dig you deeper and hurt your credit.
6. Create a budget that works for you. Not everyone should have the same budget. Sit down and write out your monthly expenses and monthly take-home income. Tailor a budget that works well for you and your financial situation.
7. Get everyone involved including family members. The more support, the more likely you will stay on track.
8. Don't dig the whole deeper. Don't charge things that you could pay cash for and don't take loans for non-essential items.
9. Pay more than the minimum balance. Even if it's $10 extra, this can greatly reduce the time it takes to pay off a bill or loan.
10. Prioritize your debts. Pay off high-interest debt first and work your way down to the low-interest debts you have.
11. Trade in your high interest credit cards for lower rates. You can start your research with the current bank you use for your checking account.
12. Call your lender and ask for a lower rate on your credit card. You don't know unless you try. Often, all it takes is a quick phone call to lower your interest rate with a loan or credit card provider.
13. Use your savings to pay off high-interest debt. Why pay 22% interest when you have money sitting in your savings. Your savings account is probably not getting a 22% return to make you break even.
14. Get a part-time job. Extra cash never hurts. If you have some spare time, find a second job and use the money you make from the second job to pay off high-interest debt first. This can dramatically decrease the time it takes to pay down your debt.
15. Ask your employer if they have extra work for extra money.
16. Look for sales when shopping. Look through the local ads before going grocery shopping or back to school shopping. There are always sales.
17. Find free activities to keep yourself occupied. Parks and museums are just a few ideas that are usually free. Do a google search for free activities in your area.
18. Negotiate. Almost anything these days can be negotiated whether it's purchasing a new vehicle or tickets to a sporting event. Haggle like a pro!
19. Rent a movie instead of going to the theater. $3 rental movies compared to the rising prices of going to a movie theater and paying anywhere from $5-$10 per ticket.
20. Get direct deposit. This can often save in bank fees plus you save a trip to the bank which will in turn save on gas!
21. Transfer high interest credit card balances to a card with lower rates. If you have a credit card with a low rate, transfer your high rate credit cards to the lower cards.
22. Instead of investing your money, pay down your debt first. Why get a 6% return on an investment when you have to pay a 22% credit card rate. You are losing money, not gaining.
23. Check your credit score for inaccuracies. Many times, credit reports have errors. Check your report and if you see any errors, fix immediately to help raise your credit score which is used when applying for credit. The higher your credit score, the lower interest rates you will get and the more money you can save.
24. Don't live over your means. Don't live like a rockstar if you don't have Bon Jovi's salary! Simple as that.
25. Read.....learn all you can about debt and becoming debt free. Education is a key factor in reducing debt and living a financially healthy life.
26. Don't assume bankruptcy is your only option. Weigh out all of your options before filing for bankruptcy. Often, there are better solutions.
27. Use cash instead of that credit card.
28. Start a side business. Do you have a skill that is unused? Use it to make a little money. Can you knit? Knit blankets and sell them to local vendors. Can you build websites? Create websites for small to medium size businesses for extra income.
29. Use coupons. Clip coupons from the Sunday paper.
30. Go to a state school or community college. Private schools are expensive. You can often get an equal education from a state school while paying only a fraction of the private school tuition.
31. Get basic cable. Who needs all of those worthless channels that play the same old movies everynight? How many times can one watch Mrs. Doubtfire!!!
32. Just use a cell phone. Do you really need your landline? Get rid of it to save $30-$40 a month.
33. Make enough food for lunch leftovers. Leftovers will save you from having to go out to lunch and spend $5-8 a day. Add that number up over the year.
34. When you do eat out, find a restuarant that has 1/2 price night. 1/2 price drinks, entrees or appetizers are common at many restuarants.
35. You don't really need that Porshe 911. Get the Camry. It will last a long time!
36. Don't get an SUV or a gas hog. With gas prices soaring, look into hybrid cars and cars that get great gas mileage.
37. Find a cheaper place to live. If you live in NYC, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles, consider relocating to a cheaper location. I did and it makes a huge difference.
38. Make goals. Let me rephrase. Make goals and stick to them. It's easy to make a goal, the tough part is actually achieving it. If you do achive your goals, it will make you push harder to achieve the next round of goals that you create.
39. Shop at CostCo. Buy bulk.
40. Exercise...it will keep your stress level down and also keep your body healthy so you can stay out of the hospital and doctor's office.
41. Reward yourself. No accomplishment should be unawarded. If you achieve a goal, treat yourself to dinner or a ballgame.
42. Skip vacation this year or take a shorter trip. Vacations can be expensive. Use the money to pay off high-interest debt. When your debt is paid down, treat yourself to that tropical paradise.
43. Don't buy the book...get a library card. How often do you re-read a book? Check it out at the library, read it, return it and get a new book. Books are great, but they are better dust collectors that purchases.
44. Walk to work. If you live in a big city and are close to work, walk. Good exercise and saves on gas.
45. Carpool. Split the cost of the commute with people you work with or close to you.
46. Eat more vegetables. Go to a local farmer's market and stock up on veges. This can be a cheap source of nutrition for your family.
47. Buy used. Often you can find used products that are still in mint condition. Shop around before purchasing that new Bose Home Theater!
48. Sell unused items on eBay or Amazon for extra money.
49. Periodically, adjust your budget and financial goals to fit your current situation.
50. Keep educating yourself.

You don't have to give up everything. If you do only a few of the debt reduction tips
above, you can help your financial situation out tremendously. It's all about creating good financial habits and sticking to them.

Visit our site, http://www.TopLoanOffers.com for financial related products and information or [http://www.whatsdebt.com] to learn about living a debt free life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_McGrath

Sunday, 31 January 2010

How to Identify a Legitimate Internet Business Program

It would be unjustified for people to tell you how to make money online and then fail to advice an internet newbie how to avoid being swindled. The internet is rich with legitimate online business programs, but how do you tell that a business program is legit or not.

There is a common phrase that states, "When the deal is too good to be true, think twice," this is because chances are that, it could be false. Last year we witnessed as thousands of Americans lost their investment when a pyramid scheme collapsed.

People who start these pyramid schemes are very bright individuals, they take advantage of people's thirst to make easy money and come up with ponzi schemes that promise huge returns from very little investments. To gain the confidence of innocent online business people, these ponzi schemes create a website that has an ambience of professionalism.

Ponzi schemes usually ride on collecting money from new depositors and then distributing the same to already existing investors. The risk is that eventually these schemes reach a saturation point and when there are no new investors then it becomes impossible to pay their investors.

You will also notice that most of these ponzi schemes do not deal in any product. Therefore, be wary of such online business programs. Some are know to tell their investors that they are investing their money on off shore business accounts or securities portfolios which most of the time is a lie.

Next time you decide to invest in any online business program, research and find out if it is legitimate. Visit sites like ripoff.com to see whether the internet business you are enrolling in is fraudulent or not. My blog also contains tried and tested internet business programs, click the link appearing below.

Belsheba shares her wealth of knowledge on Online Business Opportunities. She is an Online Business Expert and her webpage is Rich in Content on Money Making Ideas and Home Business Strategies. Visit her informative and insightful website at: Money Making Secrets for Updated Internet Business Solutions.