Are you interested in an online home based business opportunity? I have some home based business ideas you may want to look into.Did you know that a recent Harris Poll indicated that 72% of the households in this country are thinking about starting a home based business? Why do you think people feel this way?I think there are many reasons for this.1. Some people want out of the “rat race”2. Many of us are forced out of good jobs due to downsizing and the economy3. Some may want to be at home to take care of a family member4. You might need to work from home due to health issues5. Some people want to be home with the kids6. A spouse may be interested in a second incomeThere are probably many other reasons someone would want to start a home business, but you get the idea.I was unable to work for a period of time, due to health issues, and I looked hard for something that would interest me and allow me to work from home.However, I found that most opportunities were home based business scams or get rich quick schemes. Who would pay you a lot of money for no or low effort! Why would they need you?The classic work from home business opportunity is stuffing envelopes or telemarketing which is a dead end for most people, and I found most of those opportunities were also scams.Well, I have good news for you if you are serious about starting a home based business!First of all, you must be internet based. The internet is growing so fast, and so many people use the internet for information about the goods and services they buy. You just can’t afford to not be on the internet these days.However, it is just not good enough to just be on the internet by slapping up a website or blog and expect to make an income. With more than one billion world wide users of the internet you must have a content rich website that educates and pre-sells your customers. You also have to have the training and support of a team to help you optimize your internet presence so the search engines and your customers can find you!You may be asking what kind of a business I should start! Sit down and think about what you are interested in, passionate about or willing to research and write about. You would be surprised to find that you could start an online home based business on almost any subject.I have found a great way to get educated on what I need to do to be able to start a legitimate home based business and educate my potential customers on what I have to offer. Another thing that is great about what I am doing is I don’t have to have a “widget” to sell. Information is also a valuable commodity that you can make income from.In fact, the primary purpose of the internet today is providing information to those that seek it.Affiliate marketing, referrals, and advertising with pay-per-click ads are just some of the many ways to generate income on the internet.The best thing is the cost. You can work at home and make a good income for less money than you think. Using the internet is very inexpensive and the tools and training associated with an internet based business are very affordable.Please check out my website for free information on a step by step approach to starting your own money making online home based business.
Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions
Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.
People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!
Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.
Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.
Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.
After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.
Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.
Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.
Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.
Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.
Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.
It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.
Tip 4: Present your items neatly.
No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.
There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.
While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.
Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.
The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.
Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.
If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.
Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!
The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.
Considering a MLM Home Based Business?
A MLM home based business is a very lucrative way into generating a second income or even become your main income stream. There have been and will still be many millionaires generated from this sector, due to the main secret of leveraging the internet for your benefit. As there are many attractive points in joining one of these home businesses there are also many out there which have been created mainly to scam you out of your own hard earned cash.
You should always to your primary research onto the home business which you are considering on joining. Now a day this is easier than ever before as you have the largest and most powerful detective in the world at your finger tips (the Internet). All you need to do is search for the business you’re looking for and then weigh out the positives and negatives of an MLM home based business before you decide that if it is the right business for you.
A MLM home based business involves in you selling products or services throughout the web. You will receive a commission on any sales that you finalise and with some MLM businesses, the customers who bought from you can become a team member underneath you. This means every time a team member sales one of your products they will get commission also but you will get a percentage of their commission this is what is called residual income.
You need to seriously understand that there are many of these businesses out there on the web. Many of them copy the structures of legitimate MLM home based business concepts. There for this means that there are many out there which are scams and have pyramid schemes in place which in fact is illegal and getting involved in one can cause you more trouble than you can possibly imagine.
There are many positives with running your own home based business which are the following:
You will be working from home where you determine your working hours plus your overheads are low and you can actually claim some of you home bills against your Tax bills, but I to suggest for you to get advice from an accountant.
There is no need to manufacture any products, because you are usually selling things that are already made and the MLM business which you have joined normally will help you and advice you on how to market these products or services.
The disadvantage to MLM home based business lies on your determination and where your skills for selling lie. If you got strong leadership skills and are very self motivated, then this industry will pose little hardship to you.
However in the other hand if the above are you weaker points then you will have to work a little bit harder than the rest to make sure you succeed in your venture.
One thing you should take from this article is that you need to do your research on the business that you tend to join, to find out if it is legitimate. Once this is done really the world will become your oyster.
With a little hard work and determination your world will change around you, but you need to find a good and an understanding Mentor where both of you feed of each other’s experiences.
To your success,
Pedro Magalhaes- Mentor of Change!