Monday, November 23, 2009
How to Earn Extra Income at Home With Your Computer
Many people think that all work at Home opportunities are scams and you will never make any money. This could not be further from the truth. It is possible to earn money while working in the comfort of your own home. It may take time but it can happen with a little bit of patience.
Work at home employment is sometimes hard to come by. Many people are out searching for these positions which allows for extensive competition. You must research each job listing and have a well written resume available. Try to stand out from the crowd and be prepared for several telephone interviews.
Select a position that interests you such as writing, customer service, data entry or sales. Many employers will route telephone calls to your home through your desktop computer. You will then answer calls for them as a customer service representative. You may also find high paying writing jobs or you may find work as a blogger for well known websites. Research and doing searches online will show you thousands of different ways to make money online.
The internet has opened doors for millions of people to work from home. You can be productive and successful as an employee working from home. It is important to have discipline and stay on task. Try to avoid common distractions such as children, telephone calls, television and surfing the internet. It is vital to have a schedule that separates work time from personal time.
You may be asked by employers to prove your dependability and if your home is free from distractions. Be prepared to explain your schedule and how you plan to be productive throughout the day. When you decide to work from home you must understand that hard work still needs to get done. Many people fall into a trap of thinking that working from home is easy. Try to remember that it must be treated just like a job outside the home.
Once you find the right job announce to your family what your work hours will be. Explain to them that they need to give you privacy and allow you to be free of distractions. Ask your family to support you and your decision to work from home.
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How To Earn Extra Income Doing What You Love
One of the key important skill anyone who desires to earn extra income doing what he or she loves is selling. One way or the other, everybody is into the business of selling. We sell literally everything. Of course we sell products and services but then we sell ideas too. Most of the time when we discuss with people we try to sell ideas to them. To our children we sell values, attitudes and behaviors. Ultimately everybody sells himself or herself. The degree to which you are effective in marketing yourself will determine how high you rise, whether you are working for yourself or for someone else. There are intelligent people who cannot package and sell themselves very well they do not rise. The extent to which you can sell yourself effectively to those who have the power to promote you, will determine how high your extra income will be . In every organization, there are employees who can sell themselves very well to their bosses and there are some who cannot. So, selling skills are fundamental. Everybody needs to know how to sell. Those who can persuade, convince, and influence other people always stand a better chance than those who cannot.
Ultimately you will agree with me that it is sales that drive everything. It is sales that drive production. For example, what is the use of you producing soap or notebook, or anything if you are not selling? You will be frustrated out of production. What also determines the number of goods produced are sales. The more sales you make, the higher the volume of goods produced and the more the demands on your stock. It is sales that drive staffing, employment and also jobs. If sales are being made, more people will be required to sell and produce, and more people will be required to manage the income and expenditure. All developed economies know that if sales go down, everything goes down because there will be job cuts.
So set a goal for yourself today to improve your selling skill and begin to enjoy cool cash from various extra income opportunities around you now.
Enjoy your moments.
Discover the best and easy way to do what you really love and Start making lot of cash today!
How To Stop the fear of Change From Stopping Your Dreams II
My question is, "change" is it a robber of good things of life ? No not at all.
So find out how to kick your excuses here now,you can really do it!
The most important thing is to understand that life is always made from ups and downs and nobody can be in a permanent ascending trend, simply because that is impossible. Even the most successful people experience the ups and downs , so nobody can avoid them.
However, the important issue is not how to avoid changes, fears and bad experiences, but how to learn from them. It is crucial not to let problems rob us of our great dreams.We need instead to use changes especially the ones uncomfortable ones ,to advance personally and professionally .
There is no doubt that problems affect us, which is actually normal, due to the fact that we have feelings, but, nevertheless, every single hard moment of our lives should make us even stronger. That is why you should always analyze and meditate on the worse situation you had to deal with, in the course of your life.Then learn from your mistakes, because they will help you be prepared for the various opportunities coming your way soon.
Do you know that every single episode of our lives happens with a pre-determined good reason? Life, somehow prepares us for certain events to come, so if we focus enough attention on our previous experiences, we will understand many things about the present.
With all that, it is also true that the unexpected can happen anytime. However, you should keep in mind that a change is not always for the worse and consequently, you must never let go of an opportunity, because you are afraid to take the risk. Remember that, from time to time, something has to happen in order to free you from monotony, so you should be encourage in your day to day affairs, instead of being afraid of change, to prepare for it with all your heart.
If you just don’t feel capable of realizing what a certain change in your life, actually means, here’s a list of tips that might help you get motivated:
1. Try to think only of the positive impacts that you will experience after the change.
2.See how important they are and think deeply about them on how to multiply them, by adding some other good aspects, which need certain assistance.
3. Picture somebody else in your situation, as picturing ourselves in a less desirable position, always looks more dramatic than it really is. If you realize that the other person can handle the change, you can be sure you’ll be able to handle it as well.
4.Imagine the worse situation that can result after the change and try to find various solutions to it.Ponder on how much you can loose, if the worst happened, and how important those things are to you. Then think about possibe solutions .If you find more than one reasonable solution, you are safe the change can never be stronger than you are!
Remember, life is about perspectives. What seem like a mountain to an ant is a small stone to a human. Expand your mental capacity. Face the situation with the attitude that there is a way out and you will find it. Whatever your challenge today, don’t run away from it stop being afraid and kick your excuses!
. Be like a postage stamp that sticks to a letter till it gets to its destination.So when next you are going through series of changes thought it not a robbery.Be at alert to the lesson of the season because this how greatness is engraved on the heart of successful people.
I am recommending these books that have help me tremendously;
1.How to Kick Your Excuses Goodbye Forever!
2.Mega Extra Income opportunities!
Enjoy your moments.
Friday, November 20, 2009
How To Stop the fear of Change From Stopping Your Dreams Part I
In 1831, he failed in business. In 1832, he was defeated in the state Legislature. In 1833 he failed in business again. In 1834, he was elected to the state legislature. But his sweet heart died. In 1836, he had a nervous breakdown. In 1838, he was defeated for the speaker of the state legislature. In 1840, he was defeated for the electoral congress. In 1843, he was defeated for the congress. In 1846, he was defeated for congress. In 1848, he was defeated for congress. In 1855, he was defeated for senate. In 1856, he was defeated for vice president. In 1858, he was defeated for senate. In 1860, he was elected President of the United States of America. His story may sound like a catalogue of woes, but he fulfilled his destiny. His dreams came to pass because he refused to stay down.
You may have given up over and over again. You may have given up on yourself and lost hope about the future. You may be sitting on the rubbles of broken dreams-dreams that you once cherished. I want you to know that there is hope for you, if you don’t give up. Don’t give up on your dream of starting that business. Very soon the tide will turn in your favour.
To fail means to be unsuccessful at something. In other words, not to achieve a set goal. However, I should say that you are not made a failure. We have some experience in life, which intend to convince us that we are not capable of achieving our dreams. They seek to convince us that we are failures.
But failure never need be final. The experiences we regard as failures should be considered simply as temporary setbacks. To succeed, we must learn to handle failure. I have discovered that successful people are just failures who, despite their set backs, push on to achieve their goals. On the other hand, failures are the successful people who gave up because of temporary setbacks. Conrad Hilton, the hotel executive once said; "Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit".
What you consider as your greatest problem today may not be your problem. The greatest problem is how you see the problem. You may see the challenge as a dead-end or an opportunity for a turn around. You may see it as an obstacle or a potential blessing in disguise. I want to encourage you, don’t give up. Inside every adversity is an opportunity. God is setting you up for promotion. The greatest tests of your life will eventually produce the greatest testimonies.
Why do people fail? There are many reasons.
One major cause of failure is fear.
Fear destroys will power. It paralyses. Fear breaks momentum and weakens enthusiasm. Fear introduces doubts and indecision. Fear holds in bondage. Fear breeds insecurity, discourages initiative and makes persistence impossible. We must break free from fear.
There is real fear, and there is shadow fear. Real fear, for example, is what you experience when you come face to face with a lion. Real fear is a defense mechanism programmed into your system to help you respond adequately to danger. But shadow fear is based on something that may not happen, a situation that is not yet real. Most of the things people fear is not real. Someone said fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. The fear of failure for example holds a lot of people in bondage. Once we have experienced a setback, the devil plays on our imagination. He uses a single experience to project pictures of failure into the future.
The student who fails an examination writes the next one without confidence. The person who fails in business ventures three times concludes that he may never make it after all. He projects the past on the future. Some whose dreams have been shattered in marriage find it difficult to believe that they will not be disappointed again. They are just convinced that something is bound to go wrong somewhere. Some really even believe that they are jinxed.
Don’t be afraid. The size of any problem is not as important as the size of the person perspective. Greater abilities are on your inside than the challenge on your outside. There is a difference between failure as a person and failure as an event. It is the event that messed up. As a person, you are still a success.So try it again!
Enjoy your moments !
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Success Strategies For Personal Growth II
Dear friend, if you’re not changing, you’re not growing. Growing means giving up familiar but limiting beliefs, values, and work, relationships or thought patterns. Change is inevitable. Everybody has to deal with it because if we are not growing we start dying.
Life is designed for growth, for continuous improvement. To experience personal development you must make a choice for growth, because growth is a choice. It is impossible for you to try and maintain your current position and make progress at the same time. Don’t dig in, but keep moving. Settle this once and for all. The only way to improve the quality of your life is to improve yourself through consistent growth.
To grow your business, grow yourself. To have a better wife, be a better husband. To have better children be a better parent. To have better friends, be a better friend. One of the greatest discoveries you’ll make in life is this: as you change and improve; things and people will change and improve around you. Since the only person you really have the ability to change anyway is yourself, begin by changing yourself. Make a choice to grow everyday. And start with what you have where you are. The things that you have done to be where you are today very basic. Because they are things you have done daily over a long period of time. Things like breathing, eating, sleeping and going to toilet. Take note they are things you must do for yourself.
You see, growth is a non-transferable responsibility; start now. Feed your mind with the good stuff, buy books,attend seminar, volunteer for community services and any other ways you can think of to improve your self. And begin to apply the things you are learning. Change your attitude and your altitude level will change
There is nothing that brings contentment in life like growth. Whatever or whoever is not growing becomes a source of concern. Growth has many advantages. When we grow we change. And when we change things happen around us. Life becomes more favourable. You see, there are many good opportunities available for us to enjoy. But we cannot gain access to them until we are matured enough to handle them. Growth today guarantees a better tomorrow. Life responds to values not titles. When you add to your personal value everyday, you will eventually attract what you are worth.
Now to grow you must be teachable. The greatest obstacle to growth may not be ignorance. It may be knowledge. The point at which you feel that you know it all is the point is the point at which you stop growing. Really, the more you know, the more you should know that you don’t know. No wonder former basketball coach, John Wooden once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Always remember that there is a higher level than where you are. And when you remain teachable, your potential is almost limitless.
Make a decision to grow now .
Monday, November 9, 2009
Success Strategies For Personal Growth
Many people today desires to grow but few are willing to pay the price.Among all the things that can affect your future, I believe personal growth is the greatest.And there is always a prize attach that if you commit yourself to will greatly influence your life for good.
Why ?
This because even though growth is natural, to be successful you need to become mindful of quite a lot of things that relates to life.In this article,we are going to explore together several failure proof strategies that many outstanding people have used over the years to succeed.Then we see how you can apply them and get the same results in your personal life,family,business,and community.
First we need to define success.
What is success ?
Success have been defined by several great people in diffrent ways,but to me I see success as the progressive achievement of the ultimate purpose of an individual in life.
It does not come cheap ,nor does it come by chance.You need to deliberately desire and plan for it.
Many to are just going around parading the shadows of success not the really thing.To be successful in growing personally,you need the following seven key strategies;
1. S-et passionate, productive and profittable daily goals to promote your major life purpose .
2. U-se your T.A.G.S. (talent,abilities ,gift and skills )to help others succeed.
3. C-ount the cost of working out your life giving purpose.
4. C-ommit yourself to work with others in line with your life purpose.
5. E-mpower yourself through seminars,tapes,workshop,books,magazines etc
6. S-tart your long term goal with what you have,where you are and with those around you.
7. S-how as many people as possible how you succeed.
You must rise to a new level, so you can take your family,career and business to a new level. Pay the price for growth today; you will win the prize of success tomorrow. See you at the top.Look out for " Success Strategies For Personal Growth II " .
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Motivating Quotes - Start Your Day Off Right With a Daily Quote By Julia K. Walters Platinum Quality Author
There are literally hundreds of quotes that you could tap into that will set your day off on the right foot and put you in a positive frame of mind that will last the entire day. You will feel happier, more self-confident, and better able to serve others once you have reflected over your quote of the day.
You may be thinking, 'how can one little quote change my whole day?" It's a very simple concept. Every morning, before you do anything else (ok, you can pour a cup of coffee first), log into your computer and read a motivational quote. It doesn't have to be paragraphs long - it can be as short as 5 or 10 words. The important factor is the meaning, not the length. Now, take five minutes and write this quote down in your journal or a notebook. Reflect on it - what does it mean to you? How can you apply this to your day today? How can you apply it everyday? Put together a plan of action of one thing you will do differently because of the quote you read.
In a short time, after doing this every day for 5 days a week, you will have a notebook full of quotes, and an action plan on how to improve your life and take action to make sure you achieve your goals. Don't be afraid to add notes, pictures and magazine cut-outs to help you create your vision.
So, how do you find these daily quotes that can have a profound effect on your life? A simple internet search will provide you with many sites that have a comprehensive list of quotes. Some will let you sign up to receive a quote in your in box; some you will have to visit and get the quote from the website; whichever method you choose, the result is the same. You will become a much more positive-minded person and you will be able to take positive experiences out of every negative situation. You will start to see opportunity where others see failure.
You will be happier, healthier, and better able to handle any challenge that comes your way. And all from a little daily quote!
Famous Quotes and Best Life Quotes:
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Nearly 700,000 people can't be wrong! That's the number of monthly visitors who use our resource of inspirational life sayings from the world of literature, politics, celebrity, movies and much more!
10 Motivational Quotes That Inspire You to Take Action By Anthony D Carter Platinum Quality Author
Inspirational quotes give you motivation to stay consistent in the pursuit of your dreams and goals.
It is a good practice to start collecting a huge reservoir of quality quotes that you can pick from when you find yourself in need of emotional uplifting. Your character and strength will improve from the constant association that you have with the written thoughts of successful people.
Whenever I get tired or weary in my journey I lean on inspirational quotes to pick me up. I gain wisdom and encouragement from them. Sometimes all we need is a saying or words of wisdom to reinforce or resolve to press on.
Here are ten great motivational quotes that are sure to inspire you to take action:
1- You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. ~Zig Ziglar.
2- Try not to become a man of success but a man of value. ~Albert Einstein.
3- Do the thing you are afraid to do and the death of fear is certain. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson.
4 -We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. ~ Aristotle.
5 -Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. ~Jim Ryun.
6- Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill.
7- One learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. ~Sophocles.
8- People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. ~Zig Ziglar.
9- Worry got us nowhere. What did? Action. ~Paul & Tracey McManus.
10- Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking. ~William B. Sprague.
You can read these quotes and others like them to quickly change your perspective and improve your attitude throughout the day.
Motivation quotes can often make the difference between success and failure. You may want to give up or procrastinate in times of difficulty. But if you will take the time to reflect on an inspiring quote you will gain extra energy and enthusiasm to keep moving forward.
You can also use these quotes like affirmations. Read them daily and dwell on the meaning that they provide to you. Link the uplifting message to what ever situation that you may be facing. Affirm that you are improving and growing stronger every day.
You will find that you belief, confidence and motivation increase in direct proportion to the amount of positive messages that you consistently reflect on.
From Anthony D. Carter - a leading expert on motivation.
How to Get Motivated and Stay Inspired by Ann Martinez
1. Use motivational quotes and affirmations. It seems that no matter how many times you read or hear your favorite quote, it resonates with you almost as much as the very first time you heard it. Adding to your collection will bring you an ever-flowing streams of new inspiration.
As your goals change, look for quotes and affirmations that reflect your new path so you can gain the inspiration to persevere in your new direction.
2. Find inspirational images. Sometimes you come across inspiration by observing nature, like a beautiful sunset, an ocean shoreline or leaves turning brilliant colors in the fall. Other times you may be inspired by a photograph, an image in a book, or a painting at an art gallery.
Perhaps the beauty of an image will inspire you to create something beautiful of your own. In the process, you'll find new excitement and motivation to carry over into the other areas of your life.
An image can be placed on your vision board to remind you of your destination, which will motivate you to work more quickly with targeted focus to reach your goal.
Once you find an image that inspires you, rely upon it during stressful or difficult times as a visual reminder to keep moving forward. Feel the energy of love pouring from your heart and project it on to the situation you want to heal.
3. Let other people inspire you with their stories. When you hear someone's story of personal triumph or hardship while standing in line at the neighborhood post office or sitting in the waiting room at your local doctor's office, you just may be able to relate to this person.
Listen to other people and really pay attention to what they are saying. This will take the focus off of your own problems. Sometimes the answer to a problem of yours will come from listening to other people. When you listen to another person, seek out their stories and let them inspire you! When you are inspired by another person, this opens the channels in you to become more creative in solving your own problems.
4. Watch motivational videos. Websites like YouTube offer a variety of motivational and inspirational videos. Some videos, such as the late Randy Pausch's poignant "Last Lecture," has inadvertently inspired millions, even though it was originally intended for a much more personal audience. People often use YouTube to tell their stories, share successes, and offer advice or encouragement. When facing a challenge, or if you need some words of wisdom from someone who's been there, done that, you'll surely find inspiration there.
About the Author
Ann writes inspirational tips for personal development and creating the right mindset for a successful business. Her newly released eBook is "Inspired Life Entrepreneur, Awaken Your Passion and Profit Online" http://www.inspiredlifeentrepreneur.comHow to Put First Things First In Your Business
*GOOD PRODUCT: Without a decent product, the whole plan
collapses. You can have thousands of distributors, but
you need consumer sales to generate income. That means
you need a product that consumers will want to buy and
that will live up to its expectations after it is sold.
Generally, the best products are unique, not
available through traditional retail stores. The real
test: Would you or a family member buy the product at
the suggested price?
* SMART HARD WORK: Don't think that money
will just roll in as long as you find the right
product. Succeeding in any business requires diligence, persistence
and innovation; in that respect, your chosen business is no
different from any other enterprise.
* YOU MUST BE CHARGE ENOUGH TO TAKE CHARGE
You have charge yourself always to deal with their personal problems,
handle complaints, and so on. You have more
flexibility and less responsibility than you have in a
corporate management position, but you still have to
get the most out of your business.
Remember, too, that all who succeed in business get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they ‘arrive.’ The turning point in the lives of those who succeed, usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their ‘other selves.’ If you really want to do something you will always find a way. But if you don't want to do it, you will find execuses.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Life Mapping: A Vision of Success
success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life. Similar to a
map, you need to define the following details: origin, destination,
vehicle, backpack, landmarks, and route.
Origin: Who you are
A map has a starting point. Your origin is who you are right now. Most
people when asked to introduce themselves would say, "Hi, I'm Jean and I
am a 17-year old, senior highschool student." It does not tell you about
who Jean is; it only tells you her present preoccupation. To gain
insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs,
values, and principles aside from your economic, professional, cultural,
and civil status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to
give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills,
knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Upon introspection, Jean realized
that she was highly motivated, generous, service-oriented, but
impatient. Her inclination was in the biological-medical field.
Furthermore, she believed that life must serve a purpose, and that wars
were destructive to human dignity.
Destination: A vision of who you want to be
"Who do want to be?" this is your vision. Now it is important that you
know yourself so that you would have a clearer idea of who you want to
be; and the things you want to change whether they are attitudes,
habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision
and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination
should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional,
intellectual, and spiritual. Continuing Jean's story, after she defined
her beliefs, values, and principles in life, she decided that she wanted
to have a life dedicated in serving her fellowmen.
Vehicle: Your Mission
A vehicle is the means by which you can reach your destination. It can
be analogized to your mission or vocation in life. To a great extent,
your mission would depend on what you know about yourself. Bases on
Jean's self-assessment, she decided that she was suited to become a
doctor, and that she wanted to become one. Her chosen vocation was a
medical doctor. Describing her vision-mission fully: it was to live a
life dedicated to serving her fellowmen as a doctor in conflict-areas.
Travel Bag: Your knowledge, skills, and attitude
Food, drinks, medicines, and other travelling necessities are contained
in a bag. Applying this concept to your life map, you also bring with
you certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These determine your
competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a
need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at
present and what you need to gain along the way. This two-fold
assessment will give you insights on your landmarks or measures of
success. Jean realized that she needed to gain professional knowledge
and skills on medicine so that she could become a doctor. She knew that
she was a bit impatient with people so she realized that this was
something she wanted to change.
Landmarks and Route: S.M.A.R.T. objectives
Landmarks confirm if you are on the right track while the route
determines the travel time. Thus, in planning out your life, you also
need to have landmarks and a route. These landmarks are your measures of
success. These measures must be specific, measurable, attainable,
realistic, and time bound. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such
as earning a master's degree and a doctorate degree within a period of
three years, since the minimum number of years to complete a master's
degree is two years. Going back to Jean as an example, she identified
the following landmarks in her life map: completing a bachelor's degree
in biology by the age of 21; completing medicine by the age of 27;
earning her specialization in infectious diseases by the age of 30;
getting deployed in local public hospitals of their town by the age of
32; and serving as doctor in war-torn areas by the age of 35.
Anticipate Turns, Detours, and Potholes
The purpose of your life map is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment
decisions that can make you lose your way. But oftentimes our plans are
modified along the way due to some inconveniences, delays, and other
situations beyond our control. Like in any path, there are turns,
detours, and potholes thus; we must anticipate them and adjust
accordingly.
HOW TO START YOUR OWN PAPER RECYCLING BUSINESS
One of the easiest - and in fact one of the oldest ways of
making extra money is by collecting old newspapers and selling them to
a recycling plant in your locale.
Believe it or not, you can develop a very respectable income
collecting and selling paper to the recycling centers. It certainly does
not take any education, specialized training or experience; it's as
simple as saving your old newspapers and turning them in to a central
collection depot.
Some "paper recyclers" are making more than $100,000 a year in
this business. If other people are doing it, then there's no reason you
can't do it! About the only equipment you'll need is a pickup truck or
trailer that you can pull along be hind your personal car. We even
found one "old timer" who was collecting paper in this era with a
pushcart! While interviewing him, we found that he was deliberately
choosing not to expand, although he very definitely could have.
The prices being paid for paper these days by the recycling
centers will astound you (and remember that the quotations we give here
may have escalated sharply since our research). For instance, old news
papers are commanding $50 per ton and more; used cardboard, $75 a ton;
and high grade office paper as much as $120 per ton. This kind of money
for used paper that you can generally pick up for free can move you onto
Easy Street in a hurry. Everything, of course, depends on how well
organized you are, and how hard you work at building your business.
Make no mistake about it, we live in a paper world. Americans
use 200 million tons of paper each year - for everything from daily
newspapers to books and cardboard boxes. After quick use, we throw away
at least 100 million tons of this paper, almost all
of which could be recycled. This means that there's about 8 billion
dollars worth of paper out there that can be collected and recycled each
year. So if you are looking to start a business with real profit
potential, what are you waiting for?
Just look around your own home. In the garage or basement, for
instance. What do you do with the old newspapers after you've read
them? How about all the mail you get each week? Chances are this waste
paper just piles up in some corner of the garage or
basement until one of the kids asks if he can haul it off for the school
or cub scout paper drive. Or maybe your wife and kids get ambitious some
weekend, clean out the garage and haul it all off to the collection
truck at one of the local shopping centers. (We said maybe!)
It's true that selling stacks of newspapers you've accumulated
during the past couple of months or so won't make you rich. In fact,
it's doubtful your own accumulation of paper will add up to a ton a
year, and that certainly won't amount to much in extra
income. But think about the tonnage involved in the stacks of old
newspapers you could collect from your relatives, friends and neighbors.
You could easily collect a l00-pound sack of old newspapers from the
people in your neighborhood each week - and that's your immediate
neighborhood.
And then think about the total extra income you would have when
you have hauled all this paper down to the recycling depot. If you're
serious, and get yourself properly prepared, you can easily make $300 or
more every weekend, and it won't involve all
your time. Some planning and effort on your part are the prime
requisites.
Start by clearing a space in your garage for storage. One side
of a two-car garage, or any 8 by 12 foot space should be sufficient. If
you have a garden shed that's dry, that would work well also. Some
paper collectors even rent space in a neighborhood mini-warehouse.
We've even seen some paper collectors store their collected paper on
pallets in their backyards, using tarpaulins over it to keep it dry.
The important thing is to have a space available to store your collected
paper until you're ready to haul it to the recycling depot.
Being a firm believer in doing as little as possible of the
physical work involved in any business, I recommend you hire people to
do a lot of this for you. By that I mean you should contact all the cub
scouts, girl scouts, and civic organizations in your area; tell them
you'll pay them money for the paper they collect and turn in to you. At
the same time, contact the counselors at the schools and colleges in
your area and tell them you'll pay them for all the paper they collect.
The idea is to get everyone in your area collecting paper for you,
eliminating the need to do the actual collecting yourself.
How much of the gross profit you allow or pay these people who
do the actual collection is up to you. The average rate is $25 to $30
per ton when you are getting $50 per ton.
In the beginning, you may have to make up a sign and tape it to
the side of your pick-up or car, and "pound the pavement" yourself, but
you would expect to do this in starting any business. Basically,
there's nothing to this excepting that it takes time you could be using
to do other things; but is there anything more important than getting
your new business "off the ground?"
A simple sign such as JOE'S PAPER RECYCLING SERVICE - Phone
123-4567, is about all that's necessary. You could have this made up on
a magnetic mat at most quick print shops. Have a college art student
make one up for you on butcher paper, or have a professional sign
painter produce one for you on heavy card stock.
With this sign on the side of your pickup, car, or trailer,
simply drive through the residential neighborhoods of your area. Park
in the middle of a block, get out and start knocking on doors, asking
the residents if they have old newspapers or cardboard boxes they'd like
for you to haul away for them. Generally, you'll get an armload of old
newspapers at every house. Simply carry them to your pickup or trailer,
then go on to the
next house.
If you'll set up a definite route to follow, certain streets on
certain days about once every two weeks, you'll find the homeowners will
have stacks of paper waiting for you. Regardless of whether the person
answering the door gives you a stack of papers, always leave a business
card at each home.
Some paper recyclers offer to pay the people saving newspapers
for them, and having it ready for them when they make their collection
rounds. Generally, this isn't necessary. If you'll develop regular
collection days for each street or neighborhood,
you'll find the people putting papers out for you just as they set out
their garbage for collection.
There are even some paper recyclers who charge the people to
haul their paper away. This isn't advisable, because once you start
hauling rubbish, you'll end up doing clean-up work, and hauling more to
the dump than you do to the recycling depot.
Once you have your collection routes organized, you can hire
students to make your collection rounds after school, and haul the paper
to your storage center. You can set up crews of three - one to drive
the truck or car while the others knock on doors on each side of the
street.
Depending on how much paper each route gives you every two
weeks, you could have a crew working several routes each day for minimum
wage, probably so much per truck or trailer load, and expect to collect
a couple of tons of paper for every three hours
they work.
Again, by hiring other people to do the actual collection work
for you, you'll not only free yourself for other work, but you'll be
making more money: Three people can do more in less time than one
person.
The next thing is to set up an area-wide collection depot. This
could be a pre-fab building on a vacant lot, a vacant used car lot, or a
closed service station.
In setting up an area-wide (or neighborhood) collection depot,
you will need space - some sort of shed to store or stack your papers in
until you load them up and haul them to the recycling center where you
sell them. You'll need a scale to weigh them, and some sort of office
or desk space to manage your cash and books.
You'll need space enough for your customers to drive in beside
the scale and unload their papers, and at the same time an arrangement
whereby you can pay them immediately. A vacant service station would be
ideal. Your customers can pull in just as if
they were going to purchase gasoline; you could have your scales set up
between the driveways where the gas pumps are usually located, and store
your accumulating loads in the service area of the building.
In most cities or counties, you'll need a business license or
permit. For more details, see our report, Basic Steps To Starting Your
Own Business.
You'll need a couple of signs, one on each side of your
driveway. These will announce the fact that you buy old newspapers.
They need not be anything fancy, just simple attention-getting
announcements that you're open for business and paying money for paper.
Generally, the going rate for newspapers dropped off at a central
collection depot is $.02 per pound, and the papers need not be bundled.
This will give the sellers $40 a ton for dropping them off, and at $50 a
ton, that will work out to $10 per ton profit for you. (Again, these
rates are rising, so be sure you are absolutely current by checking out
the going price in your area.)
In addition to old newspapers, you should organize your time and
schedule to call upon all the businesses, stores and warehouses in your
area. Talk to the business owners or store managers and ask them if you
can haul away their old cardboard boxes.
If there's competition in your area, you might end up having to
pay for these boxes, provided they're clean. The thing to do is to call
upon everybody who uses paper products or cardboard boxes. Remember,
the more people you have giving you paper, the
more money you are going to make. Many already established recycling
services do not bother with the smaller stores and warehouses, but these
add up quickly if you are diligent in finding a number of them.
Check close by in your surrounding area, and find out if the
businesses are satisfied with their present pick-up service. Ask first
if you can "have" their old boxes; many of the smaller stores will give
them to you because it decreases the load for their rubbish service to
haul away. Where necessary, offer to pay per pound if they'll save them
for you.
As mentioned before, the important thing is to get everyone
providing paper for you - people collect and have it ready for you to
pick up when you drop by on your designated collection day. Besides
that, you start making really big money when you can park your truck in
one place and fill it up from a group of closely located stores or
businesses. With this is mind, you could conceivably drive through four
blocks, making one stop in the middle of each block, and have a ton or
more of paper or cardboard
boxes every fourth block.
One other thing you'll need in order to efficiently handle
cardboard boxes is a sharp knife with which to slit the sides of the
boxes and flatten them Out as you load them onto your truck or trailer.
A simple "handyman's utility knife" costing about $5 will handle this
chore for you with ease. When you buy one, though, be sure to buy an
extra supply of blades as well, because cutting through cardboard will
dull your knife very quickly.
Another paper products source: the offices in your area,
particularly those with computers. The age of computers has ushered in
more reports for offices than ever before, adding reams and reams of
paper to the average office trash basket. When you
visit these offices, take along a couple of "Save-a-Tree" boxes and ask
the office people to discard all their waste paper into these boxes for
you - letters, envelopes, outdated reports and files. You can usually
get the "Save-a-Tree" boxes at your recycling depot, and when full,
we're talking about 35 to 45 pounds of paper. Most offices will fill
one of these boxes in a week or two, depending, of course, upon their
volume of paperwork. And while you're on this kind of "foraging" trip,
don't forget to check in at all the print shops. They waste and throw
away almost as much paper as they sell.
It will pay you to contract for a quarter page ad, or the
largest ad available that you can afford, in the yellow pages of your
area telephone and business directories. Whether or not you advertise
the prices you pay in the ad is entirely up to you, but
generally it's not a good idea to do so, because you would be stuck with
those rates for over a year. You might word your ad to explain that you
pay one rate per pound when paper is brought to you, and another rate
when you pick up and haul away.
At the same time, you should run a regular classified ad,
perhaps even one with more words in the Contract Jobs section of your
daily paper. Your best advertising days will be Thursday through
Saturday. These are the days when people are specifically
thinking about cleaning up around the house or their offices. Also,
these are the days when people think about what they can do to earn
extra money.
This is the kind of business that "snowballs" with visibility
and word-of-mouth advertising. It will definitely benefit you, then, to
join the various civic and service clubs in your area, attend their
luncheons and mingle with the business leaders in your area. Volunteer
to assist in some fund-raising events, and whenever possible, become a
guest speaker and tell about your business.
It isn't hard to stand up before a group of people and talk
about your business, particularly if you know what you're talking about
and believe in what you're saying. It does take at least an outline of
a script, perhaps a few notes, a rehearsal and the essential ingredient
of enthusiasm.
Make your talk interesting and informative. Do some research
and present statistics on how much paper the people of this country use
each year. Explain the limited supply of timber, and the need to
recycle as much as possible. Detail how these facts
and figures opened your eyes, and caused you to do something about it -
to open your own recycling center. And then, lead your talk into
explaining how the recycling business is an avenue for everyone to
benefit: the ideal fund-raising endeavor; a cleaner environment; and a
chance to preserve some forest land.
Getting free publicity for a recycling center can be easy. In
addition to serving as guest speaker before civic and service groups in
your area, you may find radio and television stations and newspapers,
and even weekly shopping guides anxious to give
you time or space.
By all means, try to get a story into these people detailing
your grand opening, follow-up with appearances on talk shows, and press
releases about the different organizations raising money by collecting
newspapers and turning them in to you. Set up a contest among the
different organizations, with prizes for the teams or organizations
collecting the most paper. Hold special "Seniors' Days" when you pay
extra for all paper turned in by persons over a certain age. Keep an
eye out for angles such as the largest amounts turned in, and stories
about your regular collectors who keep turning in paper regularly until
they attain money goals.
Emphasize in your publicity contacts that recycling is a kind of
community service that benefits all citizens. You're cleaning the
environment, conserving timber, and putting money into the pockets of
all who participate. Think about it; submit press releases to the
media; calling them and inviting them to cover human interest stories
emanating from your business!
This business takes organization, some energy on your part, and
at least in the beginning, your time. But if you put forth the effort
as we have outlined, there's no reason you shouldn't easily realize a
very comfortable income with your own RECYCLING BUSINESS. It takes
effort on your part, but if you're looking for a lucrative business, you
have here a plan to act on!located stores or businesses.
HOW TO OVERCOME FAILURE
TAKING BUSINESS RESULT-ORIENTED INITIATIVE
- Have a clear vision. You have got to be able to see your new world in your mind before you start creating it. When I look back today, I realize that I had seen my present world before it came to reality.
- Push yourself to act. All objects remain at a state of rest until a force is applied. There is no company, city or nation that built itself. You must understand that in this life problems don’t solve themselves. A beautiful future won’t create itself. Push yourself to do whatever must be done to create the kind of future you want. Whether you are afraid or not, just make the move.
- Be willing to take risks. Not acting is riskier than acting. Not taking a risk is the biggest risk in the world. Don’t hesitate. Take the sting out of failure by feeling the fear but acting anyway. Act boldly. Act now.
- Double your ‘failure’ rate. Failure is not failure until you stop trying. You increase your chances of succeeding when you increase the rate at which you try things. The most interesting thing is that the world will not remember you for the many things you tried that did not work but for the one thing you did that worked. Get out of your comfort zone. Success grows out of failure. To increase your success rate, double your failure rate.
Friday, September 25, 2009
HOW TO BUY RECHARGE CARD PINS ANYWHERE,ANYTIME WITH YOUR PHONE
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Achieving That Professional Look With The Help of An Image Consultant .
Today, there are image consultants for working professionals, for students, for homemakers and other people. It is a little sad that people are more concerned of the physical attributes of others than their character. But the truth is we are frequently judged by our appearances, our image is the one thing that people have to make them form their opinion of other people.
In the earlier days, people always looked for help in the pages of magazines and catalogs for the look that they wanted. One of the things that made it hard for people to really carry the look well is that the cuts and the style that it was fitted for the person in the picture and not for the person reading the magazine.
More than anyone else the working professional suffers this dilemma most often because of the different kinds of trends and fads that is served to them. The three piece business suit has been a staple for men and sometimes even for women. But because the look has been around for a long time there are people who experiment and try out different combinations. It alright and some even succeed in the results that they came up with but for majority of the people the look they created became very disastrous and it causes trauma that hinders these people from ever doing it again.
A good suggestion that these people could look into is to seek the help of a fashion professional. These people are called image consultants, they make enrich our personal style and at the same time make us confident and making bold decisions about our wardrobe experiments.
Usually an image consultant for working professional looks beyond the closet and looks in to the possibilities that their clients can have. As an image consultant for professionals, one must remember what they are dressing their clients for. Image consultants should consider the industry that their clients are working for, they should also take into consideration the position of their client in the company, another factor to consider is age and another is the occasion or the event they will use it for.
Because of these things they have to consider it would be wise for the image consultant to have a total makeover of the person's lifestyle and wardrobe. The makeover usually starts with the person's confidence. The person should be able to be at ease with their body no matter how it looks like. Image is more than what you look like, it's also how you feel about yourself.
An image consultant for working professionals should take time to understand the personal style that their client wants and the image they want to project. In return, the client should try their very best to cooperate and do what needs to be done to make the makeover a success.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
21 SECRETS TO MAKE MONEY WITHOUT LEAVING HOME.
2. Products You Sell to Others; Business cards, names, shoes.
3. Products You Can Make and Sell to Others: handicrafts, ceramics, jewelry.
4. Advertising Representative: sell ad space in publications of others, charge % fee.
5. Alternations, Sewing, Cleaning: Sewing, cleaning, anything to do with clothing and what people wear.
6. Auto Work: Repairs, cleaning, polishing, tune-ups, etc.
7. Baking: Cakes, cookies, candies, etc.
8. Baking, Cooking Classes: Teach people what you know about baking,cooking, etc.
9. Bookkeeping, Accounting: Help others keep their books,
accounting
10. Broker Services: Offer products and services of others to
YOUR customers as a broker.
11. Business Consultant: Help others in running their businesses,
guidance,, etc.
12. Business Skills Class: Teach others how to run a business,
how to make and save money.
13. Childbirth Classes: teach new parents all they need to know,
what to do and how.
14. Closeout and Odd Lot Items:Locate items that are not moving,
buy at a discount.
15. Computer Services:Secretarial; services, typing, resumes, reports, manuscripts, etc.
16. Computer Training: Teach people what you know about computers.
17. Craft Instruction: Teach people what you know about craft-making.
18. Dancing Lessons: Aerobic classes;popular dances, teach in your home, etc.
19. Dealerships:Sell programs and plans of others, sell their products, etc.
20. Discount Printing:Contact small printers offer their services too others.
21. Distribution of Flyers, Circulars: Do it by mail for
clients, charge a fee.
HOW TO START A PRINTING BUSINESS WITH NO EQUIPMENT
A printing broker is, basically, an order taker for one or more commercial printers. You take orders for anything from business cards to circulars to large printing orders, take your agreed upon commission, then pass on the order to the printer. The printer then does the job and ships the order back to you or your customer, depending on your arrangements. Because the printer won't insert any of his or her literature in with the job, YOU will get the return orders and commissions. You can even insert some of your circulars for your other products and services with the job, saving your mailing costs.
Here's what you need to do... Prepare a letter explaining your desire to become a broker and mail it to all the printers in your area. The smaller printers seem to be the most likely to work well with you on this. Set up a time to meet with any printers who are interested. During this meeting, explain exactly what you will be doing (selling printing jobs by mail through advertisements in mail order publications). You won't have to explain much because almost all printers are familiar with brokering. Usually, you should be able to get a 20% - 30% commission agreement, though it may depend upon the competition
in your area between printers. You should be able to find printers interested in working with you, though, even those who already have brokers.
Printing is a very competitive business and printers always want more work. So, you should have no trouble setting up connections. One good printer is all you need, though being set up with more than one may be an advantage (one may be cheaper for business cards than the other, who may be cheaper at single sheet printing).
Try to get a price list of YOUR costs drawn up by each printer. This will help you if someone needs a price quote on a job. Also, you can check the mail order publications and see what other printers are charging. If you can undercut them and still keep a good margin (which you should be able to do, easily), you can make good money in this business.
Another good idea... Instead of a commission, you may want to set up a "work account" with the printer, and get your printing done for free! Printers hate to have "down time," where their presses aren't printing anything. Work out an arrangement where you will have flyers, circulars, ad sheets or whatever, ready to be printed whenever the printer has down time. Turn over the full amount of orders you receive, instead of taking your commission, and get your printing done free during this down time! Most printers will be more than happy to take this arrangement, and you can get great benefits from it!
Be sure your printer will be able to deliver QUALITY products ON TIME. These are the two biggest considerations to keep in mind when selecting a printer or printers to work with. Get samples of their previous work. Talk to them about the importance of being timely with the orders you bring in. Most printers will be understanding of your concerns, and will do their best to keep you happy, as you will be bringing in orders they otherwise wouldn't have. You have the capability to bring your local printer orders from across the country... building their business while building yours! Printing brokering is an easy way to expand your profits while expending little extra work.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Six Amazing Simple Ways To Boost Your Marketing Campaign
1 Purchase resale rights E-books, rebrand and allow people to give away your E-books to their visitors free. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will promote your product widely.A good place to get resale rights materials is www.internetmaterials.org
2.If you have the ability to set up a forum or other bulletin board, you really have a great tool. Allow people to use your online discussion board for their own website. Some people don't have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.
3.Do you have a knack for web design? Create some templates, graphics, etc. and upload them to your site. Then, allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site. Make sure that you include a link back to your site in the copyright notice and require them to keep your copyright notice in tact.
4.Write an E-book. Allow people to place an advertisement in your free E-book if, in exchange, they give away the E-book to their web visitors or E-zine subscribers.
5.Write articles that pertain to your product or service. Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, in their E-zine, newsletter, magazine or E-books. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article.
6.You can easily find products on the Internet that will sell you a license allowing you to distribute the product free of charge to other people. Look for those products that provide "branding rights". That is where you can include your own name, website, and contact information.
You can check out some very good resale right materials now at www.internetmaterials.org now.
Ebooks:The 21st Century Promotional Powerhouses
The publishing industry, I hope, does not intend to forever banish the printed word to the dustbin of history. Books in print have their own special qualities and merits, and the world would be diminished by their disappearance.
Having said that, let's look at what makes ebooks so important and so unique. Ebooks have certain abilities and qualities that other mediums do not possess.For example,Click Here!
ebooks are fairly easy to produce, and their production cost is inexpensive. Just think about it: you don't need a publisher, an agent, a printing press, offset film, ink, paper, or even a distributor. You just need a great concept, the ability to write it or to hire a writer, and the right software.
Additionally, ebooks are easily and rapidly distributed online. They are also easily updated; they do not require a second print run. All you need is to go into your original creation and modify the text or graphics. Because of this flexibility, ebooks can change and grow as fast as you can type.
Ebooks are also immediately obtainable. You don't have to go to a bookstore or search through endless titles at an online bookstore. All you have to do is download it from a website, and presto! It's on your computer, ready to be read.
Ebooks are interactive. This is one of the most unique and specific qualities that ebooks offer. You can add surveys that need to be filled out, order forms for customers to purchase your products or goods, sound and video that draw your reader into the virtual world of your ebook, even direct links to relevant sites that will expand your ebook outward. The potential is virtually limitless.
Ebooks have a particular kind of permanence that other mediums do not possess. Television shows and radio shows air once, and then may rerun a few times. Ebooks remain on your computer for as long as your choose, and they can be read and reread whenever you choose to. They can even be printed out and stored on the shelves of your traditional home library.
Another wonderful quality is that ebooks have no barriers in terms of publishing. You don't need to go through the endless process of submitting your manuscript over and over again, and then once you land an agent, having the agent submit your manuscript over and over again. Nor do you have to shell out thousands of dollars for printing a self-published book. All ebooks require is a writer and appropriate software. Figure out your market, write your book, post it on your website, and with the right business savvy, your audience will come to you.
Finally, you have creative control over your ebook. You dont have to compromise with an editor or the publishing trends of the time. You don't have to haggle with a designer or wait for copyedited galleys to arrive by snail mail. You are in complete control of the design and the text.Please check this out for more information
http://affiliate.vendor.hop.clickbank.net.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Start Up Ideas For Winning Entrepreneurs
Many individuals nowadays prefer to have a home-based job rather than
working eight hours each day in the office. Some people are also into
franchising; this may sound good but if you want to become a successful
entrepreneur, you don't have to focus entirely on franchising. You should consider other business ideas that you can venture into.
Business research can be carried out with ease these days, thanks to the power of the internet. If you conduct your search online, you can find other business ideas that you can use as an entrepreneur. Beginners will benefit a lot from the information they can find online about business ideasBecause of the many business ideas you can find online, you will often find it hard to choose the ones you like. It's easy to choose if you use your instincts. For instance, if one business idea feels right, take note of it but if you have second thoughts about another idea, disregard it.
As an entrepreneur, you should investigate further by gathering as much
information as possible about the business ideas. True enough, franchise
is absolutely a great idea. By choosing this business alternative, you can be the boss of your own business and you can earn unlimited income.
However, according to experts, franchise and other internet businesses promise the same business opportunities. It will all differ on how you
handle the business.
Not all individuals who desire to own a business can achieve this goal.
You see, being an entrepreneur is hard. There are a lot of factors to
consider before you decide to become an entrepreneur. Even if you have
the capital to finance the business undertaking, you can't be sure that
it can give you high profits in the future especially if you don't know
how to handle certain business situations.
First and foremost, you must be able to work alone. Once you're an
can have the support of your loved ones.
Here is a very good example. As mentioned earlier, further investigation
is needed to evaluate the business ideas that you have in your hands. Starting a business from scratch requires a lot of work. Suppose the
business that you're about to put up is also available in franchise, which business idea will you choose?
For the smart entrepreneurs, they will already go for franchising because it requires less work. An established business undertaking is less expensive and less risky. But before you make a final decision, you must be able to weigh all the advantages as well as disadvantages. This is an essential part of choosing the best business idea.
Once you've chosen the right business idea, you can spring it into action. Soon enough, you will gain the financial benefits that you're dreaming of. Whether you choose to start your own business or go for franchising, the most important thing is to develop goodwill. All the actions of the entrepreneur must be focused in attaining all the objectives of the business.
If you want to become a winning entrepreneur, you must research all the business ideas that you can get online and offline. The internet can
help you a lot. Also, don't forget to develop the needed traits and skills as an entrepreneur.
You can get many resources through the internet or you can talk to a established entrepreneur so that you will have an idea on what you're
about to undertake.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Best Home Business Ideas & Opportunities
So unfortunate these people assume that by simply joining an affiliate marketing business you can immediately start earning huge income. In my own opinion you can stand a better chance of making a million dollar by playing the lottery.
These people can be willing to work their butt off for a meager pay job of 9 to 5 yet can not commit their self to running their own internet business.
Launching your own internet business is becoming easier by the day. With more and more people going online for virtually anything they need, the internet has grown bigger and wider than expected and thereby opening an arrays of huge income capability. You only need to position yourself to start reaping from this opportunity.
Your first aim towards starting an internet business should be acquiring your own website, not just any website a money making website that offer a multiple streams of income.
Internet entrepreneurs have become insatiable by one means of income, thanks to the diversity of the internet. Earning a multiple stream of income online only require you to set up your own personal website and working with all the companies of your choice.
After acquiring your website you need to learn act of driving traffics to your website. Even with the most beautiful and informative you stand a chance of making ZERO dollar until its start receiving huge targeted traffic on a daily basis with will eventually convert to sales and commissions.
John Benjamin is the webmaster of Earn Money. To get a money making website set up FREE on autopilot visit Online Business Ideas and navigate your way around to a profitable start.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Benjamin
OPERATING A COURIER SERVICE
However, out in the provincial areas of the country it's not that easy to find a courier service. They do exist, but they are quite rare and when they do exist, quite busy.
Hence, potential to start in most areas. Even some of our largest cities require more courier services, and there are certainly plenty of towns. Of course, in country areas there won't be a lot of demand, but it's still a service that could be added on to something else.
A courier service is effectively a taxi service for important documents and packages. But the interesting thing is that it's far less regulated than taxis. You don't need any sort of licence or consent.
SETTING UP AS A COURIER
You can operate as a one-man (or woman) courier service. That is, taking all the enquiries and doing all the jobs yourself. However, the best way is to just do the selling of the service and appoint agents to do the running about. This is the way to make it a really profitable service and it means it can be a full time income for part time work!
In most cases, the business can be operated from home. This is an advantage, not a disadvantage, because you can offer a more efficient service. If you can offer a 24 hour service then this will be a big selling point, but it's not necessary if you don't want to be on 24 hour call.
You will certainly need a home telephone. If you run the business yourself, a mobile telephone would be helpful. If possible, have a control centre, perhaps in a spare bedroom, where you can answer and make calls. Apart from this, your main requirement is a notepad. Perhaps have some special dispatch forms made up and photocopies giving details of each job.
Vehicles - As you might expect, the ideal sort of vehicle to operate a courier service is a motorcycle. These are cheaper to run and faster, especially in heavy traffic. If a motorcycle is not available, then you can use a car – the smaller and more economical the better. But watch the running costs as these can be much higher than you might think - not just the cost of petrol.
Some courier services confined to towns or cities etc. could use a moped or even a push bike. Ideal, because it makes your service cheaper than anyone else's and gets through crowded streets!
All in all, it's not worth buying a special vehicle when you first start the service. Unless, of course, you don't currently have anything!
If using your own vehicle, check that your insurance policy covers your new use of the vehicle - it may well not and may need changing.
If you are going to use agents then this is simplicity itself, because it will be up to the agents to provide and pay for the transport, so you don't have to cover this yourself. Many agents would be pleased to work on quite modest per mile fees as this helps towards the running costs of their private vehicles.
Advertise in local newspapers and perhaps Job Centres, for agents to operate your service. You'll probably need two or three to start with so that you can operate the service all day.
Try to find someone reliable. It's ideal for pensioners or even housewives. Plus students at certain times of the year or after school. If you live near a college of some kind this could be ideal.
Pay your couriers by mileage. You can find out the going rate from a local courier service (ring some to find out).
Provincial prices will be a little less. The usual charges are so much per mile with a minimum for each call out. Wages are not high, but worthwhile.
You will also need a controller. This is ideally you, or ideal for a housewife. If not however, you can appoint someone who lives nearby to receive bookings and dispatch riders. Pay a small hourly rate. It is best however if you can do it yourself as this cuts into your profits.
GETTING BUSINESS
To have a profitably courier service, you shouldn't just sit at home waiting for people to call you out like a taxi, getting a few odd jobs. This almost certainly won't make any money at all.
What you need is regular contracts for courier work. That is, customers who regularly have things to send to other places in the same region. Perhaps several a day, or at least several a week.
We're thinking here of estate agents sending printing, or solicitors with important documents, or academic users. Even urgent machines or car parts. The post is too slow and you can't fax everything.
You might want to advertise the service in newspapers etc, but this is slow and will take a long time to get established.
The best thing is to think up all the types of users in your area and give them a ring (or you could write them a letter).Explain the service and ask if they are interested. Many won't be, but some are sure to be. You only need a handful of regular customers to have a good small business.
When you get an interested customer, sign a user contract with them. This is to have you on call during your working hours. On top of this, charge them a mileage charge for every mile your operator travels from your base, to customers, to drop off point and back again.
Obviously this price will be higher than the rate you pay your drivers, hence your profit. It is best to charge a high rate, even one that seems ridiculously high, because you must give a good quality service. Firms will pay for a good service.
Keep on signing up customers until you have as many as necessary for a suitable income. This could bring several dozen or several hundred jobs per week depending on what you want.
OPERATING THE SERVICE
Setting up and selling the service is really the difficult part. Operating it is easier. All you do is get calls from the customer. Be sure to write down what is to be moved, from where and to where. Get an authorization number from the customer (a number which you can quote on your bill to show that the trip was properly authorized.
Then get on to your driver by phone or mobile phone, and send him/her out to do the job. When the job is completed, the driver should report back to you with a mileage and confirmation that the job has been done.
It's a good idea to telephone your customer and tell them that the job has been completed - a personal touch.
Each week, calculate the mileage due to each company and send them an invoice. You could make it a condition that payment is made within seven days, though some might expect thirty days credit.
Pay your drivers on a weekly basis, or a monthly basis if they will accept it. One problem is that you might have to pay your drivers before you get paid.
Sometimes you might get customers who aren't registered with you just wanting a 'one off' job. If this is the case, charge them about double your normal rate to make up for the fact that they are not regular users.
Efficiency is the thing at all times. It has to be quicker than using the post and more convenient than the customer doing the job themselves. This done, you can get very high fees.