On occasion, some of these steps can be skipped, saving valuable time and resources.  Andy Beal writes about 5 common lies told about starting a business.  Several of these are savings in either time or money.  Beal debunks the need for a business plan for instance and points out that starting a business does not require high price talent or even serious startup capital.  Read on for Beal’s opinion on lies told to many startups.

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The 5 Lies You’ve Been Told About Starting A Company

By Andy Beal

In my previous article, I explained the three essential qualities of a successful startup. I concluded with a promise to dispel the myths that are often told to wannabe entrepreneurs—eager to get their new business off the ground. Well, I’m a man of my word, so here are the five things that you’re often told are essential to a successful startup, but are really not needed.

Lie No. 1: You need a business plan

I’ve lost track of the number of business books and articles that have warned me that a business plan is vital for the success of any new venture. We’re told that we need to map out our mission statement, corporate ethos, competitor analysis, growth predictions, blah, blah, blah.

Business plans serve only two purposes. First, they’re a crutch for entrepreneurs that need to convince themselves they have a winning business idea. Their business plan is a comfort blanket providing a false sense of security that everything will be okay because it’s all planned out in advance. How many successful entrepreneurs do you know that say they owe their success to an amazingly well thought-out business plan?

Second, business plans are great if you need an outside investor. Not that venture capital firms buy into your overly-optimistic literary masterpiece, they just end up with a better comfort level in your understanding of what it will take to launch a successful business.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If you want to write a business plan, go ahead. I never have. But know this: your business is unlikely to be any more successful if you create one.

Lie No. 2: You need a large sum of money

Unless you are building the next commercial spaceship or electric car, you don’t need to raise venture capital for your new business. I break out in a cold-sweat just reading about others’ attempts to raise investment capital; I can’t imagine just how horribly distracting the process is in real life. If you can’t start your business without an influx of X million dollars, then your idea is flawed. Sure, once you are up and running, raising VC in order to expedite growth is not a bad idea but, when your new business is just an idea, then you are far better off asking friends, family, or local angel investors for financing.

Don’t think it can be done? I started Trackur for less than $10,000 and, to this date, have not needed any external capital investment. Bootstrapping is the new black, baby!

Lie No. 3: You must hire the best people money can buy

Another lie, pervasive in startup circles, is the need to hire the very best people for your team. The best that money can buy! Er, no. Not really. All you need to ask yourself is this: are you the best person out there to start this company? If you, as the leader, are the best person to start this company, you can make it work. If not, then you need to find another company to start, because you clearly lack the passion and drive needed to turn your idea into a successful business.

Sure, as you grow, you can trade up, but for now hire who you can afford, not who’s the best. Do you know what I look for in new hires? I’m not looking for those that are the best in their area of speciality. I’m looking for those that have the desire to become the best in their area of specialty. Employees that have the basic skills needed, but have the desire and passion to fill in any blanks by learning on the job and adapting to the changing needs of the company, are what I look for. I hire for drive, not ego.

Lie No. 4: You need fancy office space

Flushed with other people’s money, most startups sign a lease on a swanky new office. You know, the kind that sits in a converted warehouse and has loft ceilings. They install hardwood floors, hire a receptionist (which they’ll never need), and then insist that all of their employees spend at least 10 hours a day in said space—so they can feel like they’re getting an ROI from their investment. What a waste!

Unless you need a storefront for customers, or meeting rooms for clients, you don’t need a fancy office. Heck, you don’t need any kind of office. While I admit, it’s is VERY tempting to have an office to “show” the world that you’re a real company, you can mostly do without it—especially during the first few months. Trackur is three and a half years old now and we still don’t have an office. E-mail, telephone and video conferencing, instant messaging, and a suite of other free tools, mean that we’re able to get on with our work without having to meet face-to-face. And, here’s the kicker: employees will often work for less, if they can do so on their schedule and from the comfort of their own home.

Lie No. 5: Don’t launch until you’re ready

How many closed “beta” services have you read about? How many companies have you seen remain in “stealth mode” and never actually get around to launching their company? When I launched Trackur, I honestly believed that we’d launch a fully finished product and then just keep iterating. Boy, was I wrong. Trackur has never been perfect. Heck, we’re on our third major iteration and I still don’t believe we’re even close to reaching 100 percent of the vision I have for it.

Your new company will be a series of launches. Your product or service will never be perfect, so get it out of your head that you’ll launch when you feel your product or service is ready. Guess what? It will never be ready. You will always be reinventing yourself. You will always be fixing bugs. You will never feel 100-percent satisfied in your offering. That’s the kind of drive that will make you a success—assuming you actually launch it.

Andy Beal is the founder and CEO of Trackur, a powerful, yet affordable, social media monitoring solution. With over 10 years of internet marketing experience, Andy specializes in online reputation management and is the coauthor of Radically Transparent: Monitoring & Managing Reputations Online.

Article Source:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/the-5-lies-youve-been-told-about-starting-a-company?intlink=us-openf-nav-ymal-t9a7pv4r6

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

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7 Ways To Promote Your Business Online For Free

By Kim Bhasin

You may not have wads of cash to spend on marketing in the early stages of your startup, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t effective ways to get your brand out there.

Before the Internet, small businesses only had a few ways to market their products cheaply, through methods like printing out fliers or sponsoring little local events. Now there are all kinds of opportunities out there on the Web—you just need to know where to look.

Here are seven ways to promote your business online that won’t cost you a dime:

1. Use the three big local listing services

Registering your business with Google Places allows it to be found more easily on Google searches and it shows up on Google Maps. All you have to do is fill out the form and register, then get your business verified through their confirmation process, which can be done either with a phone call or snail mail. Yahoo! also has a big database of businesses called Yahoo! Local. It’s free, and is certainly worth the few minutes it takes to set up. Microsoft’s Bing has a similar service that’s easy to sign up for.

2. Embrace social media

Social media isn’t just a tool to gain exposure—it has now become a necessary time investment for every business to make. You can tie in ads and offers on your Facebook page and have a direct channel with your customers on Twitter. Networking on LinkedIn—both at the personal and company level—can be another way to help your startup.

3. Start a blog

A blog not only helps your company get its name out through followers, but is a way to connect with your consumers more directly. But remember that one of the major keys of blogging is to keep your stream updated as frequently as you can. A dormant, abandoned blog is worth nothing.

4. Put up multimedia on YouTube and Flickr

YouTube provides a free way to distribute creative promotional videos, but in order to succeed you must put up content that people want to view and are relevant to your business—a simple ad will not work. A Flickr profile can also help by giving you one place to compile all the photos for your business, and allows you to link back to your website.

5. SEO your company website

Search engine optimization cannot be underestimated in the world of constant Googling. Pick up a book or head over to an online how-to-guide on SEO and make sure your site is primed for performance on search engines.

6. Press releases

Every time your business does something newsworthy, don’t hesitate to shoot off a press release—maybe folks will pick up on it. They’re a powerful media tool to use to help generate publicity, and having free distribution of them is a bonus. There are dozens of websites out there that you can use for your press releases, such as PRLog and 24/7 Press Release.

7. Join a relevant online community and contribute

Every niche has communities online that you can get involved in. But just signing up for a forum and posting every once in a while about your business isn’t beneficial for anyone, and will likely just annoy people. Actively contribute and build a rapport with the community, while keeping your business out of it. Passively promote your business by putting a link in your signature or mentioning it only when the context is appropriate.

Kim Bhasin is a reporter for the War Room section of Business Insider. Previously he worked for a financial and strategic management consulting firm.

He is also currently a graduate student in Business and Economic Reporting at New York University. Kim holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Pace University and a BSc in Business Administration from Sacred Heart University.

As with any promotional strategy, some have achieved success with Facebook Ads while others would not repeat the effort.  In the article below, Leyl Master Black presents 5 tips for a small business planning to use Facebook Ads.  While written for a digital platform, Black’s common sense approach to marketing works for more than just Facebook.  A novice entrepreneur would do well to read Black’s article and learn from a promotional sage.

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Facebook Ads: 5 Tips For Success

By Leyl Master Black

Facebook Ads have emerged as a popular and cost-effective way to promote a small business online. According to recent research from MerchantCircle, 22 percent of small businesses have used Facebook Ads, and 65 percent say they would use Facebook Ads again, citing ease and flexibility as the top reasons to run another campaign.

But not everyone enjoys success with Facebook Ads—among the one-third of users who say they wouldn’t run another campaign, nearly 70 percent say that it didn’t work to acquire new customers.

With this in mind, here are five tips to ensure you’re set up for success with Facebook Ads:

1. Set goals and plan your approach accordingly

The first step is understanding what you want to achieve with your ad. Are you looking to building awareness for your company, drive traffic to your website, promote a specific event or generate sales?

Facebook offers a number of different ad options that work to achieve different objectives. If you’re looking to build awareness and grow your fan base, you might want to start with standard marketplace ads. These ads point to your Facebook Page and allow users to “like” your page directly within the ad unit. If you already have a sizable fan base, you might also try a “Page Like” sponsored story, in which the ad shows friends who have liked your Page.

“Targeting with Facebook Ads allows you to advertise to the right people based on their real interests. You can even target people who are friends with people who already ‘like’ your Page. This social context will show up around the ad,” says Grady Burnett, VP of global marketing solutions at Facebook. “A study from Nielsen shows that on average, people are 68 percent more likely to remember seeing an ad with social context than without, twice as likely to remember the ad’s message and four times as likely to purchase.”

When you want to promote a particular post from your page, such as a special offer or important news, you can also use “Page Post” sponsored stories to convert your post into a News Feed item.

But this approach isn’t limited to your own posts; Burnett also notes that “you can use Sponsored Stories—Facebook’s newest marketing tool—to help surface the word-of-mouth recommendations about your business that are already happening in the News Feed. For example, you can sponsor stories about people checking in to your business or “liking” your Page.”

Whatever your goals and approach, make sure that you are set up to measure success. While click-through rate (CTR) is an important metric to track, it’s not the only one, and according to Webtrends, the average CTR for Facebook ads is only about 0.05 percent, which is half the industry standard of 0.1 percent. Clint Fralick, VP of client services at social media agency Pandemic Labs, recommends that you aim instead for increases in comments, Likes, impressions and active users.

“If you pick up 500 new fans, but all those other numbers stay the same, you haven’t gotten them engaged—and you probably won’t make any money off them,” says Fralick.

2. Get creative with targeting

The Facebook Ad interface makes it very easy to select the demographic profile of an audience you want to target, including age, sex, location, education level and interests, but it is also unique in its ability to micro-target very specific audiences.

Sheila Hibbard, founder of small business marketing firm The Marketing Bit, notes that while most advertisers come to Facebook with the traditional advertising mindset that says “more is better,” that isn’t the case with Facebook.

“It’s better to have a couple thousand very targeted people than tens of thousands of disinterested folks,” says Hibbard. She suggests that you zero in on a very specific target audience with your ads, even if it means reducing the size of your audience. For example, if you’re using Facebook Ads to promote an event or a seasonal sale, you might want to only target your existing fans, who may be more likely to respond to an immediate offer.

When targeting local audiences, Fralick also recommends that you look beyond self-reported location and “use every possible angle to find those locals,” since not everyone lists their city in their profiles. “Put the names of popular local businesses, colleges and clubs into the ad manager to find the people that city and zip code doesn’t,” Fralick says.

Another creative idea is to develop and target birthday ads, says Anthony Nitz, founder of Facebook marketing firm PageonFacebook.com.

“One of the most fun targeting methods is sending an ad that shows up the week before your fan’s birthday,” says Nitz. “I tell business owners to create an ad that links to video of them wearing a birthday hat or throwing confetti while delivering a birthday message, or their staff singing ‘Happy Birthday’ that ends with a special offer and a link to where they can download their special birthday-only coupon. I can assure you that when someone sees an ad in their sidebar that says ‘Happy Birthday,’ and they click on it and the guy from the local deli is singing Happy Birthday to them, it gets huge mileage.”

3. Choose text and images that pop

When designing your ad, Facebook recommends that you write clear, targeted ads with concise text that speaks directly to the audience you will reach. Be sure to highlight any special offers or unique features that differentiate you from the competition. If your goal is brand and company name recognition, Facebook also suggests using your company name in the ad title or somewhere in the body of the ad.

While your ad can include up to 135 characters, Ben Nesvig of Fuzed Marketing cautions businesses “not to feel like you have to fill the entire ad. Sometimes a simple line does the trick.” For example, some experts recommend asking a question or making a bold statement rather than touting your features.

Either way, remember to include a call-to-action that encourages users to click on your ad and explains to the user exactly what you expect them to do when they reach your landing page.

The pictures you choose for your ad are also critical, since this is what will catch people’s eye, and you should think beyond your logo.

“Typically, the best photos for conversion are close face shots of people—smiling women tend to generate a high click rate,” says Harley Rivet of Deep Dish Digital. Rivet recommends that you avoid typical stock photos and instead try use more natural photos with colors that contrast with the blue color scheme of Facebook, such as red, yellow and orange.

4. Create and test multiple ads

“One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners making is creating and running only one ad within each campaign,” says Caroline Melberg, founder of Small Business Mavericks. “Even the smallest change in the words you choose or the graphic you use can have a large impact on the click-through rate for your ad, so it’s best to create multiple versions of your ad and test them to see which ad gets the best response.”

Facebook makes this process easy: Once an ad has been created, you have the option to “Create a Similar Ad” and simply swap in a new picture or text.

Melberg suggests creating four different ads for the same campaign, running them for a day or so and then viewing your ad statistics on Facebook to discover which ad performed the best. You can then create a new ad that is similar to your best-performing ad, but tweak it just a bit to see if you can beat the previous performance.

And, don’t forget to swap out ads after a short period to reduce fatigue. According to WebTrends, social ads have a very short shelf life, with interest waning after three to five days.

5. Be ready to capitalize on the traffic

According to Nesvig, a common mistake small businesses make with Facebook Ads is focusing on their ad while neglecting fresh content on their Facebook Page. “They might spend a $100 on ads, but the last update on their fan page was a month ago,” says Nesvig.

Fralick agrees. “Your ads are only as good as your Wall. Remember that most people don’t click through to your Facebook page; they click ‘like’ right in the ad. Have status updates or special offers planned that follow up on the messages in your ads, and get people to connect more than once.”

In fact, Fralick urges clients to think of a click as the beginning of the campaign, not the end. “When someone likes your page, they’re giving you permission to talk to them over and over again,” says Fralick. “That’s just as valuable as an outright sale.”

Leyl Master Black is a Managing Director at Sparkpr, one of the world’s top independent PR agencies. Leyl has more than 15 years experience driving high-impact communications programs for emerging technology companies.

Article Source:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/facebook-ads-5-tips-for-success?intlink=us-openf-nav-ymal-t9a7pv4r6

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

In our opinion, Chris is right on target.  The economy is still down, but starting to show signs of life.  Planning for a small or home business should start now.  As suggested, bootstrapping – to help oneself without the aid of others – is cost-effective and an educational way to learn all aspects of running a business.

Following the idea of bootstrapping, we’d like to suggest some resources and articles that can help you in this effort:

Financial

This is often the biggest issue when considering entrepreneurship.  Here are some suggestions to consider:

Use personal savings to start.  Ask family members if they can add a little here and there, look at CrowdFunding options, read these articles for startup funding options and creative funding ideas.

Benefits

Next to financial concerns, many younger entrepreneurs are concerned with medical benefits.  This is a valid concern, given the lack of national heathcare in the United States and the high cost of buying medical plans for yourself and perhaps a family.  If you currently have a job and are planning on quitting to start your own business, take the COBRA option from the employer.  This will cover medical costs for up to 18 months though you will pay 102% of the personal plan cost.  Paying for COBRA coverage will be far less expensive than an independent plan.

Consider a hybrid of working part-time and running your business on the side.  Hompreneurs recently posted 2 lists of companies that provide benefits for part-time employees.  For as little as 20-25 hours per week, one can get medical coverage and more while working on your dream.

You may also consider starting a business on the side while working your full time job.  This allows you to maintain benefits and financial health while starting the business you’ve always wanted.

Business Ideas

Startup ideas are easy for some, very difficult for others.  Homepreneurs lists dozens of home business ideas for you to consider or perhaps spark an idea of your own.  Here are a few highlights:

8 Great Work-at-Home Business ideas

Starting a Business in a Rough Economy

Home Healthcare Business Options

Home Business Options with Good Income Potential

and for part time business:

Part Time Jobs at Home

Business Resources on the Internet

The Internet is a home business and small business owners best friend, confidant, and resource for information.  The article about free or low cost Internet resources will help guide you and suggest technical and business assistance.

Marketing and Branding Your Product

Successfully launching a business requires considerable effort in marketing, branding, and getting exposure for your product or service.  Here are suggestions for low cost marketing, and bootstrap branding.

Many resources are available to help the novice – or experienced – entrepreneur plan and launch a business for as little startup capital as possible.  We suggest using this free one-page business plan to get started and put your ideas on paper.

We hope this list of resources gives you ideas for a business and provides some helpful tips.  Best wishes for your success!

By Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012

Home Depot

The Home Depot values all of our associates and offers part-time benefits that include: Medical, Dental, Vision, Short-term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance

Safeway

Our part-time employees are also eligible for benefit packages.

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s offers medical, dental, and vision coverage to eligible Full Time and Part Time Crew Members.

Aerotek (temporary agency)

Medical, dental and vision coverage for employee, spouse and children up to age 25. Eligible for contract employees working a minimum of 20 hours per week. Other benefits are available depending on the office location.

Walgreens

Paid vacation, 15% in-store discounts, Flexible Spending Account for out of pocket medical and dependent care expenses, profit sharing and employee stock purchase program.

Wegmans

Though only located in the northeast, it is a great place to work part-time. The medical insurance for part-time employees includes a prescription plan, and as an employee you are eligible for discounts at health clubs too. Holiday pay and 401(k) round out a nice benefits package for part-time employees.

Compiled by Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012

1. REI (Recreational Equipment)

REI offers all employees some form of health care coverage (even temporary and seasonal staff) with the best plan kicking in at just 20 hours a week. Other perks include merchandise discounts, incentive pay, retirement and profit sharing, and even discounted travel through the REI Adventures program.

• Find REI Jobs

2. Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods added 14 new stores last year and offers a laundry list of benefits to all their employees, including those working part time. Team members are eligible for health, dental, and vision plans after 400 service hours as well as a 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off, and a 20 percent store discount.

• Find Whole Food Market Jobs

3. Nordstrom

Among Nordstrom’s offerings to part-time staff are health insurance, 401(k), life, disability, and accidental death insurance, paid time off, and adoption assistance.

• Find Nordstrom Jobs

4. Starbucks Coffee

Every Starbucks “partner” that works 20 hours per week or more is eligible for full benefits that include health, retirement, and stock options, plus a free pound of coffee (or box of tea) every single week.

• Find Starbucks Jobs

5. UPS

UPS describes their benefit package for part-time workers as “world class.” It includes medical, dental, and vision coverage plus life and long-term care insurance, 401(k), discounted stock options, tuition reimbursement, and an income protection plan.

• Find UPS Jobs

6. Lowe’s

Part-time employees at Lowe’s have access to a limited benefit health plan plus life, vision, dental, and disability, as well as a 401(k). They also earn 40 hours of vacation after just 180 days of service.

• Find Lowe’s Jobs

7. JCPenney

At JCPenney anyone working fewer than 35 hours per week is eligible for their Additional Benefits Choices program, which includes medical, dental, and vision coverage plus life insurance and critical illness/accident coverage.

• Find JCPenney Jobs

8. Lands’ End

Working at Lands’ End part time not only qualifies you for dental, vision, and retirement plans (and access to an onsite medical clinic if you live in Dodgeville, Wisc.) but also discounts on merchandise at both Lands’ End and Sears stores and special deals at area attractions such as theme parks.

• Find Lands’ End Jobs

9. JP Morgan Chase

At JP Morgan Chase part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week are eligible for most benefits after 90 days of service. Offerings include medical, dental, vision, retirement, and stock purchase plans plus paid time off, tuition and adoption assistance, and various banking-related options like checking account and credit card perks.

• Find JP Morgan Chase Jobs

10. Costco

Part time employees may be eligible for Choice Plus medical plans and a core dental plan.  Stock purchase plans are available to all, and long term insurance, vision, and pharmacy are available to benefit-eligible employees.

11. Nike

Part-time employees who work between 20 and 30 hours per week can qualify for health coverage the first day of the calendar year following a year of employment. Other benefits available include a matching gifts program for charitable donations, discounts at employee stores, discounts on auto and homeowners insurance, and scholarships for employee children.

12. Cost Plus World Market

In addition to medical coverage, life insurance and a 401(k), the retail chain’s benefit package for eligible part-time employees includes flexible spending, vacation and floating holidays.

There are several other options as well that Homepreneurs will cover in a future post.  Also to consider are hospitals, local governments, and grocery chains.  These three often have union workers and union benefits for many workers.

List compiled by Dion D Shaw

Partial Article Source:

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/11/09/top-10-part-time-jobs-with-benefits/

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

The cost for the above business is virtually nothing.  If you intend to start a slightly more complex business – consulting, freelancing or making a product – below are a list of basic costs you can expect.

1) Phone – somewhere between $75 and $100.  Shop AT&T, Verizon, and US Cellular for current deals on cell phones and bundled services.

2) Domain name and web site hosting – $10 to $20.  Put your product or service on the Internet and sell locally, regionally or globally.

3) Accounting services – $75 to $100.  Charges will vary based on complexity and information recorded for your accountant.

4) Marketing – $20 to $150.  Simple handouts to email marketing to advertising in local papers or community newsletters.

Total: $180 to $400 per month for an ongoing business.

There are other potential one-time costs too:

- Legal registration of the business for the government – see http://www.bizfilings.com/ – in Illinois about $125

- Computer – if you don’t have one, shop around and buy for $350

Other important business tools are free including:

- Business cards – free through http://www.vistaprint.com

- Office software – free at http://www.openoffice.org/

- Accounting software – free online tools - http://quicken.intuit.com/personal-finance-software/mint-online-money-management.jsp

- Marketing – use social networking sites Twitter, Facebook, and Linked In to get your business name out.  All are free.

- Internet presence – start a blog on WordPress, Blogger or one of many hundreds of other free blog hosting sites

- Start a web site – some companies offer free web hosting, albeit with their advertising included

Can you afford a startup business?  Yes!  Ask yourself, can I afford not to start a business???

By Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012

- Fred Barrett -Senior Project Manager for Projworks.  Fred is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and is also an Adjunct Instructor for Project Management at Computer Systems Institute.  Fred’s contact: projworks@sbcglobal.net

- Melanie Hetfield – Founder, Hetfield Services – Melanie covers a range of services from Web Design to Professional Twitter services.  Her website is http://www.hetfield.co.uk/index.php

- Wendy Barrett – Marketing Executive at FreeLife International .  Wendy specializes in helping people get healthier, lose weight and feel great!  Wendy’s website is http://wendyb.freelife.com/international/usa/index.cfm/home

- Sue Lucio – Marketing Executive at WildTree .  Sue focuses on teaching how to make meal time delicious, nutritious, easy, and economical!  Sue’s website is http://www.mywildtree.com/SueLucioWildtree/

- Lorena Blonsky – Founder, LMB Associates.  LMB is a premier Chicago-area search firm specializing in the recruitment of information technology professionals.  Lorena may be reached at info@lmbassociates.com

- Katie Brainerd – Owner, KTCakes – Katie makes Homemade cakes for any occasion!!  KTCakes is on Facebook or contact: ktbrainerd@hotmail.com

- Julie Novak-Borst – Owner, The Framing Source – Julie custom frames pictures, etc for corporate and personal use.  A multi-talented professional, Julie cuts her own matting and has a fantastic eye for color and style.  Julie can be contacted at framingsource@gmail.com.

- Linda Strickland – Linda is a nature photographer featured in a Homepreneurs success story recently.  Her eye for catching wildlife in a natural setting is quite remarkable.  Linda’s work is found at NatureRestoreMe or she can be contacted at linda@naturerestoresme.com.

The home businesses featured above are examples of the many possibilities for home business.  Many if not all, can be done on a part-time or full-time basis too.  Make some extra income or turn a hobby into a business.  Win-win for all.

These individuals have started and successfully run a variety of businesses from home.  If each can succeed, why can’t you???

By Dion D. Shaw

Dion Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012

Aside from the free and valuable information available, other free tools include email and Instant Messenger services – AOL, Yahoo, Google, Skype, et al. – chatrooms, discussion boards, and various business oriented groups scattered across the cyber universe.  Want to get opinions about a new product or service?  Try to conduct a free poll on www.SurveyMonkey.com.  Questions about writing a business plan?  Try the small business administration at www.sba.gov.  Need a helping hand with marketing or stuck in a rut?  The volunteers (retired business owners) at www.score.org are often willing to help.

Have something to say about a topic or want to display a new product?  Use a blog:  WordPress.com – the blog host you are reading now – is free too, and can provide instant updates to your product offerings.  Blogger, tumblr, Xanga, and Twitter, are other popular blog hosts and all are free!   Want to display your pictures and see what is popular?  Try flickr or tumblr.  Videos?  How about YouTube?  Free and free again.

Want to market your product?  Try these distribution channels: Etsy, eBay, Facebook, and various blogs and websites.  Minor charges apply for these services, but very small compared to owing a brick and mortar store.  Want to market through a website?  Take a look at Consumer Reports highest rated web hosts for a good comparison of services.

The Internet has opened the global marketplace to all producers and providers.  Do business from anywhere, at any time, to people and other organizations across the planet.  Embrace the technology, educate yourself by learning the terms and trends, and discover the hidden wonders that can make a huge difference in your business.

By Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Hompreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012

We’ve walked in your shoes:  unemployed, underemployed, extended layoffs, and near financial ruin.  Though not nearly at the same income level as some years ago, helping hands have kept us afloat.  We want to be a helping hand for you.  In this spirit, below are some links with descriptions to sites that advertise open positions.

- Snagajob

Snagajob hosts thousands of hourly jobs in some of the most popular industries all over the United States. From retail jobs and restaurant jobs to hospitality jobs and healthcare jobs, we’ve got the job for you.

Click on a state listed to discover full and part time jobs in many industries, covering a variety of positions.

- Sologig

Primarily for Information Technology positions.  Sologig.com is a division of CareerBuilder – the global leader in human capital solutions – whose online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with 23 million unique visitors. Sologig is an employment website that connects experienced IT and engineering professionals and matches them with relevant opportunities. Users can also post resumes, sign up for automatic job alerts, and take advantage of job search management tools.

- Career Rookie

CareerRookie.com is a division of CareerBuilder – the global leader in human capital solutions – whose online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with 23 million unique visitors. CareerRookie.com connects students and recent graduates seeking internships, part-time jobs and entry-level positions with the nation’s top employers. Users can also post resumes, get the latest news on companies and industries, sign up for automatic job alerts, view local career fairs and tap into advice on everything from writing resumes to on-the-job success – all from entry-level point of view.

- Miracle Workers

Miracle Workers.com is a division of CareerBuilder – the global leader in human capital solutions – whose online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with 23 million unique visitors. Miracle Workers connects employers to the top talent in the healthcare profession. Users can also post resumes, get the latest news on the healthcare industry, sign up for automatic job alerts, and tap into advice on everything from writing resumes to on-the-job success

- Craigslist

Available in all major metro areas and many mid-size cities in the US and Canada, Craigslist lists local available positions from programming to sales positions to modeling jobs to computer repair and hundreds more.

List compiled by Dion D Shaw

Dion D Shaw is the founder and owner of Homepreneurs

Homepreneurs.  New Day.  New Opportunities.

Disclaimer

Homepreneurs does not endorse nor have any relationships with any of the services listed.  Homepreneurs receives no compensation or consideration for its suggestions.  Homepreneurs strongly urges all interested parties to conduct research and accepts no responsibility for any losses incurred.

© Homepreneurs 2010 – 2012