Is It Time for a Band Manager?

Great Managers & How to Find Them

A rock headliner-turned-artist manager shares her insights into the business side of music.

By Maureen Herman

August 9, 2006

In 1991 I was living in a drafty warehouse on Chicago's South Side, practicing with my band in the basement and playing local clubs -- until I got a call that would change my life.

An old friend phoned with news that the bassist had quit the band and asked if I'd like to join. That band, Babes in Toyland, had just signed to Reprise and was about to record their major label debut. I joined. In two weeks I was on tour, with a recording session scheduled immediately after we got off the road.

In true punk rock fashion, we split all of the work. But things soon became hectic, and it became an overwhelming responsibility to keep on top of our business -- touring, recording, upgrading equipment, something about ASCAP, and needing someone to tell us that A&R didn't stand for Artists & Restaurants. We wanted an ally, someone like us who understood what we were doing, who knew the business and could help us protect our interests and image.

It was time to get a manager.

In all my previous bands, I'd never thought of having a manager or even known what music business people really did. Entrenched in the DIY ethic of Chicago's indie scene, when I pictured a manager, I saw a cheap suit, a cigar, and a snake holding someone else's money.

Fast-forward a few years, and today I'm a music business executive. I dress pretty cheaply sometimes, and I do smoke cigarettes -- but I know now that most managers out there are not thief-like Svengalis. By and large they're hard-working people from all walks of life, with a passion for music and a respect for artists. How do you find one of these managers -- someone who has the drive, if not the experience, to nurture your career?

Glad you asked.

Where do I find a manager and what does it look like?

'Be clear early on about where you could use some help. Look at the people around you -- can any of them offer you that help?'

Calling up a big coastal management firm is not the best first step in finding representation -- especially if you're a "baby band" (which is an unappealing term used by the industry to describe a band that's just starting out or shopping for a deal). The best thing to do is look at the people closest to the band -- people who appreciate what you're doing and can offer constructive support. It may be the friend who's always helping you put up flyers and load out equipment at the end of the night. Or maybe it's the woman who books the club you call home and awards you the primo slots. Those situations can grow naturally and successfully into management/client relationships. Witness Maggie McPherson, formerly booking agent for the Uptown Bar in Minneapolis, now manager of then-local bar band and current Columbia artists the Jayhawks.

Many managers, like me, become involved with no intention of full-time management. Instead, they see a talent, become passionate about its potential, and feel they can contribute something to that artist's drive for success. Steve Hutton of Upper Cut Management was a friend of Kid Rock's back in Detroit and, until recently, his manager. "There was a local band that I really liked," Hutton recalls. "I started working with them. I used that as an excuse to network and teach myself the business."

Like Hutton, Janet Billig at Immortal Entertainment has an eye for indie talent and has learned about how to develop it on the job. One of her first clients in the early '90s was Courtney Love and her band Hole; she now works with Lisa Loeb, Cibo Matto, and Guided by Voices, and partners in a film production company with Love. "At different stages of an artist's career, you need a manager to do different things," Billig says. "Sometimes newer artists think, 'I need someone to help me design flyers.' Well, some managers might be really good for making flyers, but that may not be the best use of their time or abilities. Think of how they can facilitate your goals instead of thinking of them as your personal assistant."

In other words, be clear early on about where you could use some help. Look at the people around you -- can any of them offer you that help? What could you give them in return?

'A manager needs to love and appreciate the music of an artist, but they also need to be able to tell them the truth.' -- Danny Goldberg

Is experience necessary in a good manager?

Let's say you're thinking about asking someone who has a track record with other artists to manage you. The fact that this person has been in the music business gives you grounds for doing some research. Danny Goldberg, currently Chairman & CEO of Artemis Records, founded Gold Mountain Management and counted Nirvana, the Beastie Boys, Bonnie Raitt, and Rickie Lee Jones among his clients. "If someone's dishonest with other people," he warns, "they're going to be that way with you. Bands should also avoid managers who are intimidated by them. A manager needs to love and appreciate the music of an artist and like them, but they also need to be able to tell them the truth, which sometimes includes bad news or advice they don't want to hear."

Sometimes these qualities can compensate for a lack of experience. "Depending on how far along the artist is in their development, the manager should have some skills and expertise in the business," Goldberg continues. "If they don't have direct expertise, they should have a temperament that makes them open-minded and able to learn."

Steve Hutton agrees. "People should not look down on managers who haven't had success yet. Everyone has to start somewhere, and frankly, a lot of times a new manager may be better than an experienced one, because you're probably going to be their only act and their most important work. The experienced manager has other acts and more things on their plate."

Beyond honesty and respect for the artist, what qualities are important for the novice -- and veteran -- manager? "Patience and perseverance are the two most essential qualities," says Hutton. "You cannot be tenacious enough. At the same time, you have to be diplomatic, creative, and intelligent."

That's just the beginning, according to Boche Billions, a.k.a. David Viecelli, of Billions Corporation in Chicago, a booking & management firm whose roster includes Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Southern Culture on the Skids, Wire, Calexico, and the now disbanded Jesus Lizard. "Besides the obvious things, it is about finding someone who understands who the band is, what they want to get out of being a band, and what the realistic expectations for that band are in the marketplace."

'Good managers are worth a great deal to an artist. And bad managers are worth zero." -- Danny Goldberg

What exactly do managers do?

"A lot of work goes into the public hearing the music," states Danny Goldberg. "It's time-sensitive, and it requires finesse and intelligence to avoid disasters. Whether it's something going wrong in a club, the relationship with the media, the record company, the attorney, or the booking agents, I don't know if artists are always aware of how much work it is. It's the kind of profession where anything good that happens is credited to the artist and anything that goes wrong is the fault of the manager.

"It's hard sometimes to measure a manager's real contribution, impact, and value in a tangible way," Goldberg admits. "Therefore, you're hoping that there's an intuitive grasp of it. There's no chance for an It's a Wonderful Life run-through of what your career would be like without the manager. That's the most frustrating thing for both parties. The artist always wonders, 'Am I getting my money's worth?' The manager wonders, 'Do they appreciate what I'm doing or not?' I believe good managers are worth a great deal to an artist. And bad managers are worth zero. So the profession is extremely valuable -- when done correctly."

Good managers are networkers; they understand that the business is all about relationships. Though it may be your song in the movie, the path it followed to get there may be this convoluted: Your manager is backstage at the Foo Fighters show, which he got into because he used to book bands at the club part-time. He runs into his ex-girlfriend's brother, who works for a film company. They talk about a film that's under production there, and it turns out they're looking for a song with a train theme for the soundtrack. The manager remembers that your band has a train song on their demo. Phone numbers are exchanged.

The point, of course, is that it's not always easy to trace or gauge the manager's positive effect. As Billig points out, "There are little accomplishments that seem insignificant to the artist or outside world but are gigantic for the artist's career. It's hard for anyone, even an artist, to see that opportunity the manager gained for him or her."

"I think there's a quote from Andy Gould [manager of Rob Zombie and Monster Magnet] that says, 'A manager's job is to be the thing that gets between the bullet and the artist's foot,'" laughs Hutton. "I think that's true, combined with contributing to the artistic process. That doesn't necessarily mean creating the music, but representing the music in the proper spirit and in a creative way."

Managers essentially work for free until they can create financial opportunity and exposure.

"You want me to pay you what?!"

Commission: Anywhere from 5% to 20%, with the norm being 15%.

This is how the manager is able to afford to work for you and still pay the phone bill and eat out once in a while. In the early days, it can be tough: The client doesn't have income, which is why he or she wants a manager. The manager essentially works for free until he or she can create financial opportunity and exposure.

At this stage, it's important for all parties to be realistic. In the beginning of his career, manager Chris Moon [Josh Rouse] still worked a second job -- and for as long as it took, so did his client. "I've talked to several people who made big money on big deals," he says. "They still have to work on the side because of the initial investment of getting to that point. Unless the artist gets a signing bonus you can commission, all the money from a record deal goes toward making a record. You can only commission what is actually income, not expenses. That's why it's good to get a publishing deal and get some money up front for you and your client. Either way, you have to have someone administer your publishing or you're never going to take all your money in -- that's a given. So you either sell your publishing or you hold onto it and get an administration deal. In the leverage for that money, you give up ownership for 'x' amount of years."

How many years? "That depends," Moon says. "Do you want to wait to earn the money, or do you want somebody to pay up front? Other than that, income comes only from merchandise and live performance -- and that's where your management efforts should be focused after the deals are done."

As Billions points out, "For every one of those deals, there's 30 other tasks that have absolutely no income related directly to them. For me, the reward is in the relationship itself. Of course there's satisfaction in having something become a success from a fiscal standpoint, but there's a lot of little victories, and lots of little to medium frustrations. You miss out on the fun of managing if you don't see the process as worth it."

Sometimes artists forget how they got to be successful. To them, their first manager transforms into something like an old guitar they want to trade for a shiny new red one. In both sides of this scenario, the artist has forgotten how their old association helped them get to where they are, and that history -- especially the trust and communication built into a manager/client relationship -- is priceless.

This is not to say that you should never change management or fire your manager. If you feel your needs are not being met, or that your interests or money are no longer protected, or if you plain don't like each other anymore, you should part ways. But associating humble beginnings with the "small time" can put you in the hands of someone who wasn't there when you were broke, unknown, and losing faith. Even if things are on the upswing with your next manager, the minute things look shaky, you could find yourself deserted by someone whose allegiance to you began after all the toughest work was done.

'I don't have a problem picking up an artist with no deal; I have a problem picking up an artist without experience.' -- Janet Billig

How do I get a manager interested in me?

If you have no record deal or solid interest (a negligible term in the flaky netherworld of A&R), and depending on how far you are in your career, you may not be able to attract a higher-level manager unless you really blow him or her away. Even so, there's a lot you can -- and should -- do to make your band appealing to a good manager, regardless of your label status.

"I tend to not pick up really small artists that haven't accomplished a certain number of goals by themselves," says Janet Billig. "It's really important that an artist go through the process of recording an album, generating press, building a buzz, and booking and promoting shows. I don't have a problem picking up an artist with no deal; I have a problem picking up and working with an artist without experience."

Steve Hutton's approach adds some gut instinct to the mix. "I get in trouble and have problems if I have to convince myself to manage a band and don't feel it immediately. I look for a good rock band with great songs, with relatively attractive people who are of a certain age, have a similar vibe, and look like a part of the same team. You don't want a bass player that looks like he's in Korn and a guitar player that looks like he's in Backstreet Boys -- that won't work. And this clich will always be true -- it's all about the songs."

'If you can't get your brother-in-law's indie label to get back to you about the three demos CDs you sent them, you just might need someone with contacts.' -- P. W. Long

Do I really need a manager?

My former management client P. W. Long came up with the following definitive checklist that you can use to answer this question for yourself.

Your band is finally getting some label interest. You're wondering if it's time to get help navigating those perilous waters. Most certainly, if you do end up on a major label you'll need someone to protect your integrity from the A&R person who wants your techno-metal-hop outfit to fill a support slot for Ani DiFranco's tour and a radio department clamoring for you to do a Hooter's grand opening. Maybe, on the other hand, you can't even get your brother-in-law's indie label to get back to you about the three demos CDs you sent them. If so, your career just might need a kick-start--someone with contacts.

You Need A Manager If

1. You have a major label deal. If you somehow swung your record deal without a manager, the label will either recommend or demand that you get one -- now.

2. You have more success with indie-label releases, gig earnings, and merchandise proceeds than you can keep track of efficiently.

3. Your band's income and popularity are stagnating, and you need to get your music into the hands of people who can generate income for your band (record labels, music publishers, film music supervisors, etc.).

Manager Criteria

1. Make sure your manager will be readily accessible and have the necessary time to devote to your project. If your selection pool is limited to friends and acquaintances, realize that your friendship will likely become strained if not entirely jeopardized.

2. Find someone whose reputation and methods will not compromise your band's image. A good manager is aggressive and firm, but also careful not to embitter a lot of people.

3. Make sure he/she is an ardent fan of your music. Your manager's enthusiasm and confidence about your future should be infectious.

What to Know Going In

1. The band and manager should agree on what to expect from each other. Define "manager." Does it include booking gigs, mailing posters, sending press materials, etc.?

2. Sign an agreement that's fair to everyone. This should prevent misunderstandings when -- after a term of failed efforts -- the manager says, "You owe me $5,000.00." You say, "Not according to this contract we don't."

3. Pay the manager the agreed percentage for his or her efforts whenever you can. This keeps everyone interested in staying actively involved.

4. Demand performance from your management. At the same time you must show the same commitment you expect from them: Do what you say you're going to do.

In all cases, use common sense. Trust the instincts of the band-member with the best judgment of character. If you don't have a solid list of management candidates, ask friends in other successful bands for guidance. If those efforts turn up nothing, Pollstar's quarterly "Agencies" issue offers an exhaustive list of management and booking agencies. Good luck.

Maureen Herman is the Director of Biz Dev at http://Fuzz.com. Her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine, AOL, The Village Voice and Musician Magazine. Herman was the bassist for Babes in Toyland and her background includes television production (VH1, CMT), artist management and artist development. Check out her music downloads at http://fuzz.com.Alexandrina Blog871
Alane Blog63085

Way to Earn Extra Money Without Getting a Second Job

Many times, people want to earn a little extra money, but dont want to have to get a second job. The truth is, there are quite a few ways to earn extra money, and many of them dont even require you to leave the house! Here are a few ways you can easily earn some extra money each month, with just a little time and effort:

Use eBay: If you go through your house, you can look for things you don't use or want anymore, and sell it on eBay. Also, if you do any crafts, or make something others might like, you can sell that as well. You dont even have to leave your house except to ship the item, and it can be done any time of day or night.

Have a yard sale: Usually these are held on weekends, but you can get rid of anything you dont want or need anymore, and make some quick money.

Answer Surveys: There are many companies out there that are willing to pay you in cash or prizes to fill out surveys on the web. They can be filled out at your convenience, and you can end up getting a decent amount of money for it. While some only pay a little bit, other surveys are willing to pay a lot more!

Mystery Shop: There are also many companies out there that will let you do mystery shopping. Here you will go to a store or restaurant and pose as a regular customer, but you will take a look around and watch how the store is run, and how the employees are. You will not only sometimes get a meal or product for free, but you will also end up getting paid as well. Its not a way to make a huge amount of money, but its great to end up with a little extra cash, or a free meal every now and then.

As you can see, there are many ways to earn extra money without getting a second job. The best part is that most of these can be done on your own schedule, without having to set certain hours. While they will not bring in as much as your first income, they will definitely help pay the bills, or give you some extra money for whatever you need it for.

Jessica Mele has been researching ways to help people save money without changing their lifestyles. Check out http://www.dreamlinesavings.com for more ways to save money easily, and to find great deals without doing any of the work. You can also find Survey and Mystery Shopping companies on the site as well.Averyl Blog98832
Alla Blog78343

Easy Ways To Make Extra Cash Online

There are numerous simple and easy ways to make some extra cash online. This article will give you some ideas.

Surveys

One of the best ways to earn some extra cash online is by taking surveys. There are many companies that need consumer opinions on a wide range of topics, and many of them will pay you money or with points you can redeem for cash or prizes. It's easy and free to signup and the more surveys you take, the more money and prizes you will get. It just takes a small investment of your time.

Writing

If you have decent writing skills, there are many publishers and content distributors who need content for their websites. Two such sites are AssociatedContent.com and Helium.com, they will pay you for each article you write. You don't have to be a fantastic writer either, just have a good grasp of English and be able to write something of interest on a given topic.

Blogging

Blogging is fun and easy and, again, you don't need great writing skills. You just need to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas well. You can get your own customizable blog by getting a domain and hosting package that includes the Fantastico module. This module allows you to install the blogging software, WordPress, with 1 simple click. It's super fast and easy and you'll be blogging in no time. Once you have some visitors, you can add Adsense ads or affiliate ads to leverage your visitors and make money from them. Remember, the more interesting your topic, the more people will be interested, and the more readers you get, the more money you will make from your advertising. Blogs can be about anything, what do you have a passion for? What is your interest? Blog about it!

Affiliate Marketing

Many online companies have affiliate programs. Amazon.com, for instance, has a great affiliate program that allows you to sign up and get a customized URL to any page or area of their site. Then you can send this URL to your friends and family and encourage them to buy gifts from Amazon.com. With every purchase from your affiliate link, you get a commission! There are thousands of other affiliate programs out there, in addition to Amazon's program.

Sell Your Extra Stuff

We all have extra stuff laying around our houses or garages. Why not get rid of it and make some money too? Get your stuff and take a picture, write a description and put it up on eBay. You may find that something you thought that wasn't worth anything, is actually worth something!

Contests, Sweepstakes and Instant Win Games

Everyday there are new contests, sweepstakes and instant win games launching. If you are vigilant and spend an hour or a few a day entering contests and playing these games, you will win something eventually. Playing these games and contests is often fun anyway, so why not take a chance? Check out sweeps.ws for a great list of contests, sweepstakes and instant win games.

Free Lottos

You know how you go to the convenience store every week and spend a few bucks on lottery tickets? Well, there are also online lotteries where you can get tickets and win cash prizes. The difference is, these lotteries are free! Yes, free! You can find a list of free lottos at sweeps.ws.

Online Casinos

There are hundreds of different online casinos on the web. I bet you thought that you needed money to play at them and win? Well, you were wrong. You can signup for free poker tournaments that have cash prizes. There are also slot, roulette and blackjack tournaments that you can play that have real money prizes. All for free! Check out freerolls.net and gambling.com for listings.

There you go, 8 fun and easy ideas to make some extra cash online!

Lydia Quinn writes for PaidSurvey24.com, a free and comprehensive paid survey directory list. Visit us at: http://www.paidsurvey24.comAleda Blog4968
Aurel Blog96291

Where To Get Money For A Franchise Idea

How often have you thumbed through a business opportunity magazine, noticed a franchise opportunity advertisement, and felt you'd really like to get in on that...if only you had the money? If you're like most who are seeking greater opportunity and wealth, this probably happens with you more often than you care to admit, except perhaps in strictly private conversations.

When the average person sees one of these opportunities, or comes up with a similar idea of his own, the problems of start-up capital may seem formidable. But in reality, they may not be. In fact, just about anyone with a good credit record and an "insider's sense of business" can get the capital he or she needs, whenever it's needed. The secret is in knowing how to put together a proper proposal, and to present it to the right per son. These are the "how-to" instructions we're going to give you in this report.

The first thing you're going to need is a complete business plan. This is a complete and detailed description of exactly how you intend to operate the proposed business. Your business plan should detail precisely the product or products you plan to sell; how you're going to produce or manufacture the product; your costs (inventory costs if you're purchasing them from a supplier); who is going to sell those products for you; how they're going to be sold; the attendant costs; when you expect to recoup your initial investment; your plans for growth or expansion; and the total dollar amount you're going to need to make it all work according to your plan. Your business plan must be detailed - complete with projected income and expense figures - through at least the first three years of business.

Now, assuming you have your business plan all worked out, put together and ready for presentation with your request for capital, let's talk about your capitalization proposal.

First, keep in mind that whenever you ask somebody for money, whether it's for a small personal loan or a large amount of money to finance a business, you're involved in a selling situation. You have to prepare a "sales presentation" just as if you were getting ready to sell an automobile or refrigerator. Within this sales presentation you must have all the facts and figures; you must anticipate the questions and the possible objections of the prospective lender with answers or explanations; and you must "package" it as impressively as you would yourself for an audience with the president of IBM or General Motors.

The more money you ask for, the more "in-the-know" will be the people you want to borrow from, and so the more detailed and organized your proposal must be. This shouldn't cause you too much worry however, because you can hire a CPA to help you put it together properly, once you've got the facts and have a business plan he can work from. See Http://workathomecoop.com

Look at it this way: The more money you request for your business, the more your lenders or prospective investors are going to want to know about you, your planning, and your business. They want to be impressed with the fact that you've done your homework; they want to see that you've researched everything and documented your facts and figures; they want to be assured by your presentation that investing in your business will make money for them. It's just that simple at the bottom line. Unless you can instill confidence in them with your business plan and loan or investment proposal, they're just not going to give much positive thought to your request for capitalization.

So you'll need a balance sheet describing your net worth - the worth of what you own compared to the amount of money you owe. You'll also have to prove your stability and money-management talents relative to how successful you've been in paying off past obligations. If you have had credit problems in the past, get them "cleaned up", or at least explained on your file at your local credit bureau office. Under the law, credit bureaus are required to give you all the information they have about you in their files, and it's your right to correct any errors or enter explanations regarding negative reports on your credit. Do this without fail because prospective lenders or investors will definitely check your credit history.

So, now you have your balance sheet prepared; your credit history organized in a light that's favorable to you; your business plan (with costs and income projected over the coming three years), you're ready to start looking for lenders or investors.

Almost all franchisors offer help in setting up with one of their franchises. Most will go out of their way to assist you in getting the financing you need. Some will lend you the entire amount, with payments coming out of the income they expect you to make from their franchise operation. Many will carry this loan themselves, while others will carry part of it and find you a lender to finance the remainder.

Franchisors have two objectives in mind when they offer franchises to the public: They are trying to expand their operation, thus increasing their profit, and they are trying to raise capital for themselves. Generally speaking, if you have a good credit history, and if they feel you have the necessary business personality to achieve success with one of their operations, they'll do everything within their power to get you in a franchise outlet. Keep this in mind the next time you see an advertisement for a promising franchise opportunity requiring a substantial amount of cash outlay. You don't necessarily have to have all the money. They want you, and they'll help you!

Many people seem to be unaware that most of today's largest corporations started on a shoestring - on borrowed money. Many people seem to feel that unless they've got it all "in hand" in savings, then they'll just have to keep plugging away until they can save up enough to take the big plunge. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Just a quick bit of research will show that 999 out of every 1,000 businesses were begun on borrowed money.

Look to your family and friends for financial help. Approach them in a business-like manner; tell them about your idea or plans, and ask them for a loan. Agree to sign a formal statement to pay them back in three, five or ten years, with interest.

When you have your proposal assembled, you might even want to think of a limited partnership or even a general partnership arrangement as a way to finance your project. In any kind of partnership, each partner shares in the profits of the company, but in a limited partnership, each person's loss liability is limited to the amount of money he initially invested. The truth is, in this kind of a situation, you'll be doing all the work and sharing your gain with your partners, but then it's a fairly sure way to obtain needed financing.

Another common method of obtaining business financing is through second mortgage loans on a home or existing piece of property. Say you purchased a home ten years ago for $35,000, and today the assessed valuation is $85,000, with a mortgage of $25,000 still outstanding. A lender may consider your home to be security or collateral for a loan up to $60,000. In many instances, this is the easiest and surest way of getting the money needed for franchise or other business investment. And, it makes sense; you've got "net worth" available that is doing nothing but sitting there. Take this equity and invest it in a worthwhile business, and you could double or triple your net worth each year for the rest of your life.

Deciding to obtain a second mortgage on your home in order to finance a business opportunity is without doubt a major decision, but if you are sure about your investment project, and are determined to succeed, you owe it to yourself to go ahead. You could incorporate yourself, borrow money from your family through a second mortgage on your home, and protect against the loss of your home through the Federal Home stead Act. The important point here is that all business opportunities involve risk and sacrifice. It's up to you to determine the feasibility of your success with your proposed venture, then decide on the best way possible to proceed.

In every instance where you run into reluctance on the part of a lender to lend you the money you need, explore the feasibilities of "two-name" or "co-signed" loans. You can have the franchisor sign with you, or one of your suppliers, a business associate or even a friend. Oftentimes you can borrow or rent collateral such as stocks, bonds, time certificates, business equipment or real estate, and in this way give greater confidence to the lender in you r abilities to repay the loan. Whenever you can show a contract from someone who has agreed to purchase a certain number of your products or services over a specified period of time, you have another important piece of paper that most lenders will accept as collateral. Still an other possibility might be to get a bank or a firm that has loaned you money in the past to guarantee your loan. They simply guarantee that they'll lend you money in the future if ever the need should arise.

Going straight to you neighborhood bank, applying for a business loan and walking out with the money is just about the most unlikely of all your possibilities. Banks want to lend money, and they must lend money in order to stay in business, but most banks are notoriously conservative and extremely reluctant to lend you money unless you have a "regular income" that "guarantees" repayment. If and when you approach a bank for a business loan, you'll need all your papers in order - your financial statement, your business plan, credit history and all the endorsements you can get relative to your succeeding with your planned enterprise. In addition, it would be a good idea to take along your accountant just to assure the banker that your plan is verifiable. In the end, you'll find that it all boils down to whether or not the bank officer studying your application is sold on you as a good credit risk. Thus you must impress the banker - not only with your proposal, but with your appearance and personality as well. In dealing with bankers, never show an attitude of doubt or apology. Always be positive and sure of yourself. However, don't come on so strong to them that you're either demanding or overbearing. Just look good, know your stuff, and project an attitude of determination to succeed.

Your best bet, in attempting to get a business loan from a bank, is to deal with commercial banks. These are the banks that specialize in investment loans for going businesses, real estate construction, and even venture programs. Look in the yellow pages of your telephone or business directories; call and ask for an appointment with the manager; and then explore with him the possibilities of a loan for your project. One of the "nice things" about commercial banks is that even though they may not be able to approve a loan for your business ideas, they will almost always give you a list of names of business people who might be interested in looking over your proposal for investment purposes.

A lot of commercial banks stage investment lectures and seminars for the general public. If you find one that does, attend. You'll meet a lot of local business people, some of whom may be able to and interested in helping you with your business plans.

When you're looking for money to move on a business deal, it does not really matter where the money comes from, or how it all comes about. It's important that you get the money, and at terms that are suitable to you. Thus, don't overlook the possibilities of an advertisement for a lender or investor in your local papers. Place your ad as well in national publications reaching people looking for investments. Other avenues to seriously consider are foundations that offer grants, local dental and medical investment groups, legal investment groups, business associations, trust companies and other groups or organizations looking for tax shelters.

Basically, it isn't a good idea to go to a finance company or other commercial lender of this type for a business loan. The most obvious reason is the high interest rates you have to pay. These companies borrow money from larger money lenders, and then turn around and lend it to you at a higher interest rate than they pay. Herein lies the means by which they make money from granting loans to you. The more it costs them to provide the money for you, the more it's going to cost you to borrow their money. The only element in your favor when borrowing from one of these agencies is that most will generally lend you money against collateral other lenders just won't accept. Insurance companies, pension funds, and commercial paper houses are not too out of sight with their interest rates, but they generally will not even consider talking to you unless you're requesting $500,000 or more. They'll also pretty much require that your business proposal be backed by the best possible plan.

Finally, the bottom line is this: You must have a well-researched and detailed business plan; you must have all your documents and projections put together in an impressive presentation; and then, you will have to be the one who does the final selling of your proposal to the investor or lender. This means your appearance, personality and attitude, because - make no mistake about it - before anyone lends you any size able amount of money, they're going to want to take a close look at you personally before they hand over the money.

Actually, the different ways of financing a franchise opportunity are as many and varied as your own creativity. The sources of obtaining money are virtually limitless, and available to anyone with an idea.

One word of caution before you jump into any franchise purchase agreement: The price you pay to participate in a franchise operation is not always the total cost involved in getting the business off the ground. With some franchise operations, you may find other costs such as down payments on the purchase of property, building construction costs, remodeling or site improvements, equipment, fixtures, signs, advertising, and training. Virtually all franchise deals require that in addition to the purchase price or the license fee of the franchise, you're required to give a certain percentage of your gross business income to the franchisor, plus extra payments for promotion and administrative costs. Above all else, before you get involved in a franchise, or any business venture for that matter, make sure you've conducted a complete and thorough investigation of the opportunity presented. If it's a good deal, then go with it; but if you have any doubts or feel as though you're getting in over your head, back off and look around for something not quite so ambitious, or perhaps expensive.

There are a lot of good franchise opportunities, and some not so good. It's important that you be sure of what you're investing in, and that you can make money with it. From there, preparing the proper business plan and the necessary financing, while not always a snap, can be done. Now's the time to do it! We wish you outstanding success with your franchise business.

Andrew Adams writes for http://www.magfranchise.org where you can find out more about franchising and other topics.Antonella Blog72878
Annamarie Blog1343

Internet Marketing Do's And Don'ts: The Apprentice Marketer

Introduction

So you want to be an internet marketer?

Then read this public health and safety announcement of dos and donts.

General Advice

DO: Believe the hype.

There are 1000s who make a very comfortable living from internet marketing, its not all scams and fraudsters.

DONT: Expect it to be easy.

Making money online is just like any other business; if you are going to progress then expect to work long and hard.

DO: Join a forum.

The first port of call for any novice marketer should be joining a forum; there are tonnes of excellent ones brimming with experts willing to give you free advice.

DONT: Believe everything you read.

Not everyone is an expert although theyll have you believe otherwise with apparently vast quantities of knowledge. Proceed with caution!

DO: Your research.

Nothing but nothing equates to your own hands on experience, take time to try things out for yourself and learn from your successes and failures.

DONT: Be easily parted from your cash.

Common sense is not that common anymore; if its too good to be true then it normally is. Use your forum to find out if anyone else has tried before you buy.

Linking & SEO

DO: Link exchange.

If youve got the resources on your website then share and share a like. You can build strong business relationships with those you swap links with. Be sure you choose linking partners sensibly.

DONT: Automate link exchange.

The links are crap and irrelevant; you know it, I know it and the search engines know it!

DO: Aim high!

A number 1 in Google is the holy grail of the website owner, research your keywords in-depth and remember it takes time.

DONT: Spend a tonne on advertising.

Unless you really know what you are doing you could be pouring money down the drain. Invest a little here and there and find out what works best. Someone may make a killing with Adwords that doesnt mean YOU will.

Making Money

DO: Get an Adsense account.

Although It may take a while before you start making decent money --> Sit at home in front of your computer / working in the coal mines; hmmm Its NOT DEAD!

DONT: Make promises you cant keep.

If youre selling something online then an unhappy customer will tell more people than a happy one. Make sure the customer knows EXACTLY what they are getting and dont make outrageous claims unless they are 100% TRUE!

DO: Join eBay

Its still the quickest and easiest way to get money into your Paypal account. It can be used as an effective marketing tool as well!

DONT: Multi-Level Market

Unless you know exactly what it is and how to work it; many pyramid schemes front as not so illegal MLM schemes. As the two trades are fairly similar anyway, its always the top man the makes the money.

Traffic and list building

DO: Start list building immediately.

Give away a free eBook or start a newsletter; again this takes time but wouldnt you like to have the e-mail addresses of a thousand or so potential customers?

DONT: Buy a list.

Its moronic!

DO: Research targeted traffic.

Spend time finding out how to get good targeted traffic to your website, remember its quality and not quantity. And so were clear; quality traffic is traffic with the intention to buy.

DONT: Buy traffic.

This is also moronic. I have yet to hear anyone say otherwise, bar those that sell traffic coincidental!

Final Thought

DO: Make lemon cider.

When life gives you lemons; theres a far greater profit margin.

DONT: Be afraid to be different.

Drinking your lemon cider may give your some insightful views on innovating tried and true techniques. Its your duty to STAND OUT!

T's & C's

DO: post this on your website or blog, e-mail it to a list or add it to an e-book. Use it to list build, save it to your desktop and get it tattooed to your eyelids.

DONT: Modify the content in anyway. Feel free to give it away to as many people as you like but be sure to keep the whole article including the terms, links and authors bio intact.

© 2006 Colm ODwyer at http://www.colmodwyer.com

Colm ODwyer is a 21-year old entrepreneur from sunny Glasgow in the UK. In fact Glasgow is so sunny it rains almost every day so as to keep the ecosystem in equilibrium.Ashlen Blog49726
Alisa Blog1875

Credit Freeze: The Surefire Way To Stop Identity Thieves

Are you a victim of Credit card and Identity theft? Today, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the US. Often thieves will steal someone's identity and then go on to run up a host of bills in that person's name.

So the question is how can you fight back against these criminals and keep your good name intact as well as your credit and money?

The answer is to freeze credit reports and stop credit from being issued in your name. By freezing your credit, nobody can get your credit file or details to run up credit in your name leaving you to deal with the bill.

Who can put a freeze on their credit? Since 2003, almost everyone can put a credit freeze on his/her credit. Currently, most people simply put a fraud alert on their credit report and hope that solves their problems. The advantage of this is that the credit bureaus are supposed to alert you when a request for credit in your name is placed and verify with you that you indeed requested this new line of credit. The disadvantage with this method is that the creditors do not always call to request your permission or they ask very generic questions to verify the person they are speaking to is truly "you". Unfortunately, if they already have enough information to apply for credit in your name, they can usually answer these generic questions also. With a credit freeze nobody can open any type of credit line under your. Meaning, your credit details are off limits to everyone even credit lenders, insurance companies and potential employers.

How does a credit freeze work?

When your credit is requested, for example a credit card, the credit provider will call one of the three credit reporting companies to ask for access to your credit file. If you requested a freeze to your account, then the credit reporting company will tell the creditor that they don't have access to you file since it is frozen. You can just about guarantee that no creditor in their right mind will proceed with granting any credit on an account where the owners have placed a freeze, without asking the person to lift the freeze. Of course an identity thief wouldn't be able to do this without your pin and paying the fee to unfreeze the credit report.

What if I want credit? If you want credit or you need a background check for a potential employer, it is not a problem at all because the major credit reporting companies will give you an identification number or a PIN that allows you to freeze and unfreeze your credit report whenever you want. There is also a small fee that is charged to lock and unlock your credit.

If a criminal manages to get your credit file, with the protection of a credit freeze they don't stand a chance at getting credit, no matter how good they are.

How do I get a Credit Freeze on my files? In order to freeze your credit, you will need to contact each of the three credit reporting companies. There is a fee but it is absolutely low considering the benefits of having a credit freeze on your account, the few dollars that are spent are worth knowing that your credit, and good name are protected and secured at all times.

What do the credit reporting agencies need? Each of the three credit reporting companies requires a certain procedure to be followed in order to have your credit report frozen. Below are the requirements needed for each company:

Equifax: Send a letter via email that contains your name, address, including previous addresses, social security number and your date of birth.

Experian: Mail a letter with full name, middle and other identifying names like Jr. or Sr. Also include you previous and current addresses going back five years, social security number, date of birth and proof of address like driver's license, electric bills or bank statement.

TransUnion: Communication can be sent either by regular or certified mail, although certified mail is always a safer option. You will need to include your full name, including middle initials and any other parts to your name. You will need to provide your current mailing address and any other addresses dating back to the last five years, date of birth and social security numbers are also required.

Payment for the three credit reporting companies must be made by check, money order or by a credit card. If a credit card is the chosen option, then the name of the card, account number and expiration date must be included. ID theft victims should also put a valid copy of a police report, investigation report or a valid complaint that has been filed with a law enforcement agency.

Don't be caught by criminals who prey on honest citizens by stealing their identity and running up expensive credit debt. Fight back, use a credit freeze and rest assured that your credit is safe from theft.

Liz Roberts is a loan consultant with New Horizon Finance, specializing in bad credit,& has been providing consumers & business owners with financing since 1989.Join Experian Triple Advantage http://www.newhorizon.org/Info/experian.htm & get a free credit report & credit score. Bad Credit? Apply for bad credit credit cards, http://www.newhorizon.org/Info/unsecured.htm.Allianora Blog75074
Audie Blog966

No Faxing Payday Loan Emergency Cash in 24 Hours

A payday loan is made even more convenient with the no faxing feature that lenders offer. As the term suggests, the borrower will not be required to fax documents and requirements in order for the loan application to be processed. This is most welcome for many borrowers who are not quite comfortable in divulging too much personal information or are not ready to provide the documentary requirements.

It can be a tedious task to bring or send a bunch of documents such as bank statements, phone bills, pay stubs and more. No faxing payday loan does away with the hassle of paperwork, faxing and waiting in line. The borrower would only be required to fill out a secure online application application and the cash that is needed may be provided by the next business day. However, in cases where the lender is unable to verify application information or when required by law, documentation may still be necessary.

Borrowers should not be careless in shopping for a payday loan just like in traditional lending. It would not be wise to apply at every online payday loan website (http://www.e-paydayloan.co.uk/apply.html) or store driven by. This is because credit scores tend to go lower as more applications are filled out.

The absence of a direct deposit paycheck may present some problems. Most payday loan providers find paper checks too risky. Lenders also seldom grant loans to persons with no checking accounts. The monthly income will also be considered first as a minimum requirement and in the calculation of the loanable amount.

The no faxing payday loan(http://www.e-paydayloan.co.uk/faq.html) can help whenever an immediate or urgent need arises. Reputable lenders charge competitive fees that are in compliance with applicable laws. The services offered by some lenders can be very impressive as borrowers go through a quick and easy process.

Many people are facing a financial crisis in their lives. It may be caused by personal or family illness, unpaid bills or unchecked overspending. Situations can be very overwhelming but need not go from bad to worse. With a strong resolution and action to overcome the crisis, the no faxing payday loan can provide the necessary push with the least of stress.

Creditors can be managed as long as they are directly dealt with. Waiting until such time when accounts have already been turned over to a debt collector may be too late. When this point has been reached, it is a sign that creditors have given up which could make the situation worse for the borrower.

David Steve has been associated with Payday Loans UK (http://www.e-paydayloan.co.uk) After completing his Masters in Finance, he is providing his useful advice through his articles on finance for the residents of the UK. Annette Blog30076
Alexandra Blog73509

Quick Mortgage Tips for Home Loans, Equity Loans, Reverse Loans, Cash-Out Loans and Refinance Loans

If you're considering a mortgage loan, you might be wondering what options are available. Today, there are many options besides the conventional methods of obtaining a mortgage. Whether you're applying for a home loan for a new home, a refinance loan, an equity loan, a HELOC, or a reverse loan, you should be aware of what each loan entails.

Buying a New Home

When buying a new home, you'll need to be approved for a new home loan through a lender, or ask the seller to finance the home for you. Before applying at a lending institution, research your options. Determine how much "house" you can afford. Use online mortgage payment calculators to figure what the payments would be for different home loan amounts. Then, you'll know what price range you can shop within, and whether or not you can afford the payments. Remember, your income/debt ratio must fit within the lender's guidelines to qualify for a conventional loan.

Healthy and "Not-so-healthy" Credit Scores

If you have an excellent credit score, then your income/debt ratio along with the investment capital you have available will be the main factors in determining home loan availability. However, if there are flaws in your credit history due to non-payment or repossession, you will be limited in the type of home loan you can obtain. But don't lose heart. Many homebuyers whose credit is "not-so-great" do qualify for non-prime loans. Non-prime loans can be a bit higher-priced than prime loans or have higher interest, but you might still be able to buy your dream home!

Creative Financing

Don't settle for conventional loans if you don't have to. There are many creative ways to finance a new home loan. If you do not have the needed investment capital or a down payment, some lenders will finance the down payment for you as well as the closing costs. If not, the seller might be willing to finance part of the loan to cover these costs. This can work even if the seller doesn't have extra "money to lend!"

Explain to the seller that it could be advantageous to him because of income taxes. He might much rather claim an income of $100,000 than $120,000! Spreading out payments for $20,000 of the loan amount over a period of five or ten years could make a huge difference on his taxes due for that year. Consult with an accountant to find out if this could work in your situation.

Unusual Types of Home Loans

If you're worried about budgeting with a new home loan payment each month, try a FlexPay loan where several monthly payment options are available to you every month. These options include interest only payments, full-amortized payments, and minimum payments. There are also bi-weekly mortgages for paying more toward your premium each year through a bi-weekly payment schedule.

Hard Money loans are also available when there is a large amount of equity built up in a home. The loan approval is based more on the home or property's value than the borrower's credit history or job/salary history.

Refinance Loans

If you plan to refinance your home, there are several options. A refinance means you are re-evaluating the terms, payments and interest of your loan. You might refinance to simply get the interest rate or payment lowered. Or, you might want to keep a little cash out for yourself as well. This is called "Cash-out" refinancing. Cash-out loans are made when you want to refinance your home for more than is owed on it. For instance, you owe $60,000, but want to refinance for $80,000. You'll pocket the additional $20,000 to use for home repairs, remodeling or whatever else!

Reverse loans are available for those over 62 years of age who own their home free and clear or have much equity built into it. They can receive a monthly payment, a lump sum or a line of credit. This does not have to be repaid until the borrower moves or passes away. Then, the estate can be sold to pay the note.

Another option for leveraging your home equity is to create a HELOC (home equity line of credit) that is secured by the equity in your home. HELOCs can be used to pay debts, make purchases, or anything else. Be aware, however, that the interest rate can fluctuate monthly.

Now that you are armed with many options for obtaining a home loan or refinancing your mortgage, check with an online lender to find out what plan will work best for you. Use the available tools and calculators to do some budgeting on your own as well. You'll be moving in that new dream home in no time!

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.comAnastassia Blog61620
Alysa Blog80769

AdSense Sites: Can Beginners Make Money with AdSense Sites?

If you are in Internet marketing or have been reading the ads all over the Internet about how to make money from your website you can't have missed all the talk of AdSense. This is one of Google's main revenue generators and over the few years it has been around has made quite a few early adopters a lot of money.

Google makes a percentage of the cost of the ads and the website owner where the ads show up makes the remaining percentage. The AdSense ads are actually the ads placed through Google's AdWords Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising program.

Unfortunately as with all good things it seems, the money making potential seems to have diminished for the majority of those trying to make a go of AdSense as a viable money maker. That is not to say you can't make money off the AdSense program, it's just not as easy as it apparently was. Unfortunately I was not one of those who made good money off AdSense ads.

Regardless of all the ads promoting really big money from AdSense and the fact that there are still people collecting big profits from it, let's look at it through the eyes of someone just getting into the program in earnest. Someone like many of us that do not have a large source of traffic, or maybe even no traffic to sites we want to add AdSense to. In many cases we might have sites made specifically to be monetized with AdSense. Is it worthwhile to have sites specifically designed to make its income from AdSense ads? I say sites because it is not logical to think someone with a site that does not yet have a huge amount of traffic to believe they can make lots of money from a single site with AdSense on it.

Not going into details, the Google AdSense program is where a website owner has joined the AdSense program and allows Google to place AdSense ads on their website. When a visitor to the website clicks on an AdSense ad the website owner makes a few cents to many dollars from that click. How much you make is dependent on several factors such as the market the ad is trying to capture clicks from, the efficiency of the ad, the keywords the ad is focusing on and other factors. Certain types of ads almost always pay more per click than others. Insurance, loans, and finance ads pay a lot more than an ad for garden tools or gift baskets or paper plates, etc. would pay.

Real Life Example

I decided to give AdSense a try and see if I could make an average of $5 a day from a site designed to be monetized with AdSense ads. The sites are essentially sites with articles on them based on the theme of the site. I wrote some of the articles but purchased most of them. Articles to be added to the sites in the future will be mostly purchased due to lack of time to write articles myself. They are the content of the sites. The sites are mostly written in html, although I do have a few that are php coded sites.

On the pages with the articles are the AdSense ads, usually three blocks of ads on a page. The sites are small with most being about nine to 15 pages total. Adding articles on a regular basis will slowly build up the sites over time which is what the search engines want to see. I started with twenty new AdSense sites and three older blog sites I already had, plus two new portal sites that had no traffic going to them. All sites were monetized with AdSense.

The AdSense sites cost nothing, but the few articles on each site cost about eight dollars each. Articles can cost from about twenty-five cents to fifteen dollars or more depending on the source and quality. The lower cost articles require considerable rewriting so as not to cause your article to be considered a duplicate article and incur a so-called duplicate content penalty.

Allowing for placing five articles a month on a site plus some miscellaneous costs like hosting, domain name, software, and potential maintenance costs, a fifty dollar monthly cost per site is incurred. Yes you could write all or most of the articles yourself, but that is not practical if you have many sites and is very time consuming. So I am discounting that solution as impractical if you have many sites. So to break even on these types of AdSense sites each site needs to make about $50 a month. Thats an average of $1.70 a day.

A measly $1.70 a day, that should be easy for a site to make. Maybe it is, but it is heavily dependent on the traffic to the site and the corresponding clicks on the AdSense ads that result from it. To put things in perspective, look at the results of my twenty AdSense sites, three blogs, and two portal sites. All sites except the three older sites have been up slightly over three months. I started getting a few links to each site just this past month.

Real Life Terrible Results

Only last month did I start getting links to any of the sites. I am averaging about $1 a day from all twenty-five sites together. Thats about $25 a month total, far less than break even cost. I just checked today and have made $50.55 for this current month, month four for most sites. That's about one twenty-fifth of what I need to break even for the sites. Half the money came from the twenty AdSense sites, with the rest from the other five sites. There are still two more days left in this month.

I believe the results will continue to improve as long as I add articles and get links to the sites. It is a long way to go until the sites break even, if they ever do, so I am not holding my breath. Although these results are terrible, in my opinion, it must be mentioned that I am doing this part-time and only recently has there been an effort to get links to the sites. If it had been a full-time effort (and it could easily have been) then the results would seem even worse. I have totally ignored the effort (which has been considerable) in getting the sites up and working properly, correcting and adding the articles and revising the links for each new article I added to the site.

I do have software that would easily generate such sites, but decided not to use it due to leaving footprints and having the sites considered spam sites by Google or the other two top search engines. From the looks of it right now it's too early to make an accurate judgment as to whether the sites will be worthwhile. I tend to think the effort is too great the way my sites are set up now and the cost of the articles too high to make a decent long term profit. I figure I need to revise how the articles are added and probably get the cost of the articles down a lot more, to less than half what I am paying now to have a fair chance to break even, let along make a profit.

Is AdSense Worthwhile for Beginners?

So the question, can beginners make money with AdSense sites cannot be answered yet with any accuracy from my results so far. On the surface it appears the answer is no, not if following my route. Only if extraordinary amounts of traffic can be obtained does it look like my sites will make any decent money from AdSense. Probably another, a better approach, will be necessary and a lot more pages with AdSense ads on it will be required to be able to make any significant money. I suspect I will need at least 50 to 100, or more, articles per site to have a fair chance of creating a small part-time equivalent income from the sites.

If you consider an average cost of six dollars for an article, and that is a very low cost for a new article, and still the same five articles a month, with just half the estimated ten dollars monthly miscellaneous costs being only five dollars, the thirty-five dollar monthly cost per site still is difficult to conceive making even that much from the poor results experienced so far. Only time will tell whether the effort will be worthwhile.

I am already changing my html sites so they will be easier and faster to add the new articles. Unfortunately that may cause me to effectively start over with my AdSense earnings since the links will be different and any pages already indexed will have to be re-indexed again since I am changing the sites little by little to php sites. I did something similar several months ago to a single larger site and even months later over 500 of those original pages were still indexed even though they had been off the site for many months.

If you agree it's difficult for a beginner to make money with AdSense or if you have made a worthwhile AdSense profit in a short time period please enter your opinion on www.cackel.com if you would like to share your success or failure. I would like to see other views on this topic, especially those who have made a decent return on non-directory type AdSense sites within a reasonably short period of time.

Copyright © 2007 Charles Harmon

Charles Harmon is a software developer and also writes articles for websites. One of his favorite interests is reading your opinions which you can enter on http://cackel.com. Another is Internet marketing - visit www.internetmarketingpath.com. If you have gripes or bad experiences you can voice them at his PootoYou site.Allison Blog60757
Anallese Blog1537

Joint Ventures Your Unlimited Opportunity

"He who has a thing to sell, and whispers it into a well, is not as apt to make a dollar, than he who climbs a tree and hollers."

This information is based on my experience over many years of doing business successfully in Africa, Canada and the United Sates, using the leverage of Joint Ventures, incorporating the Mastermind, Strategic Alliances and Barter to do business and create value and wealth with no money and no risk. Tried and tested, proven in the field with thousands of business owners, these principles work on one condition: You can only succeed in Joint Ventures with people who are honest, professional, smart and disciplined. Once you have found people like that, JVs can open the doors to unlimited wealth and success for you.

Joint Ventures work when people realize that we dont have to own skills, money, employees, inventory or other resources in order to do business, create value and make money. And it can be done VERY FAST if we use existing resources.

Your business can skyrocket to new levels of performance and profitability using Joint Ventures. The purpose of Joint Ventures is to access new markets, grow your business and access new competencies, while leveraging your hidden assets and business partnering to optimize sales and profits. Don't create competencies; borrow them. Don't compete; partner. Two companies essentially spawn a new company. One plus one equals three through synergistic and exponential growth. Joint Ventures inject new energy, excitement, commitment, loyalty, purpose, optimism, enthusiasm, creativity and fun into businesses. This increases value and thus profits. From Proctor and Gamble, Wal-Mart and Pfizer, to Sony, Tom's Corner Cafe and Bert's Dog Grooming, business owners are discovering the magic of Joint Ventures. In fact, you don't even need a business, a product or a service to make money from Joint Ventures.

If I was to add Bobs dog grooming services to Alans Animal Hospital and everyone (me, included) got a piece of the action, I could literally start earning money immediately. The distribution channel is already in place. The overhead is already paid for. This is incremental business with the corresponding high profit margin. All Alan has to do is offer each of his clients the option to use Bobs dog grooming services. He could hand them a discount voucher or merely a flyer. That is additional business for Bob, with no cost of sales (acquisition cost) at all. Bob has already paid salaries, rent and other overhead, so its found money for him. He pays you and Alan a commission on all the business thus generated. Everyone wins. This money is 100% profit in Alans hands. And at no risk, because you set it all up.

Joint Ventures can be very simple or more involved, but they usually cost very little to set in place, because most of the infrastructure already exists. If I sell landscaping, I can piggy-back my service on a realtors services. Or I can TRIANGULATE that deal I dont have to own the landscaping service or be a realtor to make money from that JV.

Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass Paul. J. Meyer.

Napoleon Hill educated millions on the power of the Mastermind. He said: The Master Mind may be defined as: Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose. No individual may have great power without availing himself of the Master Mind."

We do not conquer mountains, nor tame elements. The true conquest lies in penetrating the mental barriers; those self-imposed limitations that we carry in our minds. -Sharon Wood (First North American woman to the summit of Mt. Everest)

Together, we can do amazing things.

Tap into other peoples goodwill, database, capital, time, distribution channels, sales efforts, everything. Upsell existing customers on a new, additional product or service. The skys the limit.

Do you have or control anything that other JV partners would want?

The KEY is finding Good, Honest, Smart people. Start with people you know and trust: NEER: Naturally Existing Economic Relationships.

Talk in the other persons interests, not your own:

When we understand that people are basically self-interested and that they dont care about what you want, but rather about what they want, we should change our approach. Instead of thrusting your business card at someone and telling them how great you are and begging for their money, smart operators think about what THEY want.

Imagine your response if someone was to approach you with the following pitch:

What can I do to help you achieve your goals? How can I use my resources and the resources and hidden assets of my network of associates, friends, family, customers and vendors, to help you? How can I utilize my distribution channels, relationships, underutilized assets, salespeople, personnel and equipment, to generate more business for you? Im sure very few people, if any, have approached you in that way, right?

By the same token, you could approach someone with this offer: If I bring you access to markets, prospects, buyers, customers, advertising, that you never had and I turnkey it all, can I have 50% of the profit?

Youre offering Found money incremental profits and no upfront costs or risk.

If you want to open the door to JVs with successful people, you have to differentiate your approach. Theyre being hit on multiple times every day, but few if any are using this approach. Do your homework; study their websites, Google them, do your research and due diligence and be well prepared for your meeting. Forget about what you want and concentrate on looking for ways to benefit them. You will definitely get their attention. Thats why my website is called, DollarMakers.com

Lets look at some FREE options for promoting and selling services and products:

Remember, you dont even have to own a business to make money from JVs, but it does help to have one.

1. Use your own, or others, E Newsletters (e-zines). The two e-zines that I write (Eagle Attitude and Entrepreneur Newsletter) each reach over 6,000 people internationally every week. My cost to have an e-zine sent out every week is only $50 per month! Regular information that is actually READ, ids a powerful communication and selling tool. Use others e-zines I write for someone elses e-zine that reaches 20,000 people per week. Thats great free exposure for me. Other people use my articles free of charge, in exchange for displaying my contact information and giving me credit for the writing.

2. Use a BLOG mine works well for me, and I use my e-zine articles on it. Its FREE!

3. Use a website. www.jvwisdom.com has made me hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.

4. Give away free reports and e books like this one free advertising and you get to create massive credibility. (Given that you know what youre talking about.)

5. Give away or sell audio CDs, or have them available free of charge in audio streaming on your website.

6. Give away free CDs and charge for Shipping and Handling to cover your costs and even make a profit. Team up with others who already have CDs made. Use my CDs to market your business. I can show you how to do that. Use other peoples skills, competencies and resources.

7. Offer to convert other peoples inactive customers into active customers for an on-going piece of the action. This idea, alone, can be worth a fortune to you, when you consider the amount of customer attrition going on.

8. Piggy-back your product or someone elses product, on to existing sales streams and have someone elses sales team sell your products and services as an add-on to their existing sales.

9. Convert unconverted leads or triangulate the deal. Switch leads between two realtors and take a piece of the action.

10. Find people who have products they cant move, get the products on consignment and sell them through other people distribution channels on consignment! No risk.

11. Create multiple add-on sales options wedding planners, lube centers, webmasters, courier services and home improvement services are great for this.

12. Buy and resell advertising space and / or services.

13. Offer Free Seminars either you do them or have someone else present them.

14. Sell Bills CDs on consignment through Jacks gas stations.

15. Free Conference Calls are very powerful selling tools. Interview experts and they will help you sell. You dont need any skills or money use other peoples skills time, energy and money. Bundle your products with someone elses every time they sell a course, they can include your CDs!

16. Join forces with your competitors together you can accomplish a lot more.

17. Share advertising space, mailings, seminars, radio and TV time and database communication.

18. Use Gift Vouchers give away samples of other peoples services and take a piece of the resulting, ongoing business. Carpet cleaning, accounting, consulting, car services,

Always ask yourself, What does the other party REALLY, REALLY want? What is his or her HOT BUTTON? And always ask them, What will it take?

Simple Examples:

1. I gave a restaurant owner 400 free paper placemats, each including some nice graphics and interesting information, PLUS a pitch for my business broking services and my contact information. I also gave him a gumball machine full of gum, with an advertisement for my business services right on top of it. He will get paid a generous commission on any resulting sales.

2. With my friend, Antonio, we created an amazing marketing package for small businesses including 11 CDs, a powerful marketing program worth $900, plus six months of conference calls and a two day convention in Vegas, all of which sells for just $695.

3. Im not a realtor, but I recently earned a few thousand dollars on a simple referral to realtor. I do the same with websites, cars, you name it. I dont need an office or employees and I can work form anywhere in the world where I have access to a telephone and the internet.

I have been arranging JV deals since I was at high school. I was seldom at risk and my business has been thriving for 18 years because of this simple, yet highly effective mindset.

If you qualify, I can show you how to create a joint venture with me, using your existing resources, in one hour. Its easy to do and it works well, with virtually no cost or risk. Its a true Win/win deal.

BARTER is a form of Joint Venture.

Leverage and barter underutilized goods, resources, services, capacity, raw materials, storage space, a sales team, personnel, intangible assets like distribution capabilities, etc.

In the 1970s, Chrysler had 10,000 small cars they couldnt sell. They exchanged those cars for radio & TV credits all over the country, to be used over a five year period, and traded the cars at full retail. (Window sticker) Their money was tied up in the cars. They werent spending cash on the advertising. The radio stations were selling unsold, future time and getting the cars right away.

Chrysler took the advertising credits to the bank and got money on them to pay for the manufacture of more cars that were sold with the advertising, so the bank financed the whole program! The radio and TV credits appreciated in value over the five years! Thats leverage.

Restaurants a $10 meal costs around $3. The restaurant can barter that for $10 meal for $10 worth of radio advertising or whatever, so theyre saving 70%! Plus there are incremental sales people buy drinks, tip waiters, new customers are generated that continue to spend money. The gift certificates are called SCRIP in the Barter business. The advertising they bought brings in more customers. A lot of the meal vouchers are never cashed in this is called BREAKAGE. Remember, the overhead is already covered electricity, server salaries, uniforms, telephone, etc., is already paid for, so the profit is high.

A commercial printing business has staff and machines on hand but not is fully utilized. His only cost is the paper and ink. The rent and payroll is already paid. So he can produce printing very cheaply and trade it for things he needs now, without using cash.

Soft dollars and hard dollars: Trade TV sets that cost $300 at $1,000 retail, for hotel rooms that cost $7 and retail at $100. Both win. Soft Dollars are Barter Dollars and Hard Dollars is cash. Conserve your cash by setting up barter deals.

HOTEL EXAMPLE trade room for $100, cost is only $7.

If the average person spends $50 in other services that the hotel has, and your cost is only $7, youve made extra cash right away, plus many gift certificates never got utilized! AND you got 100% retail value in barter! And you can sell bartered goods and services for CASH.

A Beverley Hills hotel was bought out of Chapter 11 and immediately issued $3 million worth of rooms, food and drink credits to be used over a five year period. Scrip brokers bought it up for $1.5 million in cash. They cash converted future rooms.

Cash converting means trading for goods or services and then immediately selling those goods / services for cash.

Advertisers of a Shopping Mall set up a deal to pay people back the money they spent in the mall. Prove you spent $1000 in the mall and well give you $1,000 in cash! This creates what we call THE FLOW its ongoing, resulting business from barter. Store owners in the mall happily paid for advertising because they knew that, this way, it was much cheaper they only paid for the cost of goods sold (They reimbursed the retail price) so this was cheap advertising it forced people to buy in the mall.

Dentists and doctors, chiropractors and consultants, couriers, web masters, writers and such trade or barter services. I know a dentist who traded dental work for radio advertising.

Instead of using cash and time, spend more time thinking about value and JVs!

You can exchange apartments for services and pay your employees and vendors with barter and apartments,

Barter SCRIP is like printing money. It can be transferred and assigned - its legal tender.

Scrip Expiration dates the further out, the better there are many permutations. BREAKAGE is the barter credits which arent used up to 40%!

SET up a barter deal and take a piece of the action/ savings in cash or in scrip that you can convert to cash.

Remember: The key to successful JVs is the people who are involved. Integrity, Professionalism, Punctuality, Accountability and Passion and Generosity are essential ingredients. JVs is the way business is being done by smart people. Join us and take advantage of this wonderful tool.

robinjelliott@jvwisdom.com For more than 19 years, Robin J. Elliott has worked with thousands of businesses in over 49 industries across the United States, Canada, and Africa. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs build wealth and gain access to new markets and profit centers through Joint Ventures. Through his Joint venture Seminars across North America he has thought thousands how to create increasing, multiple streams of income without cost or risk and very little time.Antonia Blog85508
Alethea Blog12064

Preparation Before Traveling Europe

First of all congratulations for your smart decision to travel one of the best places in the world. Europe would be an ideal place for an explorer or lets say a voyager in an adventurous mood. Before tipping on the preparation, one needs to ensure certain aspects before going to Europe. Lets see a bit of a background for the land of dreams.

Most of the Europe is full of Ultra modern and high-tech cities and exotic destinations. Further more, Europe is divided into two sections. Countries thats a part of the European Union and the countries which are not in the E.U. The Europe has been focusing a lot on the tourism and travelers so theres nothing that would disappoint you.

Preparations before traveling Europe

1.1 Plan your trip

Tickets

There is a lot that awaits you in the Europe so the first and the foremost thing one should do is to think about what exactly your taste is like and what would fancy you more: would it be sleepless and enthusiastic countries like U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands Or rich cultured, full of beautiful countryside, mountains, valleys and nature possessed places like Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Rome, Greece and more?

Well, even though most of the countries are a mixture of all and amazing in their own ways, if you are going there for the first time then a travel maker or tourism companies could be more prolific. They design your trip and know what people like because they are in the business for long, unless you are an explorer who likes to make his own way. Also, traveling on your own may be a bit cheaper, but there are pros and cons.

Most people buy the tickets online because sometimes its cheaper and you dont have to wait in queues or telephone. The best time to book a ticket is actually two three months before you want to go that could save you a lot.

A Schengen visa could probably be another good option, as it includes most of the European countries and you could enter those countries on a single stamp visa, except the U.K. and some other countries, which are not yet on that visa.

Once you are done with your tickets, the second most important thing is to work out your money. There is a common currency for E.U. known as Euros and it could be used in all countries under E.U. Countries like England has Pounds as the currency but you can still work out with Euro.

Money

It is highly advisable that you carry along travelers cheque which is replaceable by its company or bank, just in case you lose them and are easily exchangeable for cash when needed. But, you should also carry some cash which comes in handy when you just arrive at the airport or hotels. A credit card could also be carried along for it is convenient and usable almost everywhere.

Packing

Hopping continents while moving around could be weary and in first place you are out there to enjoy and not sweat.

Europe is cold most of the times so dont forget to carry a jumper or a jacket.

In few countries rain is uncertain to a rain jacket might come in handy.

Always stuff your important documents in a small carry bag or a money belt that sticks around your waist. Also, learn how to stash your money.

Well just pack the right things and avoid stuffing needless things and you are all set to go.

Last but not the least, always reach the airport early at least two hours before the flight departure time.

I wish you all a happy and a safe journey.

Puripong Koomsin is the owner of Travel Europe Guide Europepathway is comprehensives resources and guide for travel europe. Preparation before traveling Europe is one of many useful articles from http://Europepathway.com. Contact him at webmaster@europepathway.comAlly Blog86266
Annamaria Blog20187

Using Your Health Savings Account to Pay for International Travel

Thousands of U.S. citizens are taking advantage of the low cost and high quality of foreign hospitals by traveling abroad for medical treatment. The savings are often 75 percent or more, and the entire cost of treatment may even be payable with tax-free money from a Health Savings Account.

Medical tourism first began to get popular in the 1990's, when people began traveling in large numbers to Brazil for cosmetic surgery. But as costs have continued to rise, thousands of Americans have been traveling overseas for real medical conditions, such as knee replacements, by-pass operations, heart valve replacements, and other serious issues. Many countries are seeing medical tourism as a good way to bring in foreign money.

In many cases the quality of medicine available overseas is equal to the top hospitals in the U.S. Patients are showing up at places like the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad, India, part of a 36-hospital chain founded by a cardiologist from Massachusetts General. A heart valve replacement may cost $50,000 to $100,000 in the U.S., and only $12,000 in India, including travel costs.

Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center, in Delhi, India, is another popular medical tourist destination. It was founded by Dr. Naresh Trehan, an authority on robotic cardiac surgery formerly based at New York University.

Blue Cross Blue Shield has just announced that they will pay for treatment at Bumrungrad International Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand for individuals from South Carolina. Over 80,000 Americans received treatment there last year. The hospital boasts that over 200 of its doctors are board-certified in the U.S, and will perform a knee replacement operation for 20 percent of what it would cost in the U.S.

Who Does This?

Dodie Gilmore is a 60 year-old rodeo barrel-racing champ from Oklahoma. She runs a 180 acre ranch, but could no longer ride a horse because she needed a hip replacement. Her health insurance plan had an exclusion that wouldn't cover her operation, and she really didn't feel like paying the $35,000 it would cost her. Instead she and her partner flew to India where she had the surgery at the Max Institute of Orthopedics and Joint Replacement.

Her physician was Dr. S.K.S. Marya, who averages one American hip-replacement patient every week. Dodie's total coast, including travel, was only $11,000. She even managed to take in a tour of the Taj Mahal.

Forty to Sixty percent of those surveyed say they would consider surgery abroad if it could save them $5,000 or more. Going out of the U.S. (perhaps even just to Mexico), could be a worthwhile strategy if you have an exclusionary waiver on your policy, if you'll be having elective surgery not covered by your health insurance policy, or if you have a high deductible plan.

What is the Risk?

According to the Institute of Medicine, over 100,000 accidental deaths occur in hospitals every year. And that's here in the U.S. Hospitals are a dangerous place to be, and you want to spend as little of your life in one as possible. So there are risks everywhere, and probably greater risks outside the U.S.

But the magic of the free-market does give you some protection. There is a lot of money flowing to countries and international hospitals that practice high-quality medicine. If a hospital does not provide quality service, you can bet its customers will go elsewhere, particularly if they are choosing among anywhere in the world.

The influx of foreign patients (and money) is enticing more western-trained doctors to return home, so the choices are actually increasing, and the quality and prices continue to improve. I believe that if you use care in choosing your provider and structuring your treatment, the risks are no greater than having surgery here in the U.S.

How to Research Your Options

Keep in mind that most health insurance plans still will not cover for treatment outside the U.S., particularly if you are traveling specifically to receive medical care. So check with your insurer if the cost of the treatment is going to exceed your deductible.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations certifies hospitals here in the U.S. Their international division, Joint Commission International, certifies hospitals throughout the rest of the world. Make sure the facility that you are considering has been certified by them.

Then check out your doctor. Confirm that he or she is English speaking, and was trained in the U.S., U.K., Australia, or Germany.

Finally, consider hiring a consultant to help you choose the best hospital and surgeon for your needs. A good service will not only set up the treatment, but can also arrange all travel plans, meet you at the airport, and act as your liaison while you are being treated.

If you spend money from your Health Savings Account to pay for international medical care, the amount you withdraw is tax-free. Health Savings Account regulations also allow you to cover the cost of your travel if the reason you are traveling to get medical care is not "for purely personal reasons."

When choosing how to manage your health, you should carefully consider all your options. International travel is a great option for people with Health Savings Accounts.

Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (http://www.health--savings--accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance firm specializing in individual and family coverage that work with Health Savings Accounts.Ashly Blog48762
Atlanta Blog83706

5 Ways A Home Business Can Save You Money

When most people think of starting their own home business, they think of the income potential, the amount of free time that they will have to spend with family and the flexibility of making their own schedule. What if there were even more benefits to working at home? In fact, what if a home business could actually save you money in a big way? Five big ways, to be exact.

Gasoline. With gas prices fluctuating and, at times, being so expensive that colleagues are often forced to carpool, its no surprise that entrepreneurs who work at home will save big bucks in this area. If you arent commuting to work everyday and back home again, you could end up saving several hundred dollars each month just by having a home business.

Car mileage & repairs. The more you are on the road, the more miles your odometer records. Automobiles with high mileage often command lower resale and/or trade-in value, but may also wear out faster simply because of excessive use. When you travel a lot, your vehicle is more susceptible to flat tires, worn brakes and other needed repairs resulting from the everyday use of a vehicle. What if the only places that you had to go included common errands and recreational outings? Rather than racking up miles and risking a flat tire going to work, home-based entrepreneurs put the car in park and walk to the office.

Clothing. Have you ever gone on a job interview and found out that the company required a uniform or specific dress code for employees? Quite often, a new wardrobe isnt on the forefront of someones mind when they are searching for a job. Instead, meeting important family and household expenses are among the leading reasons why most people apply for employment. For those who choose a home business, there are no dress codes, no uniforms and no specific shoes that need to be worn. In fact, you can show up to work in your favorite t-shirt and shorts if you so desire.

Lunch. If you are a full-time employee, then you probably get a lunch break. Unless you bring your own, you will be dining out a lot. Whether you choose a fast food or casual restaurant, a daily lunch bill can really add up. Although you still have to eat lunch if you work at home, you will save a considerable amount of money by eating in.

Childcare. In families where both parents work and a child is too young for school, childcare expenses are a natural part of life. As many already know, hiring a babysitter or enrolling your little one in a daycare facility doesnt come cheap. More importantly, most parents would prefer that one of them be at home to take care of the child themselves. With household expenses and everyday bills, many families struggle with making this dream into a reality. A home business may be the answer. Why? Because it allows for one or both parents to work at home and be there to care for their children while still earning income. Not only will this result in financial savings, but will give everyone peace of mind in knowing that their children are being properly cared for.

As you can see, there are a number of ways that a home business can save you money. When you add each of these five options together, just think of the extra cash that you will have on hand for taking a family vacation which, by the way, a home business allows you the freedom to do.

Jim Mack is a home business professional that is dedicated to help his team succeed http://www.giantcashcow.com , the BEST home business out there today. To find out more about Jim go to http://www.whoisjimmack.com.Angelita Blog7684
Abra Blog23382

Working Mothers - Stay At Home, And Make Money

A father of two daughters, I am blessed with joy, laughter and tears brought by these little angels. I once had someone told me, We dont make our children, we merely received them from the Creator. That made me think about the new responsibilities I will now have to oblige!

Life in the modern times of fast pace and demanding changes is by no means easy for working mothers, as they try to balance work and time with the closest thing in their new life - their baby. Whether you are a single mother or otherwise, it does demands good time management, and a great deal of energy to keep up with the work and family. For the many mothers who has or is going through this, would understand.

Time spent away from the child, does harbors concerns beyond the money factor, like welfare of the child, psychological and physical well being. Also, thinks of the things that they could be missing, their babys first word, the first stepthings that will only come once our life time, those sweet valuable moments.

The sacrifices many working mothers made are the most noble, in my view, striving to improve the quality of live for their family. The need for financial stability and independence is obvious, but so are the solutions available to help these women achieve a best of the both world. One can now have the opportunity to work from home, with the help of technologies. A revolutionary industry has sprung up all across the world with the help of the Internet. This has been proven to help many mothers stay at home while they make unbelievable amount of money on line. The new found knowledge has help many women achieve financial success, sometimes even over shadowing their male counter part or spouse. The ingrained motherly nature actually makes a woman more focused and committed to realize their goals. Such is the portrayal of the power of Motherly Love, to protect and defend its young.

Humans adapts, in the new world, there will naturally be new ways to make money, be it full or part time. But the duties and cycle of life is ancient and unchanged. So, working mothers, you can be also be staying at home to enjoy the best of both worlds.

ATaneh (Anthony Tan) is helping people using simple and effective ways to personal development and wealth creation using the Internet. Proven methods which are easy to understand, even a 14 year old can do it.Ailyn Blog79915
Amber Blog69726