Deciding On A Franchise Or A New Home Business Venture

There is a lot to be said about starting and owning your own business concerning the personal satisfaction of being your own boss and nurturing an idea from its infancy and growing through maturity. There are also a lot of headaches and a potentially long learning curve before you are comfortable with the way the business is operating. Finding the right advertising message and marketing strategy that can position your business within the same industry to make it a leader is another obstacle that needs overcome before becoming successful.

 

Despite all of the advantages of business ownership, there are many who prefer simply to trade the sweat equity needed to start their own business, along with a usually nice piece of change and buy a franchise in an existing business. In most cases, all of the bugs have been worked out of the operational side of the business and the company's business plan has proven to provide a working model. Essentially, a new franchise owners is trained on how the business is supposed to be run, to make sure it meets the company's goals, and then run it.

 

While this can be a quick and easy way to operate a new business venture, it remains far from allowing the franchise owner to own their own business. They can take advantage of the existing brand recognition, advertising and marketing strategies that helped the main company grow into its current position. Make no mistake, most companies do franchise unless they are certain new owners can be trained to run them and everything is in place to insure they can turn a profit.

 

Buying a franchise does not a business owner make. What it does is give the buyer the right to claim the profits from the business. Owning a franchise does not allow the owner to change the offerings of the company nor does it allow them the right to alter the way the company does business. When a franchise is purchased, usually the new owner continues to pay for the right to use the business's name and brand recognition. In return, the main company allows the owner to keep the profits from their venture.

 

While owning a franchise is a quick and easy way to get into business, it is not necessarily the type of investment for an individual with an independent streak. Most purchase agreements allow for the main company to take control of the franchise if the owner violates any part of the franchise contract…without remuneration. Meaning if the owner introduces a new product to the menu, they can lose their rights to the franchise.

 

Regardless of the necessary investment, the decision is based on one thought. Do you want to buy the opportunity to run someone else's business, and probably make a decent wage out of it, or do you want to have total control over a business you own? For the individual with the true entrepreneurial spirit who wants to live or die on their own merits, a franchise may not be the best decision.

Affiliate Your Web Site To Broaden Marketing Reach

One of the toughest parts of owning an online business is getting traffic to your site. Traffic is what drives sales and sales it what drives you to operate a business. Without traffic, you have no business. Consider your online business as a brick and mortar business located on the side of a major, busily traveled highway. There are literally thousands of businesses located along the road with fancy signs, flashing lights and in some cases people standing by the side of the road signaling their presence.

 

Looking at your business, located in a non-descript building with no widows and one unmarked door. It is painted a dull color and there is no sign to indicate the business is located inside this drab building and the parking lot be a little too small for anticipated business. There is no advertising in the newspaper, radio, television or the phonebook and as a consequence, there are probably no visitors roaming around inside the store.

 

Although the prices of whatever you are selling inside are significantly better that those offered by other sites, no one will ever know it because they do not know you exist. One of the favorite methods of inviting traffic to your store is the use of affiliate marketing. To understand the concept, consider advertising in print or broadcast media. You make up the ad and pay to have it published. You have very little to go on as to how effective the ad has been, but you paid for it just to get your name out. Think that you made one sale from an ad that cost a thousand dollars to post. A dismal return for sure.

 

Affiliate marketing is essentially connecting with other online business owners and having them put your ad on their site. You do not have to pay unless your ad produces revenue. Kind of like a pay for performance agreement. If the ad produces sales, you pay the site owner a percentage of the sale. If the ad does not produce any sales, you pay them nothing.

 

These other sites want to make money without having to warehouse merchandise or handle any of the shipping and payments. Their only work is putting your ad on their site and then promoting their site to get more visitors. The more sales they make for you, the more money they earn in commissions. The more advertising they do of their own site, the more visitors are sent your way to buy your products. This pay for production type of advertising, affiliate marketing is one of the fastest growing methods of earning money on the internet and allows even small businesses to establish a large marketing network with a bare bones budget.

 

Additionally, one of the algorithms search engines use is counting the number of quality links to your site from other sites. Every affiliate that posts your ad on their site is a link back to you and you do not have to trade links with them, making it more attractive to the search engines. This can also increase traffic direct to your site from search engine users.

How To Win At Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the process of promoting the goods or services of another person in exchange for getting a commission every time that one of those goods or services is sold.   Affiliate marketing in this way can be a very easy way for a person to get something done and when it comes right down to it the low cost and easy time commitments that affiliate marketing brings to the table are exactly what people need when they are starting up a business.   However, this does not mean that everyone that tries affiliate marketing is going to be successful at it, so even though it is one of the easiest ways to start a business online, you still need to know how to win at affiliate marketing.

 

Location

 

In real estate, location is the biggest thing.  In affiliate marketing, location is also the biggest thing albeit in a different way.   The location we are looking for in affiliate marketing is not the location of geography or region that real estate developers are interested in, but rather the location affiliate markets are looking for is the proper market to sell their products.   Markets are targeted to different things and interested in different things and figuring out which markets are likely to like the products you are marketing is part of becoming a great affiliate marketer.   You can make things a lot easier on yourself by ensuring that the affiliate marketing that you do is only directed at markets and people that are actually interested in those particular products.

 

Leverage

 

There is a very sad story in some affiliate marketing circles and it is the story of the person that did not understand leverage.   This person came up with a fantastic marketing plan for affiliate marketing and tried it on one product.  That plan worked great, but because the profits that it brought in were not enough to sustain a full time income, the person gave up and heartbreakingly went back to their old job.  

 

What is the lesson here?  The lesson is that people need to consider leverage when they consider how to win at affiliate marketing.   Figuring out a strategy that works is hard, but once you have that strategy your next goal becomes to leverage the strategy by applying it to as many different products as possible.  

 

If you can make $100 a week selling a certain product, why not start building up your infrastructure so that you end up making $10,000 a week eventually by selling 100 products that each make $100 a week?

 

Critical Thinking

 

Location and leverage are two examples of things that came about as a result of critical thinking.  Someone was faced with a problem (too few people interested in the general public or too little profit from selling one product) and came up with a solution by thinking on their feet.   Everything that you do in affiliate marketing will require this type of critical thinking and it would be impossible to go through the hundreds of different ways that this is already true of the field.   Just remember to always re-evaluate the situation you are in and try to think critically about ways that you can make it better.

Choosing Employees For Your Home Business

If the time comes where you can no longer fulfill your tasks and job demands on a solo basis it will be time to consider hiring employees. When you find yourself in this position you have to think carefully about what you expect from this person and what qualities you are looking for them to relay. Asking specific questions at an interview over the phone, through a questionnaire or in person will help you to get a better feel for each individual and how they may be able to benefit you and your business.

 

Expectations can be high after all this is your business that you have built and nurtured for it to become successful. It is also run from your personal residence and you would want this person to be the proper type of person to allow entrance into your home. You need to know ahead of time, prior to speaking to this person what you will in reality require from them. Will they be collecting supplies, dropping off or taking orders? Will this person be required to handle money or keep track of financial records? Will this person be trained to aid you in the over all business processes? Depending on what you will require this person to be able to do will depend on the questions you need to ask. IF they are a form of delivery and pick up, how is there driving record do they have a valid drivers license? Is it in or out of state? Will they have a vehicle or will you provide this? Does this person have the communication skills required to take orders and mark them correctly? Is this person trustworthy to run deposits to the bank or keep records of transaction for you? Knowing the task and the expectations for the related task will help you to research the persons character for the position.

 

Personal qualities can make or break the hiring process of an individual. Many businesses require a questionnaire to be filled out that contains questions concerning morals, ethics and dependability. You can find such questionnaires online or you can create your own. Having these prepared for an interview can make the process flow much smoother. You can have them fill out the paperwork and then review the answers with the person. This can assist you in knowing if you want to pursue this person as an employee or turn them away for the businesses benefit.

 

The process of hiring a person is not always easy. Concerns of a person’s personal background of drugs or abusive behavior can be something to look into. You can never be too precautious when having a person join you in your home as well as your business. Any convictions or bankruptcies as well as other court proceeding transcripts are public record and available online. If you feel it is necessary to know this type of personal history it is available to you. Most important factor in hiring an employee is trust. If a sense of trust is not present simply move on. Take the necessary time to find the employee(s) that you desire.

Make the Leap to Affiliate Marketing Success

I hope everyone had a great President's Day and enjoyed
quality time with your families.  Following is an article
written by the great Stone Evans.  As usual he offers
sound advice for earning money online with your home-based
business.

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://getresponse.com/t/10221511/647627/207041321/2/

If you are going to become a successful affiliate on the
Internet, you need 3 "intangibles." These are things that must
come from WITHIN you.

===> Intangible 1 <===

First, you must have a strong WHY.

Why must you make affiliate marketing work? What is driving you?
What is it that you CAN'T have in your life anymore and/or what
is it that you absolutely MUST HAVE now?

For me, I couldn't stand working 12+ hours a day anymore and
missing the experience of my children growing up. I also
absolutely HAD TO HAVE the freedom of being able to control my
life and finances through a little box that I could carry with me
anywhere in the world and not be tied to anyone's time pressures
or demands but my own. That was my carrot and my stick. I felt a
great pain deep in my gut of missing out on my children's lives
and the incredible freedom that succeeding in this business would
provide for me. I found my why. You MUST find yours.

===> Intangible 2 <===

You must BELIEVE that it is possible.

If you don't believe that it's POSSIBLE for you to make money
with affiliate programs or make your living on the Internet, you
won't. It's that simple.

For me, figuring out that it was possible was just a matter of
realizing that many other people were ALREADY making great money
online. If they could do it, I could too. It would just be a
matter of figuring out what those people were doing and then
adapting it to my situation.

There is no shortage of undeniable PROOF that people (millions of
them) are making money online with affiliate programs. Just get
online and do some research and you'll find countless
testimonials and stories of REAL PEOPLE making real money on the
Internet. Or head to your local bookstore and you'll find the
same documented evidence of this fact. Truth is, it's getting
easier and easier to make money online with affiliate programs.

I've always said that "affiliate marketing" is the job of the
future. In the "old" days, you had to go to a potential
employer, apply for the position and hope for the best. Now you
can simply go to any company you want, fill out their affiliate
application and start work immediately. Affiliates are the new
working class. Believe me, making money with affiliate programs
or making your living on the Internet is WAY MORE than possible.
It is pretty much (or will be soon enough) unavoidable now.
Affiliate marketing is the "job" of the future that's already
here TODAY.

===> Intangible 3 <===

You must be willing to MAKE THE LEAP.

Ready, FIRE, then aim... This is the operating philosophy you
MUST adopt to succeed with affiliate marketing.

That's backwards for most people who like to aim before they
fire. The fact is the Internet is a moving target... The only
thing constant about it is change. You need to stop analyzing the
game and simply jump into it. You can't learn from the
outside... You have to be IN THE RING to truly understand it.

The lesson here is that you will never really be READY to start
an affiliate marketing business. You simply have to start one.
This is what I call "Making the Leap."

The good news is that the cost of failure on the Internet is very
small. In the "brick and mortar" world you need to evaluate
things very carefully before you decide to open up a business.
It's almost always necessary to invest thousands of dollars to
get an offline business off the ground. However, on the Internet
you can often start a successful business for less than $100. The
Plug-In Profit Site is a great example of this:
http://getresponse.com/t/10221511/647627/207041321/2/

You simply need get IN THE GAME... Each moment that you stay
"out there," you're wasting valuable time that you could be
learning and skills necessary to become a successful affiliate
marketer. In fact, if you're not in the game yet, you're
ALREADY behind the times. Make the leap to becoming a successful
affiliate marketer today!

About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://getresponse.com/t/10221511/647627/207041321/2/


I hope you enjoyed hearing from Stone Evans as much as I did.
I will continue to provide you with ideas for those who wish
to work from home.

Margie Franklin
www.brandyourselfgoogleme.com
www.livethedreamwithfaith.com

Margie Franklin, Humanitarian

Copyright © Margie Franklin
http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com

All of my life, or at least as far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be known as a Humanitarian or Philanthropist. In order to accomplish this I believe that I must first be financially successful. After all it takes money to help improve the welfare of others & increase the well-being of humankind.

I also wanted to raise children, although I had no desire to carry or deliver them myself. So you can imagine my joy & elation when I was approved to be the legal guardian of a little girl who was named after my mom. Actually, this little girl was related to me, but my anticipation of being a mom was so great that you would have thought that I was carrying her in my womb.

In April 1993, I flew out west to meet my great niece for the first time and to bring her home. It was at that time that I was advised that her older brother was also in foster care. Because the children were placed in two different foster homes neither child knew the other existed. My great niece was almost 2 years old and my great nephew was almost 3. Well I couldn't just take my great niece home and leave her brother in foster care, so at age 38, I instantly became the "parent" of two toddlers. Both in need of lots of TLC...and potty training.

It was very rewarding keeping the family together instead of letting strangers adopt them. I nurtured them, supported their dreams, cheered their efforts & accomplishments in academics, sporting events & talent competitions; gave them positive reinforcement when they were disappointed, held them when they were scared & nursed them to health when sick. Over the years I watched them grow into very special individuals…each with their own distinct personalities.

I tried my best to attend every special event in their lives & I was there for them when life dealt what they perceived to be major setbacks in their lives. Of course, as you probably know, they bounced right back & soon forgot what caused them concern in the first place. They got me through my ups & downs, as well and brought much joy & happiness in my life.

Fast forward to January 2008...now those cute little toddlers are both teenagers & life is very different for all of us. All of a sudden my opinions don’t seem to matter to them very much anymore. If there's something out there called 'the teenager syndrome,' we're going through it right now. I've found that teens value the advice of other teens much more than their own parents. I will continue to support them & pray that they make the right choices & decisions when faced with challenges out in this great world of ours.

I still have my dream of becoming a Humanitarian, although I haven’t yet become financially successful. I won’t give up until I succeed or the Good Lord takes me to be with Him. You see, in July of 1993 I lost a brother to AIDS. There was nothing I could do to prevent the pain, anguish & humiliation that he went through. But I believe that I can & will help others. One of the promises I made to myself is to fund housing for people living with AIDS & to help find a cure.

I also have a burning desire to provide all the comforts in life for my mom. This includes buying her very nice home and car. Mom dedicated her life to raising 7 children & working numerous hours just to put food on the table & pay the bills. Although she's 75 years old and raising her granddaughter as her own child, she never asks for anything. My mom is one strong woman and my role model!

Yes, my dreams are huge, but without huge dreams there would be few accomplishments in this world. My favorite poem is entitled “It’s All in the State of Mind.” This poem reminds me of one of Napoleon Hill's quotes: "What ever the mind of man (or woman) can conceive and believe, it will achieve."

I believe that 'Friendswin' and my other home-based business ventures will bring financial wealth. Financial freedom will allow me to fund homes for individuals living with AIDS which will also bring me peace, but finding a cure will be the ultimate accomplishment.

2008 will be great with FriendsWin!

About the Author:
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To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com
http://www.viralurl.com/Blessed-/friendswin
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Shop Online At Home Or Get Mauled At The Mall

Copyright © Margie Franklin

http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com

Do your ears perk up when hear that your favorite store is having a sale? Do you spend endless hours surfing the internet for discounts? Does it feel good to help others? I bet most of you answered yes to these questions.

In fact I will take that one step further & surmise that you'd probably donate more often if you could do so just by shopping. Am I right? Then read on, my friend, I have something terrific to share with you.

I discovered that there's an online shopping mall with at least 1000 stores in it. Kohls, Target, Nike, Home Depot, Perfumania, K-Mart, Best Buy and many more stores are included in the mall. This shopping mall is unique because it's FREE to register, prices are competitive, and you get discounts or earn rebates when you shop.

A brilliant person, Ginny Dye, found a way that we all can help others just by shopping online. I'm not kidding, it's true. Ginny is the Founder and CEO of "My Power Mall." Through her efforts, when we register and shop online, at “My Power Mall,” 6.5% of all corporate profits go into the One-Child-At-A-Time program. This program helps needy children all over the country.

An added benefit of shopping online is that you don't have to waste your hard earned money on gas driving to the mall, nor do you have to fight the crowds. Don't you wish that you would have thought of this idea? I do!

Today's society desires and appreciates convenience. Well what could be more convenient than shopping online in the comfort of your own home? If you want to do some holiday shopping, buy a wedding gift or birthday present, but hesitate to go out in the cold, then “My Power Mall” is for you. Just stay home & shop on your own online mall.

You might say this sounds too good to be true. I agree, it does sound that way, but this is the real deal. It is important, however, to find out if any of the stores charge a shipping fee. If so, compare the cost vs getting mauled at the mall? Some stores offer free shipping depending upon the dollar amount of your purchase.

The online shopping mall is totally FREE to sign up & shop online. When I first heard about this opportunity I was a little skeptical, so I checked it out. I was very impressed with how easy it is to use. Plus, it feels good to know that I’m benefiting children simply by shopping online. I have to admit that it is fun to shop too! My website is http://shoptillyoudropglobalmall.ws.

You owe it to yourself and those kids who receive the donations to take a look at this. There’s no obligation and no fee to register. If you’re like me and you enjoy helping others I recommend that you register for your free online shopping mall.

Just think, you could get all of your holiday shopping done early this year, help others and earn money at the same time. Wouldn't it be great to receive rebate checks after the holiday season is over, instead of getting bills in the mail?

Together, we can make a better world!

About the Author:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.LiveTheDreamWithFaith.com
http://www.shoptillyoudropglobalmall.ws
http://www.franklinconnection.com
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