Monday, October 26, 2009

Take Charge of Your Future with Your Own Carpet Cleaning Franchise


By Greg Lucas

Times are tough right now and millions upon millions of people are out looking for work. If you are one of them, the only way that you may ever find work again is to start your own business. When you are stepping out on your own like this, you need to make sure you that you are going into a niche that benefits from this type of economy. Having your own carpet cleaning franchise is exactly that opportunity.

People all over are looking to save money in their daily budget. While people used to replace their old carpets every 5 years or so like clockwork, now they are trying to stretch it out and get 7-10 years out of them. To do this, they are going to need to get them professionally cleaned. This is why the carpet cleaning industry is absolutely booming right now.

Small businesses are very en vogue right now. Traditional jobs are being cut and the only way to survive is to throw away the idea of being a typical 9-5 worker and find something on your own that you can do as a home based business that will turn a profit. While there will be some initial investment, you will find that having your own carpet cleaning franchise is fairly inexpensive to start and can be very lucrative if you are dedicated to it.

Since you are looking to go into a franchise, it would behoove you to look into their guidelines as far as what they require and their cleaning standards. You are going to need to make sure that you get the training and can line up the financing that you are going to need to get this venture off the ground properly. Once you have your business plan and financing together, you can get the ball rolling.

The business itself is fairly inexpensive to run. You can work out of your home, so there is really no need to get an office. However, you are going to need a van and cleaning equipment and supplies to work with. You are probably going to be required to buy most of this stuff from the franchise itself as they want to make sure that certain products are being used.

While you will benefit from their national advertising, you are still going to want to advertise locally and you will need to earmark money exactly for this. Most small business owners will set up a variety of sites that will each detail the different aspects of their company along with one site that features everything. This is so that you are getting exposure is every niche of the business.

When you've taken care of all the details and have finally started your carpet cleaning franchise, remember that reputation is everything. Make sure to treat your customers the way you would want to be treated. A happy customer is a repeat customer and the value of word-of-mouth advertising is priceless. Keep these simple steps in mind and your new business is sure to be a success!

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Sunday, October 25, 2009

How to Become a Fashion Consultant


By Pamela Kazmierczak

Do you regularly find yourself reading up on the latest fashion trends? What about fashion advice, do you like to give it to those that you know? If you do, did you know that you may be able to make a living as a fashion consultant? You can and if you would like more information on how you can go about doing so, you will want to continue reading on.

Before you automatically decide that you would like to become a fashion consultant, you may want to take the time to examine exactly what one is and what one does. In case you decide to further research making money as a fashion consultant, you may want to know that a fashion consultant is also commonly referred to as an image consultant and vice versa.

While different fashion consultants operate their businesses in different ways, many focus only on clothing and clothing accessories. Those who are having a difficult time trying to pick out an outfit for a special event or a new job, often turn to a fashion consultant for professional advice.

One mistake that many individuals make when wondering if they can make money as a fashion consultant is by thinking that it is too difficult. Yes, you may not be able to predict what the next new fashion trend will be, but you can help those who are interested in improving their fashion sense now. You can easily do this because you should have a number of resources at your fingertips.

For instance, you could regularly read popular and well-known fashion magazines, read online fashion magazines, watch fashion shows online, or you can even attend live fashion shows. There are actually a number of different ways that you can stay up-to-date with the latest in the fashion industry.

One of the most commonly asked questions by those who are looking to make money as a fashion consultant is how to get clients. When it comes to getting clients, fashion consultants use a number of different marketing approaches. There are many who choose to advertise their fashion consultation business in their local newspapers.

You may also want to think about having your own online website. When having an online website, you will want to outline a few popular fashion tips or fashion trends, to show that you do have a little bit of fashion knowledge. You may also want to outline the types of fashions that you specialize in, if you wish to do so. For instance, if you wanted to focus on workplace fashions, you will want to outline that important fact.

Speaking of workplace fashions, if you want to focus mostly on workplace fashions, you have a certain group of individuals that you want to target. This group of individuals is what is known as your targeted market. All fashion groups, including gothic fashions, 80s fashions, and 90s fashions have a targeted market. In keeping with workplace fashions, you may want to think about buying advertising space on a career searching website or another career focused website. Those who are looking for jobs are likely to need or want assistance with picking out a new wardrobe. Specifically targeting those who are likely to be your customers, is a surefire way to make your business a success.

While many professional fashion consultants have success running a local business, you may also want to think about running an online fashion consulting business as well. While it may be a little bit difficult to do, it is more than possible. Expanding your business to cater to online customers is another one of the many ways that you can go about improving your customer count and your profits. By having a photograph emailed to you, as well as other important information, you can easily consult with a number of clients through email or over-the-phone.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of work that goes into being a successful fashion consultant, but the same can be said for any other career. If you truly have a love for fashion, you may want to think about starting your own fashion consulting business. With low startup costs, why not at least give it a try?

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ten Steps to a Successful Home Business Start Up


By Laura Hess

Home business start up success or failure often relies on the most fundamental operations. These fundamentals are often the details that get overlooked. And while there is no shortage of advice for home business start ups on the internet, one of the challenges for anybody who wants to start a home business is finding a reliable source for that information. To make it easy for you, I have compiled the Top Ten Easy-to-Follow Steps to help you realize success with your home business start up:

1. Plan, Plan, Plan - Take time to make plans for every potential circumstance that may arise. List everything from natural disasters, to unexpected financial problems, to potential family problems. Then make a plan you can follow to get you through any difficult time.

2. Have Enough Capital - Don't start your home business with wild ideas of overnight success. That isn't going to happen. You'll need funds to draw on as your home business grows. Make sure you have the capital to sustaining you in your life and to contribute to your home business as it is growing.

3. Develop Time Management Skills - Being a successful home business owner means managing your time wisely and well. Initially you will be spending extra time making your home business a reality. Make sure, that, that you don't sacrifice personal and family time during that start up period.

4. Organize Your Space - You can't run a home business effectively if you're wasting time looking for an important receipt under stacks of loose paper and post-it notes. Take time to organize your home office and make sure you can function efficiently and effectively.

5. Stay Focused - Distractions come from family responsibilities, chores, TV, and the warmth of your own bed. All can take you away from the tasks you need to focus on for your home business - especially during your start up phase. Eliminate as many of your distractions as you can. You need to maintain your focus for success with your home business start up.

6. Know the Tax and Legal Options - If you get in trouble, it's too late and the IRS is not terribly forgiving when it comes to ignorance for tax codes. Do your research and talk to a professional so you'll be prepared for tax time.

7. Advertising - You can't afford to wait for your customers to come to you. You need to get out and get your home business known. Advertising is an investment so make sure you know what you're doing. (And the are many low and no cost ways to advertise.) Spend wisely but spending money now to effectively advertise your home business can pay big dividends in the future.

8. Have the Equipment You Need - The right equipment is a must if you are going to have home business success. Make a list of all the things you think you'll need, ie, a computer, home office phone, FAX machine, etc. Some of them will be 'must haves' and some will be on your wish list. Start with the 'must haves' and shop around for the best deal. Expand as your business allows and supports the additional expenditures.

9. Insurance And Risk Management - Some disaster will happen - big or small. Don't wait till after the fact when you stand to lose everything. Talk to your insurance agent and find out what you need to protect your business and your personal assets. Make insurance part of your home business start up plan.

10. Keep a Positive Mental Attitude - Success is not an overnight thing. For home business success you will need to have dedication, be prepared to hard work, and expend a lot of effort to make your home business a reality. When you feel discouraged, call on your support team. Avoid the people in your life who bring negativity in about your home business start up. Your attitude may well be the single most important factor in your home business success.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Consider Buying A Franchise Business











By Paul Lennon

Do you dream of being your own boss one day? A franchise business could be the option for you. If you are a hard working individual with ambition, becoming a franchise business owner could be the wisest investment you ever make. A franchise involves buying into an existing business and selling the products or services of an already established company. The franchisee operates the business on a daily basis with guidance of the parent company.

When a business grows they would normally fund the expansion themselves, but sometimes they may choose to expand by franchising the business. This is has benefits for both parties concerned. The franchisee funds the expansion and provides resources to operate the new branch of the company. The franchise company also charges the franchisee to buy into the company and will take a commission from future profits this is approx ten percent but can vary.

When compared to starting up you own business from a clean slate there many advantages to be had. Compared to new businesses which with the failure rate is a lot higher, with a franchise the risk is reduced. The reasons for this are firstly you are buying into a business with a proven track record. Also the franchise will provide you assistance to get you up and running, sometimes providing a franchise consultant. Also not many businesses make a profit in their early stages, but with a franchise this is different.

Nothing is too good to be true and everything has its negative points, the same is true with buying into a franchise business. You do not have total control over your business as the franchisee will have to follow a set of rules or guidelines made by the franchisor. Also depending upon the brand into which you are buying there are never any certainties your business will succeed. Fees and commissions will always be there, but this is to be accepted as part of running a franchise. Also where you may have received assistance in the early stages of your franchise, this might not the case later on once your business is established. That said a, with careful consideration buying a franchise can still be an appealing way to start a business.

Regardless of the business, you should never invest in a business without doing some thorough investigation first. Be certain to use all the resources you have available to you and try to find out how other franchisors within the franchise have faired before you part with you part with your investment.

First and foremost, you must weigh up the pros and cons of buying a franchise business. If the pros outweigh the cons, then you need to add in the costs. If it's still worth it, you can move on to learning local and federal franchise laws. Do your research. You should not only research the various companies you can invest in, you should research their backgrounds and try to find out as much information as you possibly can about them. Seek professional advice and then plot out your business plan. Finally, if everything works out like you want it to, then you can finance your franchise.

Location is paramount when it comes to starting any business, this fact is even more applicable when the business relies on local custom. If you are not setting up the business in an area where you are familiar then be sure the do some research. Does the area need what you are selling or the services you provide? How much competition will you have in the surrounding areas?

Now you know some of the basics of buying a franchise business, perhaps you will decide it is an endeavour you would like to try. If you do your homework and buying a franchise business looks like it would work for you, you should go for it. Once again, it could be the best decision you ever make.

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Work-At-Home Franchise Concepts

* 1-800-Water-Damage
* @ Work Medical Services
* @ Work Personnel
* A Special Touch Cleaning
* Action International
* Adventures in Advertising
* All Over Media
* Americare Alliance
* Archadeck
* Aussie Pet Mobile
* Brightstar Healthcare
* Budget Blinds
* Carpet Network
* Cert A Roof
* CertiRestore
* City Publications, Inc.
* Cleaning Authority
* Closet & Storage Concepts
* Closet Factory
* College Nannies & Tutors
* Creative Colors International
* Crestcom
* Designs of the Interior (DOTI)
* Ductz
* Executive Forums
* Express Personnel Services
* Fibrenew
* FiltaFry
* Fish Window Cleaning
* Floor Coverings International
* Foliage Design Systems
* Friendly Mobile Computer
* Furniture Medic
* Gamez on Wheelz
* Gecko Hospitality
* Gotcha Covered
* Gotcha Covered: A V2K Company
* Grins 2 Go
* Handypro
* Happy Healthy Products
* Heits Building Services
* Home Care Assistance
* Homewatch Caregivers
* Hydro Groom Mobile Pet Wash
* i9 Sports
* Jantize America
* Kitchen TuneUp
* Lawn Doctor
* Liquid Capital
* MATCO
* Miracle Method
* Money Mailer
* Mr. Handyman
* National Home Buyers Assistance (NHBA)
* Nationwide Floor and Windows
* NaturaLawn of America
* OpenWorks
* Our Town America
* Personalized Management Associates
* Pet Butler
* Pop-A-Lock
* Profit-Tell
* Protect Painters
* Puroclean
* RSVP Publications
* Sandler Sales Institute
* Save It Now
* ServiceMaster Clean
* SmartView Window Solutions
* SparkleWash
* Spectrum Home Services
* Stained Glass Overlay
* Stratus Building Solutions
* The Alternative Board
* The Grout Medic
* The Interface Financial Group
* The Maids
* The Pampered Chef
* Today’s Window Fashions
* Tutor Doctor
* Two4One
* United Marketing Solutions
* Vehicle Tracking Solutions
* Young Rembrandts

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Free Vs Pay to Join Paid Survey Sites - Which One is Better?

By Harry Constantine

If you are interested in taking online surveys and getting paid, you must have done some research and it must have shown you various types of survey websites.

There are many free get-paid survey web sites which allow you to become a member for free and take paid surveys right away. There are also some paid survey web sites which claim to pay you a lot more and also guarantee you work for a long period of time.

There is no proof so far regarding paid survey web sites continuous flow of work. If you are short of funds and would like to get some expertise in surveys, free get paid survey web sites are a great option. It may happen though that the paid survey membership websites could provide you with surveys more regularly than the free get paid survey websites.

There is no dearth of free get paid survey sites online, this is why these websites are so successful and every day there are thousands of people trying their luck at taking surveys. Since they're free to join websites, even if there is not much survey traffic you would not feel bad. However, this is not the thing with paid membership web sites, here if the surveys do not keep coming in you may end up losing some money rather than earn any. There are many people who have lost their money this way.

Free get paid survey websites are safer since they do not ask you for any money at all, instead their money comes in only from the companies which would like to be surveyed among public. Free get paid surveys however, may not offer you larger sums of rewards. It is the paid websites that often lure people with offers of $100 per survey, rather than the free sites.

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The Basics of At Home Medical Transcription


By Susan Eliot

At home medical transcription seems very appealing to a number of people. Getting to stay home with your kids is just one advantage. Some people who choose to do at home medical transcription do not even have children. They just like the fact that they are their own boss and no longer have to remain a slave to the clock.

Whatever your reasons are for wanting to do at home medical transcription, they are definitely going to be worth it in the end. Working from home is not as easy as you might think, however. You have to be able to actually get up and do the work if you want to have success with your medical transcription career. Setting your own schedule is usually the best way to go.

Before you start planning your day, you will need to make sure you get the proper education. The majority of at home medical transcription employers will not hire people who do not have the proper certification, experience, and/or training. But once you have obtained the proper training, you should have no difficulties finding employment.

On average, a basic at home medical transcription course takes approximately two years to complete. While you are in the process of learning everything there is to know, you will be working on improving your typing skills, grammar and punctuation, listening to dictation, and best of all, transcribing medical reports.

Initially, at home medical transcription seems like the ultimate dream job, and it is for many individuals. But it takes time and patience before you can become an expert at what you do. There will be deadlines to meet and work to be done once all of your training is complete. You will most likely be working with physicians with various accents from Australian to Indian.

Some physicians will not speak as quickly as others, and some will seem almost impossible to understand. You may find yourself rewinding the dictation a hundred times before you are actually able to understand what they are saying. When this happens, do not get discouraged. You are going to be in the process of developing your ear for quite some time during training as well as the first year or so after you begin work. Doing at home medical transcription will eventually be worth all of the time it takes to get the hang of it.

The median salary for someone who does at home medical transcription is around $45K. Medical transcription has also been one of the proven top paying at home careers. Some people who are a bit more experienced are making anywhere from $45K to $100K per year. It all comes down to what you are willing to put into it.

More than anything else, at home medical transcription should be something you can see yourself doing. If you are not someone who likes to spend hours sitting in front of a computer, then at home medical transcription may not be for you. Like all other careers, medical transcription also has a downside. Seclusion and difficulty staying focused at home are just some of the disadvantages. The good thing is that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and that is what makes this career such a smart choice.

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Ad Tracking - How to Make The Most Of Analytics And Statistics

By Anne Torres

Now that you've got your site up, you only love that rush of traffic you've been getting so far. Your marketing plan looks very effective with your hits increasing consistently. Now you think you've hit it bull's eye with your infallible marketing strategies and dependable tracking software.

The question is, is all that traffic helpful? Regrettably, maybe not. That's because not all traffic will give you sales. The kind of traffic you need is the one that converts to a sale and to build up on this, you need to differentiate between good traffic and bad traffic using your statistics and a web traffic analyzer.

Telling good from bad traffic begins with visitor tracking or hit counters. An ad tracking software or service will bring you more information than this such as where your visitors are located, which web pages they frequent, the length of their visit and the forms and images they download. If you know how significant analyzing your traffic is, you'll value all this information that will be made available when you track your ads.

For example, knowing where your visitors are will give you an idea how to effectively customize your services. If you're getting very little traffic from your international or out-of-town clients, you might want to lower your shipment rates to make them more interested. In terms of Internet marketing, knowing from which search engine your visitors are will give you an idea how to adjust your strategies to improve your ranking on the search engine where you're presently not that successful.

If you know which pages are viewed the least, you can improve their design or add more engaging content to make them perform better. If you home page rarely gets clicked, which means you barely get visitors to check out the rest of your site, then it's clearly not doing its job.

Therefore, good traffic is traffic that converts into a sale while bad traffic is that which does not bring anything that the site or company it represents can benefit from. It doesn't mean, however, that a visit that does not convert into a sale is automatically bad. One thing that may be considered is whether a visitor is there for the first time or for a certain number of times. If a first visit does not result in a sale and is not repeated, then it's probably bad traffic. But if a visitor has been in and out of the site without necessarily purchasing anything, it could be that he is still considering his options. This traffic obviously has good potential for turning into a sale and could, therefore, be considered good.

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