Career Articles & Advice

Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing or How to Thrive in the Gloom and Doom by Jon Sparks

October 7th, 2008 Dow Jones took a dive by a whopping 508 points. Over the past three months global markets were hit by an $8.1 trillion loss in value. Banks fail one after another, panic in the Wall Street… That’s what already came to be known as the biggest economy meltdown since the Great Depression.

The helter-skelter of the stock-exchange swiftly resonates everywhere. With media fuelling the buzz you need to have a steel nerve or live deep in the forest not to be concerned with the crisis thing. The home-grown economic prophets loudly predict ‘the end of the world as we know it’.

The last thing you’d want to do in times like that is start a business, right? - Not quite.

Great Depression Creates Great Opportunities

History knows a lot of cases when economic meltdowns created opportunities for new ventures and bold startups as well as remarkably profitable marketing investments. The Great Depression turned out the golden ticket for hundreds of businesses. Disney, Procter & Gamble, Camel and Chevrolet, to name a few, were among the companies that bloomed and thrived while others were desperately fighting for survival. They saw an opportunity and seized the moment. They were advertising when others cut down marketing budgets. They offered new products when others thought no one could afford to buy. They stayed calm in the across-the-board market mess and they ended up outstandingly victorious.

What does it have to do with you? Everything. The ongoing crisis is your chance to start a new venture, grow your business and make money even when the economy seems to go wild. And the best place to do this is online. Against the background of economic downturn the prospects of the Internet market look especially promising.

Why Online Business is Recession-Proof

Although the cyberspace is tightly tied to the real-world economy, the negative market trends seem to turn out the positive way online. Both retail customers and investors seeking ways to safeguard their capitals end-up putting their money online. Here’s the proof that Internet market is here to stay no matter what goes on offline.

* Shoppers go online

In every recession it is the low-to-middle class who take the biggest blow. When big companies go bankrupt it is the regular workers who suffer most. Off course CEOs and investors lose monstrous sums but at least they don’t have to worry about how to feed the family.

In times like that people do their best to tighten the belts and cut the expenses. We go hunting for bargains and the first place to look at is the Internet. The reasons are obvious: you can compare prices without leaving the house; you don’t have to waste time and money on the gas running around the shops and you can really buy cheaper over the Internet.

Offer the best price and people will buy. Make a discount on something they could do without but would rather own, and people will buy. What’s even more important, even after the economy goes stable, your customers will stick with you. Read on to learn how to pick the right product and get a discount for it.

* Companies Invest in Online Advertising

However slow the economy is a business needs to invest into advertising if it wants to stay afloat. Under the tight budget ROI (Return on Investment) becomes the focal point. The Internet offers lots of measuring instruments other media lack. Computer technology allows tracking the money you earn from each banner or text ad up to the last cent. Therefore businesses cut down or completely abandon the press, and TV, but they’ll never give up on SEO, contextual or banner ads.

Outsell Inc., The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), IDC and other research agencies all report Internet advertising growing at a galloping tempo (18.2% for the first quarter this year) while print, TV and outdoor ads lose their share of the market.

IAB reports that advertisers invested $5.8 billion in Q1 2008. Part of that money could be yours.

With marketing budgets zipped up businesses seek every opportunity to advertise online. If you have a website or blog with some traffic companies will line up to pay you for advertising. If you don’t have any, it’s very much the time to start one. Read on to learn how to create a successful advertising platform and promote it in the search engines.

Selling ads space is just one of the many ways to make money online. There are many more such as paid subscriptions, affiliate marketing, review posting, sponsored directory listings, etc. They all create great opportunities to start an online business. And of course, you don’t need to put all eggs in one basket. You can combine various online marketing techniques into a powerful money making blend that would be 100% recession proof, no matter what goes on across Wall Street.

Here’s a Step-By-Step Guide To Starting an Online Business

What does starting a business start with? Naturally before you start selling something you need to decide what that something will be. So your first step is

1. Choosing a Product to Sell

A product to sell is not necessarily a ‘product’ as such. It could be a paid subscription or a service and you don’t even have to ’sell’ it directly. You just need to offer something of interest: information or functionality that will drive visitors to your website and will make them wanna stay and come back. Get traffic and you’ll have tons of ways to transform it into cash.

There are a number of things people are most interested in now. Here’s a list of

What’s Hot in Cold Economy:

* Information

People’s desire to know what’s going on doesn’t cease in bad times. Moreover, the worse it gets the bigger their interest. The ‘hottest’ right now is financial information.

According to comScore Media Metrix the number if visitors to finance-related websites jumped 30% this year. European websites skyrocketed to record peaks of up to 141% in traffic growth.

Start a blog or website about anything in the finances from the market trends to personal investments and loans, promote it in the search engines and you’ll see tons of traffic you can convert into money. Read on to learn how.

* Stress-Relief

During the Great Depression people went to the movies to relieve the stress and forget about their problems. Nothing has changed over time except for the movies. The general trend is when bad things happen people still pay for entertainment even though it’s getting harder to afford.

* Discounts

With economy staggering and stock exchange falling down the bills still remain the same. And bills are to be paid. Naturally we want to save on everything. If you know how to show us the way to a good bargain we’ll stick with you. And bargains are plentiful on the Internet. You just need to take the time to find them and gather in one place.

* Surviving the Crisis Guides

When it comes to our wallets we get emotional. When it comes to our wallets getting thinner we get extremely emotional and even start to panic. Surviving the financial crisis is a hot topic right now. Therefore if you read this article to the end you’ll get a double benefit:

a. You’ll secure a sustainable income for yourself and your family.
b. You’ll be able to help others do the same.

Moreover you’ll have an undeniable proof of your paycheck to show people the way, and they will follow. This will bring you not only money but also self-satisfaction of doing a good thing.

The list is just a small fraction of the niches you can take up with your business. Explore the web for a while and you’ll get tons of other ideas to choose from.

Once you’ve picked your product(s) you can get down to launching a website.

2. Going Online

Depending on the focus of your online business you need to decide whether you will use a website, a blog or both. Blogs are easier to start and maintain. If you decide to focus your marketing efforts around information this is your best choice to go. You can set up a free blog at WordPress.Com or Blogger.com

Websites offer more functionality but may take up more time and skills to manage. You can hire professionals to have a website set up for you. In the slow economy the quotes should get very affordable. You can also explore the free options for there are plenty out there. There are even ones that will get your website up and running in about 5 clicks.

Google ‘free websites’ and you’ll get one before you can say ‘How do I make a website?’.

3. Getting Traffic

A website without traffic is a dead one though. Visitors are the blood of your website that gets its heart beating. So your first and foremost concern now is to attract traffic to your website. The only most effective way to do it is promote your website in search engines.

According to Pew Internet 84% of internet surfers use search engines. About 68 million Americans will use the search engines tomorrow. If your website appears at the top of search results a large portion of this traffic will come to you bringing you money.

Now the question is how do you get your website to the top of search engines? The answer is by optimizing it for natural search. The process is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short. Even if you hear the term for the first time, it won’t take you long to figure out what it’s all about.

There are a lot of do-it-yourself SEO guides out there. However they all seem to miss the most important point. It’s actually doing SEO not just reading about it what drives your website up in search engine rankings and earns you money. Good news is that there’s one SEO Book that tells you the exact things to do in a way that let’s you get right down to doing them. The e-book is called SEO in Practice. It is the ultimate guide that will help you get your website to the top of search engine rankings in a matter of weeks. You can read this SEO book for free.

One of the great things about SEO is that it gets you traffic (read customers) free of charge. No fees, no bills. You do everything yourself and you reap the benefits of what you’ve sown. However, when doing SEO you’ll most likely stumble upon the same problem all SEOs do: There’s just not enough hours in the day to do everything by hand. The way out I found for myself is automating some of the SEO tasks with special SEO software.

There are a lot of tools out there. I personally use SEO Software by Link-Assistant.Com. It has all the functionality I need and I like it. But you can use any software (just make sure it’s good quality) or no software at all. You can go and search around for free SEO tools. They are usually of limited functionality as compared to the paid versions, but can still be helpful.

4. Earning Money

After you’ve read and followed the tips outlined in the SEO Book you’ll see a sustainable stream of traffic coming to your website. This is great but we’re looking to make money not just traffic, right? There are many ways to monetize your website traffic, some of the most popular and effective are:

* Advertising

People pay you to put up a banner or text links on your website. The more traffic you have the more you can charge. Search around to see what the general pricing is and test several pricing options to see which suits your prospects best.

* Affiliate Marketing

I had been earning a good living from affiliate programs for several years before I completely jumped into the SEO services. The system is dead simple. You help businesses sell their products and earn a percentage of every sale. To achieve the best you need to pick a product you believe in (preferably the one you own and use). This way you’ll be speaking confidently and with authority and people will buy from you.

* Paid Subscriptions

If you deliver quality info or analysis that is unique and is of value to your visitors you can offer paid subscriptions. The subscription can grant more info, earlier delivery or whatever bonuses you can think of.

As your online business gains momentum you’ll find yourself living a new life. The one that is stress-free, recession proof and incredibly enjoyable. And what’s more important you’ll be living your whole life for yourself. No one can fire you; no one can cut down your pay. You’re an independent entrepreneur and it’s up to you when you come to work and when you leave. Your paycheck solely depends on you.

Please note, this is not a get-rich-quick kinda trash. You’ll have to work first and most likely work hard. Not too hard perhaps, but hard enough. This is how it is and I strongly believe this is exactly as it should be. First you work for your business, then your business works for you. Invest into your future now and you’ll be able to reap the benefits later. Do nothing and nothing will happen.

What are the Risks?

The word venture itself contains a pinch of risk attached to it. Starting a business certainly has its risks. But the world is like this:

“Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it’s the things you don’t do and you get screwed.” - Fight Club

You start a business and you may fail, and then start another one and still another one until you succeed. But if you don’t try you never succeed. You may sit and wait for the economy meltdown to hit you in the pocket or for the company you’re working for to go under. These are also the risks we take by just living in this world. And compared to them the risks of starting an online business are nothing. In fact all you invest is your time and effort.

You can start securing your future right now. Work for you business an hour a day at first, than more until you can finally go your own way.

So Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing

Slow economy is sort of a market janitor. It gets rid of the mismanaged thrash and gives way to new players with fresh ideas and innovative approaches. The big and weak go under and the apt take over their place. This is your chance to change your life once and for good. Go pick your product -> set up a website -> promote it in search engines -> and earn the living you’ve always wanted to.

Jon is a freelance Internet marketer and SEO expert earning his living online since 1998.

Article Source: ArticlesArticles.Net

Start Your Own Business On A Budget by Chris Simpson

If you have been feeling disheartened about the fact that only ten percent of new business startups survive, there is hope yet. It is surely nothing but a myth as Dun and Bradstreet reports that more than seventy-six percent of people starting up a new business are in business for more than two years.

Yet these numbers may not reflect the true scenario as many people often don’t inform their licensing offices when they shut down. However, these figures may provide us with an approximate idea of the chances of a business surviving.

It has also been observed that if you have more cash to invest when you start a business, there is a greater likelihood of your business surviving. Other factors that are involved in survival are the age of the owner, the owner’s level of education, and whether the owner has any domain knowledge of the business. A common factor that causes most businesses to shut shop is a lack of proper planning. And improper planning generally results in improper financial choices from the very beginning.

It is a common belief that starting a successful business means investing a large sum of money, and for that you need to take a large loan. These large loans are usually perceived to be very risky business loans that have a high rate of business or will require you to mortgage your house.

However, this is a mere misconception and almost a quarter of businesses started up did not require any money. Statistics go on to say that barely a quarter of the people starting businesses borrowed money and thirty six percent used their personal savings to start a business. Also, close to seventy percent of new businesses were started without borrowing any money.

If start up funds were the only criteria for a business surviving or failing, then things would be a lot simpler. You also need a strong enough determination to succeed and not let setbacks get you down. You also need a desire to innovate.

A lot of people spend more time planning their vacation than running their business. This shows a clear lack of initiative and desire to succeed. Also, a lot of people don’t take into account how they will meet their personal expenses while their business is in the process of taking off, so they soon have to quit.

You should not go overboard on spending the money you have to invest in your business either. You don’t require more than $5000 to start a business, for more than thirty-two percent of successful businesses were started with that amount. If you start off not owing too much money to other people, then you have a much greater chance of breaking even faster.

Your business idea should also be in proportion to the amount you have to invest. You should concentrate more on innovation and reaching out to more people than building a big establishment at first. Start out by investing in a $15,000 coffee cart rather than a $400,000 main street store. This way you can make your idea succeed rather than spend your money uselessly.

To succeed at any venture you need proper planning and research, followed by innovation and determination to see it through the tough times. Best of Luck!

Chris Simpson is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work at home jobs and home based business opportunities. Find legitimate online paid surveys and many other great work at home opportunities today at: www.HomeNetPro.com

Article Source: ArticlesArticles.Net

An Alternative Approach To Team Building by Dominic Donaldson

Team building is a vital part of any good business plan. Without any recognition of the role that team building plays in a successful business plan then there is a strong chance that things will not run as smoothly as they ought to.

The reluctance to include team building in the day to day running of a business and the employees within is often down to one of tow things; a complete lack of knowledge and understanding or a misunderstanding of the knowledge they do have.

For many the words ‘team building’ mean very little in the context of their place of employment. They think of football teams or some other such sporting activity. Team building to them means ‘The Premiership’ transfer market with vast amount of money changing hands. They cannot see how team building could possibly relate to their office or shop job.

To many others the term conjures up images of a bunch of reluctant office workers giving up their weekend to be marched across a wet and windy area of the Cotswolds by a retired Sergeant Major., all in the name of team building. Again this is completely wrong.

Team building and team building exercises are as important to any business as employing the right people. So much of business today relies on good relationships and communication due to the competitive nature of the world we live in. If your staff is not part of a strong unit that has good working relationships within it and cannot communicate successfully then how can you expect to bring in the best business possible?

Team building has several aims and each is linked to the running of a successful business.

Motivation - Without a good feeling about what you are doing you cannot perform to the best of your ability. This can be achieved in many ways using goals and incentives.

Communication - People work best when they clearly understand what they are doing, but also why they are doing it. Communication is important at every stage and is vital to achievement and success.

Imagination & Creativity - One of the biggest aims of any team building exercise should be to allow room and scope for creative thinking. Often a task will be completed but not necessarily in the quickest, most productive or appropriate way. Allowing the opportunity to contribute different ideas, often highly unusual ideas, can produce unexpected but important approaches to problem solving.

Improving Leadership Skills - Without good leadership a team of people is not really a team at all, it’s just a group of people performing tasks. Leadership can come in many forms and doesn’t have to be a case of cracking the whip; in fact good leadership is the opposite of that. Leadership is the ability to co-ordinate and manage people in situations where problems need to be overcome in achieving a common goal.

Time Management - Given enough time most things can be done. Unfortunately time is a precious commodity and we never seem to have enough of it. Team building teaches effective time management and helps identify where time is being wasted and how to use it properly.

There was a time when the Sergeant Major image of a team building weekend wasn’t too far removed from the truth, but those days are long gone. Team building exercises are just as likely to take place in a sporting venue or restaurant as they are on a mountain or in a classroom. There are now so many different approaches to team building and whatever approach suits you there will be an appropriate team building venue and exercise.

Whatever route you choose to take it is important that you come away from the experience feeling positive and encouraged.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the staff management industry.
Find out more about team building and managing staff.

Article Source: ArticlesArticles.Net

Home-Based Business-Success and the Common Man by Ben Needles

You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility. - Zig Ziglar

The figures are staggering; a startling 150 million individuals are making over 400 billion dollars in home-based business income. This figure eclipses the food industry. It even puts the pharmaceutical industry to shame.

By some estimates, home-based entrepreneurs are earning an average of $63,000 or more annually. The freedom of being self-employed allows many home-based business owners to consider a return to the corporate world something theyd avoid at all costs.

Consider some of these findings…

* Owning and operating a home-based business offers entrepreneurs an achievable point of entry. More than 40 percent of all home-based businesses require less than $5,000 for startup.

* Home-based entrepreneurialism is growing in importance and diversity. It offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and at-home professionals in every demographic and ethnic group.

* According to IDC, a top national research firm, there are between 34.3 million and 36.6 million home office households in the United States alone.

* According to The Success Factory International, America is in the midst of an extraordinary workplace transformation; the home-based business phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down

* Information technology (IT) has made it possible for e-commerce and has enabled small, medium-sized, and home-based businesses to compete more effectively in the global market. Ecommerce makes it possible for more people to start their own businesses.

Many home-based business startups are an outgrowth of either personal interest or a profession that severely limited the individual freedom of the worker. In either case, there seems to be growing satisfaction among those who have chosen a home-based business alternative.

Interestingly home-based businesses are extensively populated with women or aging workers. The reasonings behind this trend would require an article of its own, but the point is the Internet is filled with highly successful non-traditional business owners.

What comes as a surprise to many home-based business owners is the fact that their business started at home in an effort to save money with full intentions of moving the business to a brick and mortar store front. However, it is estimated that only 5% of existing home-based businesses will ultimately move out of the home.

Part of the lure of home-based businesses is the empowerment provided to the owner who understands the return of control in their life as a priceless benefit of home-based businesses ownership.

My list of ingredients for success is divided into four basic groups: Inward, Outward, Upward and Onward. - David Thomas

About the Author (text)

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. Make your own website in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com or Build A Website at: http://www.buildagreatsite.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com

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Article Source: ArticlesArticles.Net