How to Start A Home Based Business - Part 1

Hi All,

I came across an interesting website while browsing for guides & tips to start my home based @ online cookies business. While I'm learning the steps, tips and guidelines from this website, I also want to share the knowledge & information with all of you.


Why Start An Online Business?

The poor get poorer and even the middle class is losing ground at an alarming rate!

Offline it is difficult if not impossible for the average person to compete. But online we are on equal footing. If anything, we have an advantage over MegaCorp, Inc.

Note: MegaCorp, Inc. is not a real business, just a metaphor for large businesses we all deal with everyday.

If you go online looking for information about a product, MegaCorp delivers advertising. "But I was looking for information" you say.

Ordinary people like you and I are delivering that information with product reviews - our personal experience with a product. And these sites get most of the traffic and make money at the same time. We do not sell, we give our opinions, good and bad, about a product or service.
Even if you have a product to sell you provide your visitors with information and reviews. Your website or blog focuses on a narrow niche so the search engines can find YOU.


What Are the Benefits of Starting an Online Business?

Freedom - Work From Home. Work when you want, as many or as few hours as you want, where you want, no commute, not being a slave to the time-clock, and freedom to spend time with your family when you want.
If you want a raise, simply write more content for your website or build another site.

Usually Low Start-Up Costs - I suggest you start with something simple, which requires no investment other than domain name registration and web hosting. No office or retail space to rent, so your costs are minimal.
Keep your day job until you start earning enough to support yourself and family, plus a little extra.
As long as you have a computer with internet access you already have most of what you need to operate your online home business.
Won't it be fun to see the expression on your boss's face when you hand in your resignation?

Get Out of Debt - This should be your first goal when starting you own online business.
Get all those credit cards paid off. Pay off your mortgage. If you work hard you can pay off all your bills and live credit free.


What Are the Disadvantages of Starting an Online Business?

Set Your Own Hours
Do you have the discipline to get the work done? Not everyone does. Without having to punch the time-clock it can be tempting to do anything but work.
If you are going to run a business YOU have to get the work done. The responsibility rests on your shoulders. Set aside specific hours to get the job done.
Let your family know you need to be able to work without being interrupted unnecessarily. This did not sink in with my family until I showed them that first $1,067.18 check. Everyone seems to believe that as long as you are at home you are available at their convenience for the most insignificant things. It may take some time to convince them this really is work.

No Group Insurance
That corporate job may have taken care of life and medical insurance for you. Once you leave your job, these fringe benefits are your responsibility.

No Weekly Paycheck
Do you fear not having the certainty of a weekly paycheck from your offline job? But how certain is that offline job? Downsizing, plant closures, going out of business is a fact of life in today's business world. If you lack confidence in your own abilities, a work at home online business
may not be for you.

Learning (Education)
There is a long learning curve for most people. It can take years to learn how to make a living with your own online home based business. Colleges and Universities don't teach you, they only seem to want to teach how to do techy stuff for MegaCorp.
Speed things up; bypass that learning curve by working with a mentor who already knows how.

If you have the determination, the dedication, a willingness to get the job done, and a passion for what you do, an online home based business may be for you.

(Source from start-online-home-biz.com)

Recipe: Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi All,

New recipe posted on Resipi Emak. Click to view full recipe - Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Image from Martha Stewart.

Recipe: Cream Cheese Brownies

Hi All,

New recipe posted on Resipi Emak. Click to view full recipe- Cream Cheese Brownies.

Image from Joy of Baking.

Guide to Create Business Name

Does the name make the company, or does the company make the name?
image from www.jasonreuben.com

Hi Everyone!

I'm creating a great name for my business. I came across a few tips and guidelines on choosing or creating a great business names. Let me share them with you.

Types of Business Names:

1~ Personal Names: naming a business after you is an easy thing to do. It also ads some sort of credibility to your company. You can use your initials, first name, last name or full name.

2~ Descriptive Names: descriptive names make it easier for you customers to understand what kind of good or service you provide.

3~ Combined Business Names: combination of personal and descriptive names is also common in the modern business community.

4~ Brandable Business Names: hard to come up with, but have the most success in the long term.

How to:

1~ Brainstorm. Think about how you want people to feel when they hear the name. Write down the words on paper.Take a glance at the names of the other businesses within your industry. What is it about certain names do you like? Or dislike? What about the name makes it effective or ineffective? Figure out what you like, and don't like, about other business's names.

2~ Relate. Think about related words and phrases that evoke the feelings you want. Hit the thesaurus and find all the synonyms for your words and phrases.

3~ Relate more. Find out the Greek and Latin translations of your words. Figure out what colors, gemstones, plants, animals, etc., relate to your words.

4~ Experiment. Start playing with combinations of your various words and partial words. Don't be judgmental now - just make a list.

5~ Reflect. Review your list and just give some thought to each name. How does it make you feel when you hear it?

6~ Communicate. Go over the list with someone you trust. Have them tell you how each name makes them feel, and how memorable they think it is.

7~ Prioritize. Throw out any that just don't fit and make a prioritized list of the rest.

8~ Check trademarks. Make sure no one is using that name in your line of business. You may be able to use the name in a completely different business, but be aware that it may create confusion for both you and them.

9~ Check domain names. You want to make sure that an appropriate domain name is available. You want YourCompanyName.com, of course. If that's not available, you may want to reconsider.

10~ Search the internet. Even if someone doesn't have the domain, you still want to see what else is out there that has the same name. That doesn't mean you don't use it if you find something, but you need to know.

11~ Check assumed names. For sole proprietors, check for local assumed names. (also known as DBA).

12~ Stake your claim! Register your assumed name or file your incorporation papers right away. Also, start using either TM (trademark) or SM (service mark). You do NOT have to register them to use them.

Tips:

1~ Avoid generic brand names since they are hard to remember and almost impossible to trademark.

2~ Avoid geographic related names since they limit the possibility of expansion.

3~ Don’t restrict yourself to a few products or services. Establish a broad view for the long term success and expansion.

4~ Remember that having “A” as your first letter could easily improve your position in Yellow Pages.

5~ Emphasize your business mission, tell customers what you do and why you are good at it.

6~ A good business name has to be memorable – but easy to spell and pronounce.

7~ A good business name needs to include information about what your business does. - Chances are good that your new business is not going to become an international brand. It certainly isn’t instantly going to become as well known as Nike. So you need to be sure that your new business name at least gives your potential customers or clients some clues about what you actually do.

Funny Business Names

image from www.nickbasso.com