Impressions

Impressions are the number of times your webpages with Adsense ads have been viewed. You can increase Impressions by increasing traffic (preferably targeted traffic) to your webpages. Some of the best ways to increase targeted traffic to your webpages include:

• create more webpages, with relevant, focused content.
• create more links to your webpages.
• list your website/s under relevant categories in more directories.
• set up a directory of relevant sites on your website and accept relevant reciprocal links.
• write relevant articles, with your site information in the ‘resource box’ at the end of each article, and submit them to article directories.

Clickthroughs

Clickthroughs are the percentage of viewers who click on your Adsense ads. You can increase Clickthroughs by increasing the relevance of Adsense ads on your site, and by tweaking the format and placing of your ads.

Although you can’t dictat which Adsense ads show on your site, you can influence the relevance of the ads by maintaining a tighrly focused website. If every page on your site focuses tightly on the site topic, its more likely that the Adsense ads will too. For example, if every page of your site is about fishing, and the word ‘fishing’ appears several times on every page, its likely that your Adsense ads will relate to fishing.

The best way to tweak your ad format and placement is to invest in an Adsense Tracker, and test, test, test! People who have done this tend to suggest that the best format is the large rectangle, with background and border the same color as the page behind it, so that the ad blends into the page. The best placement is towards the center or top left of the first screen of the page. Try these suggestions first, and then track and test, to be sure of what works best for your pages.

Effective CPM

Effective CPM is a measure of your average earnings, per thousand clicks. You can increase your Effective CPM by selecting topics that attract high bids from Adsense advertisers, and building pages and whole websites on higher paying topics.

Although Google doesn’t release information on Adsense bids, you can get a good idea of the top paying topics by looking at information on Adwords bids, or, for that matter, bids on pay-per-click search engines like Overture. There are a number of keyword research tools available, both free and paid, that can help you find high paying topics.

The Formula

So now you have the basics of increasing your Adsense income. Its a deceptively simple formula:

• Build pages and websites on high paying topics for the best Effective CPM.
• Format and place your Adsense ads for maximum Clickthroughs.
• Promote your sites to drive targeted traffic to your Adsense webpages for maximum impressions.

Cody Moya writes about Business and Marketing in his weekly Business and Marketing Tips Ezine. You can sign up for his free Ezine and get additional information at his website: http://bmtezine.com

In fact, the whole update process has inspired me to spend a bit more time on my content and site design – not just for this site, but for my many other sites too! And since The Opportunity Spot will soon be celebrating it’s 10th year (in various formats) now seems the perfect time to do it.

If you have any comments, suggestions, bug reports, please let me know by leaving a comment, using the Contact Form, or you can now also follow me on Twitter.com/Mark_Sorensen.

Quitting your present job, putting all your eggs in the so-called web basket of a work from home job… these can be pretty scary moves. Of course, you don’t have to quit your job to start doing at home work; it can be done part time, but then you have to be willing to give up some family/personal time (at least temporarily) to launch your business.

Either way, there is risk and sacrifice involved in at home work. And, how can you be sure at home work is going to be worth it, or that you have what it takes to be an at home work entrepreneur? After all, launching yourself in at home work is NOT the right path for everyone. It takes the right combination of desire, organization, motivation, time, skill and creativity to be successful in work at home jobs.

Just about anyone can be successful in starting a home business, but it is smart to take the time to do a little self-evaluation before you jump off that cliff.

My Own At Home Work Story

A little less than 5 years ago, I stood at the same crossroads you may be at right now. I was working in a job I once loved, but now hated, but which paid me an incredible salary that – as a single parent – I had become extremely dependent on. But I felt stifled, bored and restless. I dreamed of being my own boss… Sound familiar?

Assess Your Aptitude For At Home Work

As discussed earlier, it is important to know if you have what it takes to make it in at home work. Your internet home business will require a certain amount of dedication and effort. Those “get rich quick” schemes you’ve heard so much about just aren’t real. It takes hard work and motivation to reach success in work at home jobs. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Evaluating yourself to see if you have the right qualities to succeed in a home business is the first step in helping you decide if you’re going in the right direction when starting an at home work plan.

Figuring Out Which Type Of Business To Start

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of options when it comes to at home work. Which work from home job is right for you? The best place to start is to ask some questions:

1. What type of at home work business would best match my knowledge/skill set?

2. Do I want to sell a product or a service … or some combination of both? (Look at your current occupation. Is there some common problem or gripe associated with it … could you start some sort of home business to solve that problem? Or … do you have a hobby or personal interest that could be turned into some sort of at home work?)

3. Do I want to sell someone else’s product, or develop my own? (If there is some product or service that you believe in, perhaps you should explore selling it. There are many people today making a living in work at home jobs just by selling other people’s products. Spend a few weeks researching affiliate products, learning how to market them, and get up and running with an automatic system that works in the background. Then, let those affiliate programs earn slowly – or maybe fast! – growing income while you focus on the internet home business that’s your first choice, whatever that might be.)

Serious discussion of affiliate marketing is beyond the scope of this article. However, you can find some great resources to help you learn more about affiliate programs and how to get started in them at www.homesweetbiz.com.

Finding products you like – either offline or online – can also give you ideas for your own product or service. It is not necessary that your business idea be completely original. You can be successful by developing your own “unique selling point” that sets your product apart from all the others out there.

4. What kind of financial resources can I put into my at home work? (Can you afford to pay several thousand dollars to purchase a cookie-cutter or franchise type business? Probably not, but
don’t despair. Most internet home businesses can be started on a shoestring, or maybe a little more. But just keep in mind that what you can afford to invest will influence the type of business you choose to go into.)

One of the best at home work product ideas I know of for an entrepreneur who wants to start a work from home job is … Infoproducts!

Everyone is an expert at something … even you. Just think about it. What do you know a lot about? Is it the industry you’ve worked in for the past 15 years … or that special hobby … or that life-changing experience?

Whatever your specialty is, you have valuable knowledge. Share your knowledge through an e-book. It isn’t necessary for how-to books to be great literary works. What’s most important is that they offer easy-to-follow information.

These are just a few of the things you need to consider when planning to start a work at home business.

An affiliate program is, at the bottom line, a commissioned sales job. Like the Fuller Brush salesman of old, you are an independent representative of a company, offering their products or services to potential customers. When one of them buys, you get a percentage of the sale. But, in the high-tech version, you have a few very powerful advantages over the classic door-to-door sales rep.

To start, you can represent multiple products from more than one company at a time, on as many web sites as you own, in as many markets as you choose. You don’t have to travel anywhere, yet the web puts you in front of a worldwide market. This gives you an incredible diversity of products, markets, and “neighborhoods” to sell in, all from right in front of your computer screen. You could possibly make multiple sales at one time, yet you never have to deal with door-slammed-in-your-face rejection. On the Internet, you don’t always even have to make a sale to earn a commission. Some affiliate programs will pay you if someone just clicks on a link at your site, fills out an application, or even asks for more information. And here’s the best part – your web sites work for you around the clock, every day.

Commission rates vary by type of product. Physical goods (that have to be shipped) tend to pay lower rates than products like software or ebooks that can be digitally delivered. However, 5% of a $2000 TV is more than 50% of a $50 ebook, so you have to remember to look at the big picture when deciding what affiliate products to offer. For best affiliate sales results, you’ll want to offer products and services designed to appeal to the target audience of your web site. For example, it makes no sense to place affiliate links to mechanic’s tools on a cooking site, while it makes perfect sense to place them on a site about restoring cars.

There are several ways to join affiliate programs. Some companies operate their own program, and you will apply through the company web site. But many merchants choose to operate through an affiliate network. These third-party companies offer sign-up, tracking, payment, and overall affiliate program management services to merchants and affiliate marketers. A few top names are Commission Junction, LinkShare, and Clickbank. Just search for “affiliate program” or “affiliate network” and you’re bound to find more.

Your sales and clicks are tracked by software. It’s your responsibility to make sure your links follow the guidelines stated by your merchant or affiliate network. Some browsers, ad-blocking software, link cloakers, and coding techniques (such as frames) can prevent the tracking links on your site from working properly, and you may not get credit if one of your clicks leads to a sale. Most all affiliate marketers sooner or later run into this, and when it happens, it’s not intentional, so don’t feel victimized. Technology is very good, but it’s not perfect.

For almost every Internet marketer, affiliate marketing offers a fast and inexpensive way to get started in an online business. These programs can help you generate income while you learn the ropes and work towards developing your own product or service, if that’s your goal. And yes, you can even become an affiliate for the Fuller Brush Company!

John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net. Subscribe Today and get real information YOU can use to help build your online business today! http://www.TheEzine.Net
The Ezine DOT Net RSS feeds are available.

I’ve just finished devouring the brand-new “Insider Secrets to Selling on eBay” by Derek Gehl and his team of expert eBay PowerSellers, and I’ve got to tell you, it is by FAR the best system for making a life-changing income on eBay that I’ve come across!

For years, Derek’s elite team of eBay PowerSellers have been working one-on-one with hand-picked students, teaching them how to build successful eBay businesses.

(Many of their students start making $1,000 to $10,000 a month in a matter of weeks! Just imagine the difference that kind of money could make in YOUR life.)

And for the first time ever, these expert eBay PowerSellers have agreed to let Derek put their proven eBay success system down on paper, so anyone can use it to claim their share of the incredible $158,000,000 spent on eBay every single day!

You’ll discover top-secret eBay strategies on how to…

• Where to find in-demand products that you can buy for cheap and resell for massive profits!
• How to attract TONS of bids and make HUGE profits on every single auction you list!
• How to CREATE stunning listings that grab the eyeballs of eager bidders!
• How to easily rake in even MORE cash by establishing a glowing feedback rating!
• How to eliminate 90% of all eBay headaches by setting up foolproof payment and shipping systems!
• Techniques for driving 1,000s of qualified bidders to YOUR auction listings!
• And much more!

And if you have an existing Internet business, they can show YOU how you can use your current business to tap into the 8,000,000 visitors who come to eBay every day!

I give this eBay profit system the highest rating possible!

This totally redesigned course includes a huge 339-page guidebook PLUS a comprehensive 6-disc Multimedia Action System…

… and contains every tip, strategy, and secret there is for getting started on eBay today, earning your first profit by tomorrow — and making a life changing income of potentially $120,000 or MORE in your first year!

PLUS — you’ll have access to an exclusive Online Resource Center packed with additonal information, printable worksheets, and research spreadsheets you can customize to fit your own personal needs!

AND — you’ll get case studies and interviews with people just like you who’ve taken the leap and built their own successful eBay businesses… you’ll get a Quick-Start Video Series that features Derek’s eBay experts walking you through the basics of selling on eBay… and you’ll get a huge library of tools, links, and resources that will save you time and make you money!

And if that’s not enough, there’s even an easy-to-follow guide to selling digitally delivered products and eBooks on eBay, including the resale rights to sell their very own eBook on eBay!

I strongly urge you to check out this all-new eBay profit-generating system as soon as possible! Click here for a FREE preview.

I was therefore thrilled when one of my friendly affiliate competitors got in touch to tell me that he’d started his own Internet dating service and affiliate program.

Having launched a community membership site myself last year, I could fully appreciate the huge amount of time and money my friend had invested to develop this new site. He was justifiably proud of his accomplishment and I was excited by the prospect of having a product to promote that would benefit everyone – my customers, my friend and myself.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way.

The first stumbling block was the low commission he offered. His top rate was 30%, with no commissions on recurring sales.

This puzzled me. As an affiliate marketer of dating programs, he should have been aware that new sites offer at least 50% on new and recurring sales to entice good affiliates to sign up. If commissions on recurring sales are not offered, then the rates on new sales should be increased to between 70 and 100 percent.

In most cases, his affiliate program would have struck out for me at that point. However, as this was my friend’s site, it occurred to me that perhaps his product was so unique that the potential for high volume sales might offset the lower commission. Hoping for the best, I continued my review.

When I got to the site, the first thing I noticed was ‘6 registered members’ prominently displayed at the top of the homepage. That normally wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that my customers are looking for friends and soul mates. If I send them to a site where there are only six people to meet, they’ll likely be disappointed. Worse, by wasting their time, they lose trust in my judgement and then I will lose them as customers.

That’s not good. My customers are literally my bread and butter. Giving them what they want and expect is how I stay in business. Paying for traffic that I send to a merchant site where there is nothing to buy, will put me out of business.

(This is how a membership site should be structured. When starting a dating service, the merchant pays for advertising to bring people to their site. To entice visitors to sign up as members, he will initially offer his services for fr*ee. When the database is large enough to attract paying customers, the affiliate program manager then invites potential affiliates to join their program.)

Although my friend’s program had already struck out for my customers and me, I was still curious, so I kept on looking.

Next I clicked on a link labeled ‘Dating Resources’. Expecting to find Internet dating tips and advice, I found links and banners pointing to Lavalife, FriendFinder and other affiliated dating sites instead. When I asked him about placing affiliate programs on his site, my friend said he simply wanted to supplement his income until the dating service got *rolling*. I can understand his motivation. However, what he doesn’t understand is the concept of customer ‘hijacking’.

As an affiliate, you pay good money to get visitors to your site. You presell your merchants’ products and expect the merchant to honor their end of the bargain by making the sale and sending your commission check. You don’t pay for the merchant to send YOUR customers to THEIR affiliated merchants.

I didn’t need to look any further. I told my friend that I would hold off on signing up and why. Fortunately, he understood and has already alleviated some of the problems I mentioned.

Knowing when NOT to sign up for an affiliate program can sometimes be a tough call. However, you can simplify the process considerably. Put yourself inside your customer’s head. If the product won’t work for them, the program strikes out. Simple as that.

Copyright 2003 (c) Rosalind Gardner, All Rights Reserved.

1. The affiliate program has a great payment structure. For me, a high commission that is also a high percentage of the purchase price is essential. Nothing under 25% commission.
2. Make sure the affiliate program you are joining has a good looking site. You do not want to be sending visitors to a site that you do not like yourself.
3. Make sure they offer a comprehensive affiliate statistics page that lists the number of click throughs, number of sales and amount earned. This should be broken down per month.
4. Also make sure that the affiliate statistics are updated automatically and immediately. You do not want to find out today about a sale you made a week ago.
5. Ensure they give a wide variety of text links, banners and graphics to put on your web page. Although I prefer text links, certain types of banners and graphics still work well.
6. Know how often you are going to be paid. If you are tossing up between 2 programs and one pays monthly and the other pays quarterly, the one that pays monthly is better. You do not want to wait months before getting paid for your hard work!
7. See if the affiliate program gives examples of how the top affiliates are doing. This can be a great pointer to whether it is good or not. If some affiliates are earning many thousands per month, it is a good affiliate program.
8. Along these lines, also see if they give examples of what marketing methods these successful affiliates are using to get the best results.
9. An affiliate program that offers a special monthly newsletter just for the affiliates is great. Here you can get extra tips and techniques that are working well.
10. See if they offer email notification when you make a sale or get an affiliate signed up under you (if it is a 2-tier program). It is good to see “You have made another sale” in your inbox.
11. Ensure top level support is given. If they cannot answer your query straight away make sure they can respond within 48 hours.

There is tremendous demand for affiliate programs and choosing the right one is no easy task. Make sure you do plenty of research before joining one.

David McKenzie of http://www.brisney.com. For great ideas on promoting your web site or marketing your affiliate programs subscribe to our Free twice monthly
newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:brisney@brisney.com

With a single tier program you earn a commission on any sales you make and that is it. If you are running your own affiliate program, you pay your affiliates a commission for any sales they refer and that is all.

However, with a two-tier program, affiliates are allowed to recruit sub-affiliates and are paid a small percentage of the sales these sub-affiliates generate. For example, the affiliates may earn a 30% commission for selling product X himself; and when one of the sub-affiliates makes a sale, the affiliate may get a 10% commission as well. This is very profitable for the affiliate as he can recruit an army of sub-affiliates, all earning commissions for him without any effort on his part except for the initial recruiting process.

If you are starting an affiliate program of your own should it be two-tier or single tier? Some might shy away from the seeming expense of a two-tier program. But is it really that expensive? Many affiliate program managers make the wrong decision on this.

Let’s look at an example. You have an affiliate program up and running and an average affiliate joins your program. Mr. Average has a web site that receives average traffic. He also has an ezine with thousands of subscribers published monthly. Mr. Average posts your affiliate links to his web site and promotes your product to his ezine list.

Initially, he generates good sales. However, a point comes when he saturates his market with your product and his sales begin to drop. He begins to lose interest in your program and your sales remain small. What happens if you set up a two-tier program? Rather than trying to keep your commission pay outs small, you motivate your existing affiliates to recruit other people to your program. This will exponentially increase your affiliate sales. Would it not be worth paying the referring affiliate a percentage of their sub-affiliates’ sales? Now when Mr. Average joins your affiliate program this is what would happen. When he has saturated his market with your product, he would now promote your affiliate program to his customers and ezine subscribers. Many of Mr. Average’s customers and subscribers decide to join the affiliate program. This in turn will motivate Mr. Average to continue promoting your products and recruiting affiliates.

Now what is the situation?

1. Your income increases because of increased sales.
2. You have a much larger customer base to which you can sell ‘backend’ products.
3. An increase in your income because of the life time loyalty of the customers referred by your affiliate.
4. An army of sub-affiliates who will sell your products, and in turn promote your affiliate program to their customers and subscribers.

The little extra in affiliate sales commission pay outs will be more than compensated for by the exponential sales increase. This is why the two-tier affiliate program is a guaranteed winner and should be the automatic choice for potential affiliates and affiliate program managers.

Written by John Lynch – For details of two-tier Affiliate Programs go to: http://www.merchant-account-service.com/affiliate_programs.html

1. E-Mail Marketing

If “surfing the net” is something you can’t get enough of, then maybe you should get paid for it. e-mail marketing is an exciting new business opportunity. The objective is to compile e-mail address lists to support a client’s mailing and then broadcast your client’s e-mail to that list. A secondary market is to sell you lists to businesses or individuals who market their goods and services by e-mail. Internet experts will be able to search for and collect lists at a moment’s notice. You most likely have all the computer equipment you’ll need, although upgrades may be necessary.

2. Raising Pets For Money

Do you like dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, or fish? Would you enjoy raising them? Why not turn it into a business? Find out what your local pet stores need or what the general market is looking for, such as rabbits and chickens for Easter, or dalmatians to capitalize on the Disney movie. Not only is this business opportunity fun for animal lovers, it’s a great first business for kids. Guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and mice multiply rapidly and make good pets or science projects. Be sure to evaluate your demand first, or you’ll be sharing your home with permanent pets. Expanding your business to care for other people’s animals is also a possibility. Make sure that zoning laws and other regulations related to raising animals do not affect you.

3. Artist

One of the most difficult endeavors is earning money through art. The best way to do this is to go commercial. Look at the type of art you excel at: painting, computer art, or line drawings, and decide how it could benefit businesses. For instance, marketing companies hire artists to do artwork for advertising. You can also develop and draw ads and flyers for small shops that need publicity. Approach the shops and offer to develop material that they can buy upon approval. As your sales increase, create a portfolio to show to other businesses. Local rock bands and dance clubs like the more radical stuff. Over time, your art and contacts will enable you to expand into more traditional outlets.

4. Photo Albums

People just don’t have the time to develop photo albums, or they do it haphazardly with no idea about how creative a photo album can be. This is a service that gets you out of the house to meet people. You will build a reputation and can do the work on your kitchen table. You interview clients, go through their pictures, and suggest ways their photo albums can be arranged or improved. Books on the subject are available to help you improve your skills. Use your family or friends as your initial customers and bring their albums to potential customers to show what you can do. It is rewarding to see how grateful people are with the results.

5. Agent

The best thing that could possibly happen to a home-business owner is to have so much business that you can’t do it all yourself. When this happens, you can become an agent for your type of business by sub-contracting excess work out to others and taking a percentage of the fee. In this capacity, you do the billing and maintain the clients. When business is slow, you assume the workload and maintain service to your customers.

6. Errand Service

People who run everything from home businesses to Fortune 500 companies often lack the time to get everything done. That’s why there’s such a large demand for errand services. If you have a small truck or van, are punctual and trustworthy, and don’t mind an occasionally hectic schedule, you can profit from delivering packages, picking up supplies, and handling similar details for harried home business owners and executives alike. To locate clients, check with businesses in your area, or have your friends and family ask their employers if they could use your services.

7. Family History

Most of us are curious about our an cestors. That’s why written accounts of family history or family trees, known as genealogy, make popular gifts. Why not make this your business? Al though the task of digging deeply into someone’s past may seem daunting, there is a variety of software packages and books available that will make this task much easier. Visit large software and book stores to see what’s available. To reach your customers, arrange with local card and gift shop owners to let you display your advertising and samples in their stores. Placing advertisements in local newspapers is a relatively inexpensive way to reach a large audience.

8. Fix-It Shop

Any appliance, tool, or toy you buy eventually breaks – that’s a fact of life. Although America is said to be a disposable society, most of us would rather hold on to what we have rather than incur the cost of buying something new. Having a knack for fixing household items means you can earn up to $100 an hour, and you never have to leave your own garage! There are many low-cost ways to advertise your services – flyers, classified ads, and the Yellow Pages are just a few. There are also many ways to expand your business; for example, you could offer pick-up and delivery, stock replacement parts, or refurbish toys and appliances and sell them for less than what they’d cost new.

9. Fund Raiser

Do you enjoy working with the public, and helping those less fortunate? If so, you can put your people skills to work by offering yourself to local community, hospital, school, and civic groups as a fund raiser. You help the group raise money for its cause, and take a percentage of the amount for your fee. Your organizational skills, pleasant phone manner, and ability to develop effective direct mail pieces mean success in this career. Keep in mind that those who act as fund raisers for charities are often expected to do so on a volunteer basis, but this is a great way to gain experience, make valuable contacts, and build your reputation.

10. Handyman Service

Leaky faucets, clogged drains, doors that stick – the list of minor home repair needs is almost endless. Most of us just don’t have the time or the know-how to tackle these problems ourselves. If you’re good with your hands and have a general knowledge of home repair, then start a handyman service. Charge your clients less than the professionals. Your customers’ savings is your gain! You’ll need a good set of tools and a truck. It’s also a good idea to check with your city to see what licensing is required. Begin your business with your friends and family, then expand into your neighborhood.

11. Herb Garden

Cooking with home-grown herbs holds a special appeal these days. If you have a green thumb, you can capitalize on this culinary trend by growing herbs to sell to small restaurants, specialty shops, health-food stores, or even your friends and neighbors. Use your computer to create attractive, eye-catching labels for your packages. Cultivating an herb garden can require very little space – in fact, you can grow a fair assortment in flower pots on your window sill! Put your gardening expertise to work in another way by becoming a “gardening consultant,” – assisting your clients in setting up their own herb gardens.

12. Mail Services

Companies of all types and sizes use direct mail to advertise goods and services. However, many of these companies may not have the personnel to undertake a mass mailing, especially if it involves a large base of potential clients. That’s where you come in. Contracting with these businesses to handle their mass mailings could result in ample financial rewards. You’ll need a computer, special software to create labels and process lists, and most importantly, clients. Check with local businesses, especially those involved with publishing, computer accessories, or special events. Friends, relatives, and business associates can also provide leads. Expand your business by writing the promotional material, obtaining the target lists, and maintaining the client lists.

13. Sewing Service

Do you have a talent for sewing? Starting a sewing service in your home is a profitable and enjoyable business. You al ready have the equipment and skill, and the demand is great. Busy professionals need to keep their clothes in shape. Local dry cleaning and clothing stores are good sources for leads. Also, try advertising in the classified section of your local newspaper, or posting flyers in your neighborhood. Put your creativity to work by creating curtains and other home decorations, or sewing costumes for holidays and stage productions. To expand, consider the large demand for upholsterers.

14. BBQ Catering Service

If you like to barbecue, get compliments as a chef, and like to meet people, why don’t you set up a barbecue catering service? You need a truck, portable barbecue pits, and a little marketing. Send out flyers, post them at grocery stores, or advertise in your local newspaper or weekly ad magazine. People will love having outdoor parties with you showing up, setting up, cooking, and cleaning up afterwards. You can offer various options on meat and expand out to more and more food options and drinks. You thought outdoor cooking was fun; well, it’s profitable also.

15. Professional Organizer

If you notice the messes in other people’s homes and businesses, then maybe you should be an organizer. There are many books on organizing and a multitude of products that help conserve space or provide filing or stacking capability. Gather material on the subject. To start your business, practice on people you know for a small fee, then use this experience to sell yourself to others. You can purchase and mark up ready-made products, or call in carpenters to put in closet organizers, shelves, and furniture. What people save in time and money will more than make up the difference.

16. Apartment Renewal

Apartments must be cleaned, painted, and repaired after renters vacate. Since this is a frequent event, this event provides an opportunity for you to make money. Apartment unit sizes, damage, and cleaning needs vary widely. So develop estimates after a walk-through or charge by the hour. Cleaning equipment and a small truck will get you started and college students can provide help. Your target market is defined, so visit and send mailers to apartment complexes, rental management companies, condo complexes, and also offer your services to real estate brokers who need property prepared for sale.

17. Baby Furnishing

Baby furniture is constantly being cycled in and out of homes and sold at garage sales. Acquiring baby furniture can be expensive for new parents, so a service that will satisfy them and give you a good income is to stock their homes with what they need. You can get beds, chairs, tables, potty seats, and the like at garage sales. Clean and paint them, and turn them around for sale. Market at pediatrician offices, Lamaze training classes, and prenatal care services. You can provide single furniture items to full set-ups, and get the parents to resell them to you after they no longer need them, ready for you to make money on them again.

18. Tax Assistance

You can be the answer to the April 15th blues. Use your accounting background and your computer to process tax returns from your home. This business is seasonal and starts out slowly, building over time as you get returning clientele the next years. There are a number of great tax preparation software packages available that makes this task easier. Start by doing returns for your family and friends, then use them to help get business referrals. Be sure to keep up the with latest tax rules and join accounting organizations to work on accreditations.

19. Used Computer Sales

Are you a tinkerer who likes to take computers apart and put them together? Used computers that are gathering dust can make money for you. Although technology advances rapidly, much of what people need computers for can be handled by the simplest of machines. Make yourself available to buy the obsolete machines at fire sale prices. Many of the parts are interchangeable; you can cannibalize and rebuild computers that are fine for normal use, and add new parts as necessary. Then, sell the computers with your own warrantee. This is a business your high-school children may love to assist with, or even run. Repair books and training are readily available.

20. Flea Market Sales

Flea markets are like the ultimate garage sale. If you like garage sales maybe you should become a participant in flea markets. There are a number of products that you can sell: Your own crafts, collectibles from your own hobby collections (trains, coins, comics, etc), and products for resale (polishes, toys, tools, garage sale items you purchased). Some markets are opportunities to sell your skills or services such as furniture refinishing, car detailing, sewing and handyman services. Find out what flea markets are local to your area and which apply to your products or skills. Contact the organizers to find the cost of booths, qualifications, tax laws and other necessary information.

When you open a business, in a sense, you are causing a new birth to begin. This new birth was created from an idea alone by you or your associates. It will have its own bank account, it’s own federal identification number, it’s own credit accounts, it’s own income and it’s own bills. On paper, it is another individual! Just as if you were choosing a name for your own unborn child, you need to spend considerable time in deciding upon your business name.

There are several reasons why a good business name is vitally important to your business. The first obvious reason is because it is the initial identification to your customers. No one would want to do business with someone if they didn’t have a company name yet. This makes you look like an amateur who is very unreliable. Even if you call your company “Kevin’s Lawn Service,” a company name has been established and you are indeed a company. People will therefore feel more comfortable dealing with you.

Secondly, a business name normally is an indication as to the product or service you offer. “Mary’s Typing Service,” “Karate Club for Men,” “Jim-Dandy Jack-of-all-Trades,” “Laurie and Steve’s Laundry,” “Misty’s Gift Boutique,” and “Star 1 Publishers” are all examples of simple business names that immediately tell the customer what product you offer.

However, most people will choose the simple approach when naming their business. They use their name, their spouse’s name, their children’s names or a combination of these names when naming a business. The national hamburger-restaurant chain “Wendy’s” was named after the owner’s daughter. However, research has proven that these “cutesy” names are not the best names to use for a business. Many experts claim that it makes the business look too “mom-and-pop-sie.” However, this depends on the business. If you are selling something that demands this mood or theme to appeal to your market, it’s best to use this approach.

Personally, I am inclined to name my businesses with catchy names that stick in people’s heads after we have initially made contact. Names like, “Sensible Solutions,” “Direct Defenders,” “Moonlighters Ink,” “Printer’s Friend,” “Strictly Class,” “Collections and Treasures,” and “Starlight on Twilight” are all good examples of catchy names. These types of names relate to your product or service but serve as a type of slogan for your business. This is a big help when marketing.

A friend I know owns a business called “Mint and Pepper.” He grows and sells his own line of raw seasonings to people in the local area. At a get-together for small businesses, he passed out his business card. The card had a peppermint candy glued on the back and the slogan read: “Your business is worth a mint to us.” This marketing concept not only got my friend noticed and remembered, but brought in several large orders for the business.

When you name a child, you may not decide upon a definite name until after they are born. You do this because a name is sometimes associated with a type of personality. When you name a business you may need to wait until you have a product or service to sell and then decide upon a business name before going into the business itself because your business name should give some clue as to what product or service you are selling. A business named “Joe’s Collections” normally wouldn’t sell car parts and a business named “Charlie Horse” would not sell knitting supplies.

To generate ideas – begin looking at business signs everywhere you go. Notice which ones catch your eye and stick in your mind. Try and figure out “why” they stuck in your mind. Naturally, the business “Dominos Pizza” sticks in your mind because it is nationally known. These don’t count! Look around and notice the smaller businesses. Take your time. Within a few days you should be able to come up with a few potential business names.

Then, when you finally find a few names you really like – try reciting them to other people and get their opinion. It won’t be long until your business will have the proper name that will carry it through it’s life!

Mail Order Hint:
Try to avoid very long names so they will fit into small display ads. “Amalgamated International Enterprises” can be easily presented as “AIE” – which is easier and shorter to spell.