How to Start an Affordable Internet Business
If you are looking for a way to start your own business, you probably have a few reservations that are constantly holding you back. And if you are like the majority of people, the main problem that you are running into is probably financial. People that want to start a business usually want to do so with the least amount of money as possible. This is understandable; after all, if the business ends up flopping you will be out all of the money that you put up to get things started.
The good news is that there are options available to anybody that wants to start an affordable internet business. With the increased amount of people that want to own their own business, the market for finding a business that is not going to break the bank is growing every day.
When looking for an affordable internet business, you will first need to find out what you are good at. This will allow you to narrow your choices down to jobs that you would enjoy doing, as well as a company that you can make successful.
One of the most popular internet businesses today has to do with opening up a store front online. Even though this may sound expensive, it can actually be done on a relatively cheap budget. The first thing that you will need is a computer. This will be the tool that runs your business; which is pretty much the same as every company in today's day and age. Also, in order to run an internet based store you are going to have to have a website where you can sell your products. You can hire a professional web designer to do this for you, and by shopping around you will surely be able to find somebody that will be able to work within your budget. And finally, what would a store be if you did not have anything to sell? This is where you will have to make a decision. You can buy products wholesale, and mark them up to make a profit, or you can manufacture your own goods. If you are looking for the most affordable internet business you will probably be best off getting set up with a wholesaler.
Another affordable internet business that people are taking up in masses are ones that sell information products. Again, you will need a website as well as products to sell. The most popular types of information products include books, ebooks, dvds, cds, tapes, and others. Getting set up with a wholesaler, or buying your products at discounts at other venues is your best bet.
Overall, anybody can find an affordable internet business. All you need to do is determine your budget, and find out what you would like to do.
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Processing Recurring Payments: Get Paid in Full by Automating Receivables
Copyright 2006 William Hamilton
In any business endeavor, an owner may encounter multiple sweaty-palmed experiences. Customers may engage in multi-tiered assaults ranging from vehement criticism of a product or service, censure for (the lack of) customer assistance, objection to time lag for delivering said product or service and the airing of numerous other grievances. Of course, an owner realizes that this comes with the precipitous territory of conducting business. However, it remains a humbling experience when interacting with a vociferous client -- an individual who will let everyone know from friends and relatives to the Better Business Bureau about the perceived shortcomings of the business.
Perhaps the most daunting situation affecting an "it's not all what it's cracked up to be" business owner is a payment that is late or never arrives. Consider the private school owner who reminds a parent about the monthly fee only to receive this reply: "Just give me a few more days." Think of a construction company owner who rightfully seeks a periodic payment from the client and is dismissed with "I'll pay you when I can." Envision a gym owner who may have to do back flips just to collect on that monthly payment.
Whether by choice or even necessity, there seems to exist a bandwagon of customers who may not so easily depart with their money regardless of their responsibility or what is morally right. This lamentable circumstance (i.e., when an owner cannot efficiently collect money that is due) seriously hampers cash flow -- a business' lifeline, crucial to its vitality. When business expenditures outpace revenues (negatively affected by late or non-payments), commercial failure is all but guaranteed.
There exists two primary ways in dealing with an undesirable client whose money remains elusive. Many businesses still embrace the collections process -- whether they perform this task in-house or contract with outside agencies. If the business opts to contact the client directly, invoice after invoice may be forwarded which is very labor-intensive and costly. An owner needs to consider the expense of invoices, postage, late notices and collection calls, and the time it takes personnel to fulfill this duty (and the concomitant pay / benefits such personnel are accruing). Outside collection agencies are not necessarily an advantageous alternative. They typically keep at least 25% of an owner's deserved profit.
The second method of handling the cash flow-challenging customer is predicated on the premise that a business owner must be proactive. He/she needs to realize the benefits of automated payments, and how this process can more readily prevent the "Dear customer, please pay me" letter.
Automated payments are a vehicle where a customer's account is automatically debited and transferred to an owner's account on the exact date a payment is due. Upon the decision to purchase a product or utilize a service, a prospective customer signs a simple release form, giving permission to transfer payment on a specific due date. The customer chooses how to pay, most notably with checks or credit cards.
The operative question arises: How are funds transferred from customer to owner? There exists two primary ways when check processing is involved. One alternative is via paper drafts which may be issued through appropriate software and delivered to the owner so he/she can deposit them (as if they were paper checks) or sent directly to the owner' bank. The processing company acquires the customers' banking information and converts the information to the appropriate bank draft.
An owner may decide to alternatively use a web-based interface, a virtual terminal, simply inputting the customer's information in an easy-to-use program. (Here, the data entry is performed in-house). Data is automatically converted into the required format, and processed through the ACH (Automatic Clearing House) system. It usually takes two to three banking days for the transfer to be complete. In the scenario where a check is NSF, some companies employ an auto-collect feature that will automatically re-submit the check two additional times, if necessary. This feature not only saves an owner time and money, it also may entirely preclude the rather embarrassing process of collecting the NSF item.
Recurring credit card payments may also be processed through the use of a virtual terminal. Such a terminal should include edit features so that customer information can be changed, added or deleted when necessary. Moreover, a virtual terminal provides a full transactional history of all transactions that have been run through the system.
There are myriad advantages using an automated payment system: It ensures reliable cash flow, cuts down on expenses such as mailing invoices or contracting with collection agencies, settles funds in a timely manner, streamlines the billing process, etc. Andy Grove, former President & CEO of Intel Corporation, understands the aforementioned benefits. Several years ago, he said, "In the same way that we have seen a massive flow of content to the Internet, we will see a shift to automated payment in the marketplace." Any savvy business owner should want to be an active participant in this shift.
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William Hamillton owns IntelliCollect, a subsidiary of United Bank Card, where you can receive extremely affordable recurring and non-recurring credit card processing and/or electronic check processing capability. Services to enable you to accept your customers' payments are listed at:
http://www.intelli-collect.com
What Makes a Good Speaker?
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___________________________________________________________
TITLE: What Makes a Good Speaker?
AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift
CONTACT: sandra@schrift.com
COPYRIGHT: ©2006 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved
Format: 60 Characters per line
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What Makes a Good Speaker?
When people hear that I owned a national, professional
speakers bureau for 13 years, they often ask me, who are the
best speakers and why? What follows are some of the
characteristics of a very successful speaker who is often a
highly paid speaker.
'Tell' em what you're going to tell them, tell them, and
then tell' em what you told them."
1.They arrive early and check out the sound system and
introduce themselves to audience members during the
networking time.
2.They speak on a subject that their audience needs to hear.
And they use words and body language that shows their
passion and authenticity.
3.They connect with their audience in the first few minutes
with a riveting story, a funny incident, a startling
statement or perhaps a poem. They know how to make their
opening remarks relate to the material that follows.
4. They have no fear. They don't only say what the audience
wants to hear, but what they NEED to hear. In other words,
their remarks may raise some eyebrows. They give their
audiences some fresh ideas.
5.They never make more than 3-4 points in their speech.
They don't feel the need to tell an audience everything they
know. No one can retain it all. For each major point they
tell an illustrative story. A good story evokes emotion and
offers a lesson. The audience members are then only a step
away from their own story.
6. They make great eye contact and make each person feel
attended to. This makes them appear to be more heartfelt
and really present for their audience.
7. Before closing, they summarize and reiterate their major
points. They end with an inspiring story and a call to
action. They hold the audience accountable – to take some
action in the next few days, weeks.
8.They don't talk too long. They know how much time they
have been assigned and they don't exceed it.
9.They rehearse their speech a few times but never sound
canned. They NEVER read their speech verbatim.
10.All successful speakers market themselves. They all
promote themselves. And they all Network. They are a model
of excellence. And you can be too!
New! Do you want to learn how to give a compelling speech?
Would you like to know what sets leaders apart? Are you
ready to prepare a speech that hits your audience's hot
buttons? Now you can. Buy the audio CD (available as an MP3
download). "POWER PRESENTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS" at
http://www.schrift.com/Power_Presentations_for_Professionals/
___________________________________________________________
Sandra Schrift 13 year speaker bureau owner and now career
coach to emerging and veteran public speakers who want to
"grow" a profitable speaking business. I also work with
business professionals and organizations who want to master
their presentations.
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