Earn Money by Putting Ads on Your Car

Need some extra cash every month? You can turn your car into a moving ad billboard and earn money from it.

This type of money making opportunity is not for everyone, though. First, depending on your agreement with the agency, every square inch of your car is wrapped with advertising. Every square inch! If you don't mind driving a car that is purely an ad billboard, then this may be for you.

Plus, you need to be on the road often. Advertisers are paying you to show their ad on the road -- and you need to be on the road frequently. You will be required to travel anywhere from 800-1,600 miles per month. Your car will be equipped with a GPS system that will be used to check your mileage.

If you don't mind your car being an advertising billboard (and you are on the road most of the time), you can sign up your car to be wrapped in advertising. You can earn anywhere from $200-$400 a month from being a driving advertisement.

Here are some agencies you can contact:

http://adsmartoutdoor.com
Pays $350 a month and requires driver to meet with their representatives to check mileage, GPS unit, and condition of the advertisement on their vehicle.

http://www.autowrapped.com
This company pays $200-$400 a month to wrap your car, truck, or suv with non-damaging vinyl adhesive graphics. Or you can opt for partial wraps paying $100-$200 these range from window coverings to logo's and other lettering. You will be required to drive from 800-1200 miles per month, depending on advertiser contract.

http://www.ad-wraps.com/driversinfo.htm
The website is not clear as to how much you can earn, but it may be similar to other agencies that offer $400 (but check with them to be sure).

http://automurals.com
You can get paid up to $400 a month, with opportunity to earn extra by driving to conventions and such. They have several programs that you can participate from your 100% of your vehicle covered to only the windows covered by the ads. But you need to drive a minimum of 1,600 miles per month.

http://www.autowraps.com
They don't say how much you can earn on their website, only that they maintain a database of potential car drivers and clients can select from demographic characteristics. You can call about their Consumer Peer-to-Peer program at 310-566-4000 xt. 205 (Press 205) or e-mail contact@freecarmedia.com

http://www.autocarwraps.com
This is for UK drivers only and you can earn £200 per month, but you will be required to drive minimum of 600 miles per month and you need to have a clean driving record

Business Idea: Starting a Resume Writing Service

Resume writing and job career counseling are thriving businesses because of the increasing competition in the labor force out there. You don't just need a CV, but you need a killer CV that will get you a job interview and land you the job.

If you are interested in starting a resume writing business, here are some articles that can give you information

Start & Run a Profitable Resume Service http://www.savvychicks.com/resumesp.html
How to Start a Resume Writing Business http://www.homebiztools.com/ideas/resume_writing.htm
Start a Resume Writing Service for Profit http://ezinearticles.com/?Start-a-Resume-Writing-Service-for-Profit&id=48964
Start a Resume Writing Business http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11639.asp
Make Money With Your Own Resume Service http://www.ezau.com/latest/articles/0257.shtml

To find clients, here are some of the best ways:

• College job placement offices - a great market as graduating students need to do their resumes so you need to either put a flyer or your business card or even post your ad in their college newspaper
• Local employment services offices
• Ask your friends to refer your services to others
• Consider getting a website. It can serve as an online brochure for your services and can also help you market your services
• Do press releases in your local newspapers or on the Web.

You may consider getting professional certification from the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches http://www.parw.com/home.html . This organization provides the Certified Professional Resume Writer Credential (CPRW). Another organization is the National Resume Writers Association and they offer the Nationally Certified Resume Writer credential (NCRW) http://www.nrwa.com/ , the industry's first master-level, renewable certification. Clients know that they will be dealing with a professional and expert in the field if they see you belong to an association and professionally certified

Experiment with finding a niche. Rita Fisher, for example of Mom Resumes http://www.momresumes.com/ is focusing on moms returning to the workforce -- which seems to be a very good niche given the number of moms doing this. The other is an example how you can market the business

Company to Help Moms Re-Enter Workforce http://www.powerhomebiz.com/News/052006/moms.htm
Outrageous Guarantee Offered By Resume Writer http://www.powerhomebiz.com/News/012006/resume.htm

I suggest you read the following books to give you more information about th business

Job Coach-Life Coach-Executive Coach-Letter & Resume-Writing Service: Step-by-Step Business Startup Manual by Anne Hart
How to Start a Home-Based Resume Business, 2nd (Home-Based Business Series) by Jan Melnik
The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the Worlds Leading Career Services Company by Orville Pierson
Shortcut Your Job Search: The Best Ways to Get Meetings (Five O'Clock Club)
Resume Magic: Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer by Susan Britton Whitcomb by Kate Wendleton (Paperback - Aug 18, 2005)

Favorite SEO Tools

I love the search optimimization tools found at Seobook.com http://tools.seobook.com/ . They have all the tools you need to conduct your search engine optimization research, including keyword analysis and link analysis. And even better, the tools are FREE!

Check them out. Better yet, put them in your website.

Starting a Business on a Shoestring Budget

The July 2006 issue of Inc Magazine has an article that resonates well with our message -- "How to Launch a Business for Peanuts." It is ideal to have all the resources you need to start a business. But there may be instances when you, despite best intentions and even exhausting available options, simply cannot raise the funds you need to start yous business. So what are you to do? Bootstrap the business, of course!

It is possible to start a business with little cash -- but you need to do a lot of work and put in tons of creativity to develop your product and reach your target audience. The article outlines the steps you can do and profiles specific strategies other entrepreneurs have used to illustrate the suggested steps.

According to the article, here are the steps that you can do to start a business even on a little budget:

1. Brand it creatively
2. Switch business models on a dime
3. Work from home
4. Get paid up front
5. Use cheap web tools
6. Get your suppliers to finance you
7. Get to know your customers really well

You may also want to read the articles "10 Rules for Starting A Business on a Shoestring Budget" and "Bootstrapping 101"

How to Start a Non Profit Organization

This post is not about any money making venture, but I get a lot of requests for information on how to start a non profit organization. There must be a lot of good hearted citizens who are passionate about their causes out there - and may your tribe increase!

I have found a website that compiles various resources on starting a non profit. I especially like the Minnesota Council of NonProfits because the site gives information on governance, developing strategic alliances, fund raising and other ingredients of successfully running a non profit.

http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/znpbib.htm

As for funding your non profit, I suggest you check out Foundation Center to help you gain ideas on how to properly establish your organization and get support from private foundations. They have the most extensive database of private donors, and they publish a magazine that can be very helpful to your new non profit.

http://fdncenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/establish/index.html

I was previously involved in the setup of a non profit, and we were able to get a pro-bono lawyer who set up everything for us, including getting the 501c3 tax status. Contact other non profits in your area and check if there are lawyers willing to work for free to get you started.

Non profits are just like any business - you need to get the word out in order to get the needed funding to help support your activities. Here are some tips to help you market your non profit:

1. Determine your your target audiences: who are the groups and audiences that your non profit wants to reach. Remember that one target group may respond differently to a marketing message as another group so make sure that each strategy is tailor made for each audience.

2. Develop a communications strategy, creating timelines for marketing efforts such as newsletters, press releases, special events, and others.

3. Develop a visual image. Prepare your logo and other branding tools - and use them consistently across various mediums. Make sure that you repeat your branding messages, slogans in everything you make from brochures to newsletters.

4. Employ multiple communications tactics: Nonprofit organizations often target several audiences, which may respond to different approaches. Various communications campaigns can help establish and maintain a more widespread positive image.

5. Select and use appropriate media: Plan to use a combination of approaches best suited to reaching your targeted audiences and that make best use of your financial resources. Include a variety of methods including phone calls, letters, e-mail, newsletters, PSAs, press releases, and editorials.

For detailed information on how to start a non profit, I suggest you read the following books:

- Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization -- by Joan M. Hummel
- Starting and Running a Non-Profit Made Easy by Entrepreneur Press, David H. Bangs
- Starting & Building A Nonprofit: A Practical Guide by Peri Pakroo

Loans or Credit Cards: Which is a Better Source of Funds?

One of the many concerns of startup entrepreneurs is where to get capital for starting their business. Should they apply for a loan from a bank or lending institution? Or should they simply use their credit cards?

Bank financing may turn out cheaper than credit cards, but credit cards are much easier to avail of than bank financing. It really depends on many factors:

1. Can you get bank financing? You must be able to convince the bank that your business will make money. More importantly, that you can repay the loan. If you are not likely to get bank financing, then credit cards can be your option.

2. Do you have collateral? Banks need collateral for your loans -- even those guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. Credit cards, of course, do not need collateral before you can borrow. If you don't have collateral, then credit cards are the way to go.

3. Do you have good credit history? If you already have credit card, then you have access to money, even if you presently don't have good credit history. With bank loans, you need to prove that you have the right character - and that means you have proven to honor your debts and pay them on time.

4. Have you prepared a business plan? Banks require a business plan; credit cards do not.

5. Can the amount you need be covered by your credit card balance? If you need a small amount then credit card may be a faster and easier way to get capital

6. How much do you need? If you need $200,000 then bank financing would be the way to go. But if you only need $5,000 (and you don't have the 6Cs that banks need then you are better off with credit card)

7. What is the type of your business? Banks hardly give loans to home businesses, and still view Internet-based businesses as high risk. If you are planning to start these types of businesses, then you are better off with credit card.

Banks evaluate your credit worthiness and risk levels of your business. They can be cheap, but it is harder. Credit cards on the other hand are easy to get, but they are an expensive source of funds.

Business Idea: Starting a Translation Business

If you are thinking of starting a translation business, here are some free articles that provide great information:

• When In Rome…Start your own translation busines http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,274484,00.html
• Launching a Translation Career http://www.writing-world.com/international/mirsky.shtml
• Life as a Translator http://www.foreignword.com/Articles/Rogers/p2.htm

As for licenses, check with your county for the requirements for starting this business. Translation is often not included in professions that needs to be licensed before it can operate, but it is best to check with your local county.

You may want to consider getting certified by the following organizations:

• Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) http://www.iti.org.uk/indexMain.html
• American Translators Association (ATA) http://www.atanet.org/
• Société française des Traducteurs (SFT) http://www.sft.fr/
• US National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators http://www.najit.org/
• Institute of Linguists http://www.iol.org.uk/

Free Press Release Submission Services

Press releases should be one of the strategies in your marketing arsenal. They allow you to reach media who may write about your business, or reach your customers directly. On the Web, you have the added benefit of increasing your one way inbound links and improve your search engine rankings.

PowerHomeBiz.com offers a free press release submission to entrepreneurs. I'm trying to make a list of other websites that entrepreneurs can use to submit their press releases for free. Of course, "free" can have different meanings -- limited distribution, free only for posting on their website (but not for wide distribution), or free because they serve ads on their pages where your release is posted.

Nonetheless, here are some of the sites that offer "free" press release distribution.

http://www.prleap.com/sign_up.html
http://i-newswire.com/
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi
http://www.pr.com/press-releases
http://www.prfree.com/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index.shtml
http://www.theopenpress.com/
http://www.przoom.com/
http://www.prweb.com
http://www.newswiretoday.com/
http://www.free-press-release.com/

Please email me if you know of any other websites.

How to Grow Your Email Opt-in List

Silverpop.com, an email marketing company, released a survey they conducted on how to grow an email list. Entitled 2006 Email List Growth Survey, the report looked at the strategies that companies successful in email marketing use in growing their opt-in subscribers.

Here are the findings of the study:

1. Experience pays off. Companies who have been managing and maintaining 1 million or more lists tend to have been in the business of email marketing longer, or about 5 years. (Not a surprise considering they've had more time to grow their list and get their names out there).

2. Evaluate and assess. The survey found that 60% of companies with lists of 1 million or more regularly evaluate and analyze their list source.

3. Relationship building tool. Majority of successful email marketers use email as a relationship-building tool, not as a means to acquire new customers.

4. Location, location, location. Those who are successful in growing their email lists are those who put their optin box on EVERY page, not just homepage. This, for me, is the most useful finding of the study. We all know that not all visitors come in via the homepage, yet many just put their subscription list on the frontpage (PowerHomeBiz.com included). 53% of those who have email lists of 500,000-1 million have an optin box on their every page! The principle is simple: the more you ask, the more you receive.

5. Give incentives to register. Be clear on what those who register can receive when they give you their permission to contact them. It can be news/notification, contests, giveaways, how to/best practices, etc. Companies who do not offer any value proposition tend to have smaller lists.

6. Tactics to grow lists. Below is the list of strategies companies included in Silverpop's survey will use to grow their email lists:

• Offline advertising/direct marketing = 64%
• Trade shows = 54%
• Search/Online marketing = 51%
• Viral marketing = 49%
• Cross promotions = 46%
• Call center = 38%
• Co-marketing = 29%
• In store/Point of sale = 29%
• Non branded list rental = 21%
• Co registration = 19%
• Appends = 11%

7. Most successful strategies. The planned strategies, however, are not always the most succesful. Those strategies with limited success are: viral marketing, cross promotions, co-marketing, co registration and appends.

The most successful tactics are:

• Online marketing/search
• Offline marketing/Direct marketing
• Trade shows

You can read the full study at Silverpop.com (you may be required to register first before the study will be emailed to you)

Business Idea: Starting a Coffee Shop Business

Starbucks proved that coffee is one hot commodity (literally and figuratively!) that many would-be business owners are planning to start their own coffee shop business. People are making it a habit to visit their favorite coffee shop everyday to get their latte fix.

One important note, though -- this is a business that requires capital and can hardly be started on a $5,000 budget. In fact, according to Bellissimo Coffee Infogroup, http://www.espresso101.com/coffee_faq.html you will need the following amounts to start your coffee shop business:

• Coffee Cart: Usual start-up cost is $20,000–$25,000 to open and stock.
• Kiosk: Depending on the size and what menu items are offered, it will usually cost between $50,000–$60,000.
• Coffee Drive-Thru: The cost of opening a drive-thru espresso business operation can vary dramatically, from the the very small units for less than $30,000 to anywhere between $80,000–$180,000 depending on how the shop looks.
• Sit Down: The cost of opening a sit-down coffee shop is comparable to the cost of opening an upscale drive-thru. Start-up costs for most 1200 sq. ft. coffee bars average $150,000 to $300,000.

You may want to read the following articles:

• So, You Wanna Open a Coffee Shop
• EspressoBusiness.com (has a nice section on what to avoid in terms of coffee shop business)
• Links to various resources on starting a coffee business
• Coffee Shop Sample Business Plan (free)

For in-depth information, you may want to read the following books:

• Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Coffee Bar (The Complete Idiot's Guide)by Linda Formichelli
• Start and Run a Coffee Bar (Start & Run a)by Tom Matzen, Marybeth Harrison
• How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop by Elizabeth Godsmark
• FabJob Guide to Become a Coffee House Owner (FabJob Guides)by Tom Hennessey
• ESPRESSO! Starting and Running Your Own Specialty Coffee Business by Joe Monaghan and Julie Sheldon Huffaker

Business Idea: Starting an Adult Daycare Business

I come from a place where culture does not allow for businesses such as adult day care to thrive. Children are supposed to look after their aging parents, and to hand over the responsibility to an organization or business is frowned upon by the community. Hence, there are hardly any adult daycares or nursing homes, for that matter.

Nonetheless, in the United States, adult day cares are growing and thriving. Adult day cares typically are an alternative to traditional nursing homes, and service is aimed to be more personal and cost is more affordable. The aging of the baby boomers is ensuring that this business has high demand. Typical clientele include elderly men and women who cannot live safely in their own homes, but do not require the full-time skilled nursing care provided by convalescent hospitals. They are looking for minimal supervision and assistance -- as well as companionship -- in order to live independently as possible.

If you are planning on starting an adult daycare business, here are some resources to help you and give you information:

• National Adult Day Services Association, Inc
• Planning and Creating Successful Adult Day Services and Other Home and Community-Based Services
• Opening an Adult Day Care Facility
• Adult Day Health Services
• Adult Day Care
• Elder Care Sample Business Plan

For in-depth information, you can check the following books:

• Standards and Guidelines Workbook: Adult Day Care (Paperback) by National Institute on Adult Daycare
• Adult Day Care: A Practical Guidebook and Manual by Lenore A. Tate
• How to Start and Operate an Elderly Adult Day-Care Center by Gwen M. Walker
• Adult day care: A basic guide by Sudie Maready Goldston
• Planning and Managing Adult Day Care: Pathways to Success by Linda Cook Webb

Ecommerce Statistics

I'm a stats junkie, and I am always curious about the numbers of Web operations. That's why I just love the Top 500 Guide http://www.internetretailer.com/top500/ of Internet Retailer magazine, which is a 260-page directory ranking and profiling of the 500 largest e-retailers based on their 2005 online sale. The book of course focuses on mostly big businesses, but it is interesting to learn what made these companies successful.

Here are some interesting facts from the this publication:

• Fastest growing etailers. Among the 100 largest e-retailers in 2004, Zappos.com grew at the fastest rate (101%) in 2005. Among all the Top 500, Blockbuster.com had the best growth rate, expanding its web sales 17-fold in 2005 to $146.7 million to become the country's 70th largest e-retail business, through it still lags well behind Netflix (#21), the pioneer and leader in online movie rentals.
• Conversion rates. Peapod converted 31% of its visitors into buyers, giving it the highest conversion rate among the Top 500 e-retailers, while BMI Gaming, with a conversion rate of only 0.1%, had the lowest visitor-to-business ratio among the Top 500.
• Profitable Online Niche. While there are only 11 office supply merchants in the Top 500, they generated $10.3 billion in online sales last year (or 12.5% of total online sales generated by the Top 500 e-retailers).
• Average Web Item Sales. The average retail sales ticket online is about $167. The smallest average web ticket in the Top 500 is $9.50 and the largest is $4,000.

Business Idea: Starting a Comic Book Store

I have received several questions on how to start a comic book store. I'm not a big fan of comics except for X-Men but I understand that comics afficionados are passionate about their comics and can be one of the most loyal customers you can have.

I found a great resource on how to start your own comic bookstore, including where to get distribution agreements to be able to sell DC, Marvel and other comic titles. This site also discusses the discounts you can get from the dealers based on your volume, and other very helpful information.

http://www.newsarama.com/pages/Tilting/Tiltingv2_7.htm

One of the places where you can purchase your inventory is Diamond Comics Distributor http://retailer.diamondcomics.com/newaccts/customer.htm

For a retail store, you will also need to consider the following:

• choosing the best location that you can afford
• getting all the licenses and permits to operate a store (from retail license to fire safety to zoning)
• buying insurance to protect your business from fire, theft, and other unexpected circumstances
• choosing the name of your store and your logo

Some websites that may help you:

Grand Comics Database http://www.comics.org/
The Comics Journal http://www.tcj.com/
Comic Art Magazine http://www.comicartmagazine.com/
Comic Shop News http://www.csnsider.com/

To give you ideas on how to operate a bookstore and a hobby store, here are some books you may want to read on operating a retail store:

• So You Want To Own The Store : Secrets to Running a Successful Retail Operation by Mort Brown, Thomas Tilling
• Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business (Start & Run a) by Jim Dion
• Specialty Shop Retailing: How to Run Your Own Store Revised by Carol L. Schroeder
• Retail Success! by George Whalin
• Retail Business Kit for Dummies by Rick Segel
• 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, Revised Edition (2003) by Edgar A. Falk

You may also want to check if there's a trade association for comic book sellers in your area. Here is an example :
Minnesota Comic Book Association http://www.mncba.com/

Improving Effectiveness of Email Marketing

Direct Magazine has an article in their July 2006 issue showing how the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society improved the effectiveness of their email campaigns by -- get this -- slashing their email lists. They reduced their email subscriber list from 33,636 subscribers to only 4,510. That's a whopping 87 percent drop!

The director of emarketing of this nonprofit org explained that there was no point in having a large list when they have a poor open rate and a "pretty bad" clickthrough rate. The LLS found that their subscribers were not getting their emails because their emails were blocked by email providers. The reason? Too many spam complaints, which results in their emails being blocked by ISPs. So what they did was to request their subscribers again for permission to email them.

The result was a huge drop in their subscribers list. But spam complaints also dropped from 27 or 0.51% per campaign to zero, and the average open rate rose from 25.2% to 53.1%. Average click-through rate rose from 6.6% to 21.5%. What's surprising is that average clicks per campaign remained the same.

This approach feels too drastic, even for me. But I like their reasoning, which I find to make absolute sense. Why hang on to a gargantuan email list when these people are not interested in what you have to say anyway? It feels good to have 30,000 subscribers but if only 300 of that click on your emails, then something is not right somewhere. This is a strategy worth thinking over.

You can read the full article from Direct Magazine

Don'ts of Online Retail

In last year's issue of my favorite publication, Internet Retailer (a must-have for those selling on the Web), they had a short box insert on the don'ts of online retail that I want to share with you.

Here are some of the common mistakes of retailers that result in lost sales:

1. Don't assume customers want to spend the rest of their life on your site = Most of the big online stores do a good job with speed; it is more of a problem with small sites. Smaller sites cannot afford to purchase Akamai license for load balancing or other tech goodies to make the site work faster. So it is important to check if there's bloat in the code and unnecessary elements in site design. Just focus on elements that will drive the sale.

2. Don't force customers with elements like log-in or email address before checkout. I don't really mind this as Amazon or Gap.com asks you to sign in. But I suppose some will think of it as hindrance. I would be interested to see any study that shows that customers indeed abandon their shopping carts when asked to login prior.

3. Don't use your business language - use your customer language. I often make the mistake of writing something that I think is clear to me, only to be met with a "Huh?" look from my husband. I think asking someone not connected with your business to act as a a potential customer and see how clear the copy and how easy to understand the writing on the site.

4. Don't let technology drive your business - let your customers drive it : this of course is more applicable to big businesses rather than small businesses. Small businesses can hardly afford the basic technologies of running an ecommerce business, more so the bells and whistles customization often seen in big websites

5. Don't overbuild; think what customers want. The flash intro that nobody wants but only shows how "cool" the site is. Not.

6. Don't let engineers write your error messages ("Please enter your password; must be at least 8 characters" vs. "This string is shorter than the minimum allowed length"). This is so true even for information sites, not just online retailers.

7. Don't stock customers' inboxes. My pet peeve. I know I've bought items from some sites, but sometimes I want to scream "enough is enough!" There's this company that sends me 2-3 emails a day that I really had to block them (I'm typically very patient and simply deletes emails I don't like).

8. Don't lie to customers about shipping costs, shipping duration, merchandise availability, steps in the process = I remember an experience I had with Overstock when I purchased gift items from them last Christmas. Fedex's tracking said that the item was already delivered on the day when my family stayed at home. I was confused and furious thinking that the item may have been lost! Apparently Fedex made a mistake and the item arrived 3 days later.

9. Don't use "Click here" as a link or button label. Use the action or destination that it will trigger

Business Idea: How to Start a Cooking School

If you are interested in starting a business teaching people how to cook, you may want to check the International Association of Culinary Professionals http://www.iacp.com/ as they have a Cooking School subcommittee, which provides information and networking opportunities for starting a cooking school. They have a publications area, which may have information on how to start a cooking school.

Contact them at:

International Association of Culinary Professionals
304 West Liberty Street - Suite 201
Louisville, KY 40202 USA
Telephone US (502) 581-9786
Fax US (502) 589-3602
E-mail: iacp@hqtrs.com

It is important to check with your local health department for the requirements of starting a cooking school. In many places, you will be required to teach cooking in a certified industrial kitchen.

Some recommended books include:

• Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen
• The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition by Culinary Institute of America
• Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques by Le Cordon Bleu

If you need help in starting your business, you can find someone to help and mentor you from these organizations:

• Government Mentoring Programs such as SBDCs, which works with community colleges and local business development councils to offer mentoring programs http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/sbdcnear.html ; or the Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training http://www.sba.gov/womeninbusiness/wnet_roundtables.html
• Volunteer programs such as SCORE http://www.score.org which is composed of mostly retired executives and entrepreneurs
• Formal mentoring programs such as Athena Foundation http://www.athenafoundation.org/programs/globallinks.html , Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program http://www.helzbergmentoring.org/HEMP/ , or The Aspen Institute MicroMentor Program http://www.micromentor.org
• Professional organizations such as the National Women’s Business Council http://www.nwbc.gov/Mentoring/programs.html
• Industry and trade associations
• Local business groups, such as the chamber of commerce
• Local chapters of business groups

How to Start an Importing Business

If you are planning to start a business importing items into the USA, I suggest you read the following US Bureau of Custom's papers

• Importing into the United States: A Practical Guide for Commercial Importers -- this is a 200-page document that tells you the eligible items you can import and the invoices required, among other things
• How Cargo Flows Securely into the US
• US Embassy (look at the last page as it has a good link of websites for additional info)

Other websites worth checking are:

• CMTAC Trade Information Database http://latrade.cmtac.org/trade_info/index.cfm
• Dont's of Importing http://www.gattiassociates.com/CM/Articles/Articles1277.asp
• Flowchart of the export process http://www.export.gov/exportbasics/index.asp
• Going Global http://www.going-global.com/articles/

These trade association websites also have loads of information on how to start an export import business:

• Federation of International Trade Association http://fita.org/index.html
• Professional Association of Exporters and Importers http://www.paei.org/

You may also want to check out the following books:

- Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade
- Exporting, Importing, and Beyond : How to 'Go Global' With Your Small Business
- Selling to the World: Your Fast and Easy Guide to Exporting and Importing
- Start and Run a Profitable Exporting Business
- Start Your Own Import/Export Business

Business Opportunity vs. Business Idea?

When thinking of starting a home business, many are torn between starting their own business or buying into a home business opportunity.

In my opinion, the benefit of business opportunity is that you are buying into a business that has already been setup and may have proved successful to others. It reduces the time and cost of starting a business from scratch, especially if the bizopp already provides the tools you need (e.g. a website template, marketing tips and manuals, etc.).

The downside of bizopps is that it may be beneficial only to the owner of the program - not to those buying into the biz opportunity. In PowerHomeBiz.com, we have met many entrepreneurs who complained of being scammed from the bizopps they thought were legit. Some were very disappointed to see that the bizopp, which promised them that they could earn X amount of money, did not deliver. Worse, they even lost money! The perceived benefit of bizopp which is lesser risk did not pan out well for them.

Another reason is that you will be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of entrepreneurs who have bought into the business. Worse, you may all have the same website that looks exactly alike except for a few cosmetic changes here and there. From Success University to Liberty League to Quicklister, we have advertisers running simultaneously and all of them have the same exact websites! Given that there's no extra content that will set one bizopp buyer from the other site, marketing and advertising costs become higher in a bid to stand out from the crowd.

By starting your own business from scratch, the advantage is you have more control, more leeway on how to approach the business. You can be more innovative. You also have lower chances of getting scammed (which is pretty common in bizopps) because you are starting a business yourself. Whether you are starting a daycare business, virtual assistant business or a web publishing business, you have more room to grow.

Plus, if your business idea proved to be a success, then you can create your own bizopp that others can buy. Or you can sell it to companies like Yahoo. Or attract investors. You can never grow a bizopp in this way because you just bought a part of the business; not the entire business.

In my 2 cents, I prefer starting with a business idea, instead of a bizopp. There is more room to succeed with your own business; more risks of course but I'd rather have people buy into my idea than me buying into their idea.