Redundant? Unemployed? Be your own Boss. Part two

Theodora has produced a programme to help new entrepreneurs find a business that suits them. It also will give existing entrepreneurs the opportunity to extend their businesses or find new financial mountains to climb Show Me Financial Freedom .

Yesterday it was all about looking on the bright side of being jobless. Today we’ll look at some of the obstacles you’ll face right at the start. Forewarned is forearmed.

The first and largest obstacle is your own state of mind. Which do you feel?

Despair? A sense of inferiority – that you are somehow lacking in something but you don’t’ know what?

Humiliation? Shame? The feeling that you will be looked down on by your family, friends and aquaintances? Uselessness? Anger?

The list of negative feelings is long and the more you dwell on them the longer it gets.

O.K. Take a couple of days to wallow a bit and get it out of your system then take yourself in hand and get started. You are now your own boss. You are your business. Are you going to accept failure?

Unfortunately a lot of people never get past the first step, hide in the comforting shade of Social Security and become too terrified to step out of it. The longer you rely on that prop the more difficult it is to step out of it and the more terrifying the outside world appears. The obstacles seem bigger the longer you look at them and you become smaller and more insignificant in your own eyes. So the sooner you get a grip and take the first step to independence the better.

More obstacles to look out for tomorrow. But don’t worry – the solutions are on the way.

In the meantime why not consider some suggestions for business start-ups in ‘Easy Ways to Make Money from Car Boot Sales and Markets’ and ‘Twelve Easy Ways to Make Money With Your Camera’ both by Lesley Cooper.   These short Ebooks are really inexpensive and are available to download from Amazon. They are part of the ‘Show Me Financial Freedom – The Key to Success’ series of short Ebooks which are designed to help readers find their own niches with suggestions for their development. More books are in preparation at the moment.

Please send all comments and questions to freedom@percydale.com to ensure that you receive a quick reply.

In the meantime why not consider some suggestions for business start-ups in ‘Easy Ways to Make Money from Car Boot Sales and Markets’ and ‘Twelve Easy Ways to Make Money With Your Camera’ both by Lesley Cooper.   These short Ebooks are really inexpensive and are available to download from Amazon. They are part of the ‘Show Me Financial Freedom – The Key to Success’ series of short Ebooks which are designed to help readers find their own niches with suggestions for their development. More books are in preparation at the moment.

Please send all comments and questions to freedom@percydale.com to ensure that you receive a quick reply.

Survive The Recession And Grow

Listening to the news can be depressing. Terrorism and 'weapons of mass destruction' are no longer the main threat. Economic collapse worldwide is looming. Now is the time to act.
Two things to think about.

a)   When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
b)   Don't wait until you're up to your neck in alligators before you start draining the swamp. (Think about it.)

1)      Look for a money making opportunity. Why not start a business at home? If you can earn a second income it will be the first step in gaining financial freedom. Follow this plan to get started on the right road.

2)      Be positively optimistic. Making money at home is not impossible but if you have a negative approach you will never achieve anything.

3)      Do not mix with people who are negative. If they are members of your family so you can’t avoid them make it quite clear that being negative will not be tolerated. Let everyone else moan about how hard up they are now. You are going to do something about it.

4)      Being positive not letting your problems overwhelm you. It is not the same as ignoring the facts. So now you must make a complete breakdown of your financial situation. Sort them into a) Urgent (mortgage or rent, utility bills, Direct Debits, credit card or loan repayments, etc.). b) Important (living expenses, clothes, entertainment, etc.)  Can be postponed, reduced or cancelled (magazine subscriptions, club memberships, entertainments.)

5)      Now you need to look for money making business ideas and business opportunities. Everyone has some skill, information, experience or time that other people will be glad to pay for. So start thinking, start writing and work out just what you have to offer. Need help to develop your ideas? Visit http://showme-financialfreedom.co.uk/  and see how ‘Prospecting for Gold’ can take you step by step through the process of finding and developing your business niche as fast and as far as you want it to go.

Theodora is has produced a programme to help new entrepreneurs find a business that suits them. It also will give existing entrepreneurs the opportunity to extend their businesses or find new financial mountains to climb Show Me Financial Freedom

Don’t Be Caught Out By Extravagant Promises.

These are desperate times. And it is at times like these that people are tempted to try these schemes that cost anything from £5,000-£9,000. And there are enough of them about. What makes them really attractive is the promise that if you don’t make a profit in the first few months you will be refunded anything you’ve spent.

Sounds great doesn’t it? You can’t lose – until you read the small print on the acceptance document you receive when you’ve made your money.

Somewhere near the end of the letter will be a sentence pointing out that the cost of the course isn’t included in that promise. Only expenses accrued after the introductory course will be considered. Even if you have only made £1 profit you won’t be able to claim.

Perhaps you realise that the opportunity may not be as golden as it first appeared but there is a let-out clause. The seminars are usually two or three days long. The promise is that if you think the business is not for you as long as you back out by the afternoon you can reclaim the full fee.

Drawback! - The full details of what commitment is required in the way of time and cash are not always made clear on the first day. In fact negative points are not made until it is too late.

What the people who promote these courses don’t tell you is that they make their money from selling the course to hopefuls like us, not from following the course.

To my mind the promoters of these courses are guilty of mis-selling. Trading Standards agree but as most of the people in the department know nothing about internet business they aren’t interested in following it up.

It is because of these what I see as dodgy practices that I decided to put together the Prospecting For Gold programme.

Prospecting For Gold helps you to find and develop a full or part time business (the choice is yours) using only the time and money you have at your disposal. There are guidelines for getting started even if you have little time and no money. You are helped to find what skills, knowledge or experience you have that people will be anxious to buy or learn.

You will learn how to get people to pay you for what they want from you.

And the unique promise is that at any time you can stop using the course and restart it whenever you want at the place you left off. You don’t have to start again from the beginning. And of course you don’t make any payments when you are not taking the monthly manuals.

It doesn’t cost thousands or even hundreds. I can offer Prospecting For Gold for just £27 per month. (Outside the UK fees will be slightly higher related to the cost of postage.)

Theodora is has produced a programme to help new entrepreneurs find a business that suits them. It also will give existing entrepreneurs the opportunity to extend their businesses or find new financial mountains to climb. Visit http://showme-financialfreedom.co.uk .

Ten Ways To Build A Customer List.

1. Preparation is 75% of the battle. Choose a niche subject which interests you and study the question and answer sections in relevant magazines. More information on readers’ problems is what they will pay for. So:-

2. The most obvious things is to find a product that a lot of people want. Notice want, not need. People will fulfil their wants rather than their needs. Buying something you want has the feel good factor.

3. Get to know your product. Come over as an expert by knowing what you’re talking about. Feel genuine enthusiasm.

4. Write a short Press Release about your product and email it to all the publications whose readers might be interested in your product. Don’t make false claims but make sure you note all the plus points. If you’re not sure how to write a good Press Release email pressrelease@percydale.com for a Free leaflet.

5. Find clubs, organisations and web sites and write letters. Talk about what you know with fellow enthusiasts and you can’t go far wrong. Ask questions or request info from readers. Always include contact details. Replies will give you contact addresses of people who are actively interested in your chosen niche.

6. Contact secretaries of clubs with details to be put on notice boards or included in members’ newsletters. Offer special rates to people who order through them.

7. Put a brief advert in the classified sections of magazines and newspapers directing people to your web page for free information available via a squeeze page. Want to know more about squeeze pages? Email Squeeze@percydale.com for free information.

8. If you make your promotion letters interesting to read then it’s not just people who share your interest that will be interested. Others readers will be intrigued and possible follow it up. This may sound odd but... people are interested in what’s interesting.

9. Have your product all ready to go as soon as you get the response you want. Have a follow-up product ready to promote in 2 to 4 weeks time.

10. Include a nice friendly letter thanking your customer for their custom. Possibly offer a desirable incentive gift in return for them recommending two addresses of people who might be interested in receiving information.

A warning to entrepreneurs who write regular newsletters.

Are you on a regular e-mail list?

Have you found that the e-mails you get are becoming more and more nothing more than marketing promotions for some affiliated product or other? They go something like this:-

‘Hi, Theodora,
I’ve just come across a brilliant new way to _ _ _ _. My friend (says who?), Joe Bloggs (or whoever) is making a £9k per week doing _ _ _. Now he’s offering to help you do the same.
I’ve looked at _ _ _ _ and it really is a fantastic opportunity.
Find out more about how he can help you become rich beyond your wildest dreams at http://www.-----.’

The first thing I notice is that the web page reference is a hoplink to an affiliate site. Anyone can register with Clickbank, Amazon, Ebay, etc and register as an affiliate of that product.

It’s probable that the person who sent you the e-mail has gleaned all the info about the product from the promotional blurb, not from personal experience.

Now I don’t mind that. What I do object to as the pretence that this is a personal information.

Why not come straight out and say:-

‘(Hi, Theodora,
I know you’re interested in _ _ _ _. Have you looked at (the hoplink to the affiliate’s page)? Let me know what you think.’

No pretence, straightforward and I’d probably visit the site even if I didn’t think I really was interested.

So be warned. Honesty is always best – even in affiliate marketing.

E-mail comments welcomed to ckerrydancer@aol.com
Subject 'Business' or visit www.percydale.com or www.darkhorseresearch.com