Designing and selling shirts or other branded merchandise used to involve extensive amounts of time, financing, and resources. An online service has now made it possible to get started for free, with little knowledge or skills required.

CafePress is a print-on-demand service for clothing and gifts. Much like POD book printing, you design the images that you want to appear on the products, and CafePress prints and ships each item as it is ordered. There is no inventory for you to maintain or financial transactions for you to manage. You get paid a monthly commission based on what you sell.

There are 3 main steps to preparing products to sell:

1. Design your image according to the provided resolution and size specifications.
2. Upload the image to your media basket using the browser based tool provided.
3. Choose from over 70 products to have your design appear on.

Click here for the five most valuable tips for using CafePress to make money.

Don’t buy “One Minute Millionaire” until you read this. Does anyone out there actually believe that they can become a millionaire in one minute?

If you are familiar with who the authors of “One Minute Millionaire”, you have to ask yourself why these professionals are writing this book. Mark Victor Hansen is best known for his “Chicken Soup For The Soul” series of books. He’s a multi-millionaire. Robert Allen made his millions with a real estate book called “Nothing Down” which explains how to use other people’s money to make a fortune in real estate. Allen is a character, he regularly puts outrageous challenges out to the media like, “Sit me at the keyboard of any computer in the world with access to the Internet, and in just 24 hours I’ll earn at least $24,000.00 in cash.” Ok, so he actually delivers on his promises, (he made over $94,000.00 in 24 hrs).

So these guys are multi-millionaires, so why don’t they just go sit on a yacht and live the life of the rich and shameless? According to their book it’s because they have a new goal. Their goal is to create 1,000,000 millionaires. I don’t know about you, but if someone wants to make me a millionaire I am not going to stand in their way.

Read the Complete Book Review Here.

8 Opt-In Offers Your Visitors Can’t Refuse - Entrepreneur

These days, consumers know that their personal information is gold, and they won’t give it to you unless you give them a really compelling reason to opt in to your list. And it’s definitely worth your while to give them the incentive because a good opt-in e-mail list will start generating profits for your work at home business immediately–and continue to do so well into the future.

There are tons of different incentives you can use to encourage people to give you their personal information, but not every offer will suit every website or business.

Most people think of newsletters right off the bat, for instance. But for some businesses, a free newsletter just won’t work. Suppose, for example, that your site sells washers and dryers. You’re going to be hard pressed to come up with interesting, relevant information about laundry for your free newsletter every month.

Before you start a newsletter, think about how much relevant information you can deliver to your audience and how much time you have to put it together so it can be delivered regularly. If it turns out that a newsletter isn’t a good fit for your business, here are eight other ways to collect your prospects’ e-mail addresses: [Read the 8 Tips from Entrepreneur]

Entrepreneur

Top Tax Write-Offs for Your Home Business That Could Get You in Trouble With the IRS

From guard dogs to Las Vegas-style showgirl costumes, there’s no limit to what people will try to write off at tax time for the sake of their business. But where do you draw the line? Which write-offs you’re trying to write off go too far?

We assembled a team of three leading tax attorneys to get their advice on how far is too far in the land of tax write-offs. Our team of experts include Cliff Ennico, a Connecticut-based business attorney who specializes in advising small businesses and entrepreneurs; Donna LeValley, a tax attorney and contributing editor to the J.K. Lasser annual tax guide; and Alvin S. Brown, a tax attorney who formerly worked with the office of the chief counsel of the IRS for more than 25 years.

Tax Write-Off:Travel Expenses
Here’s a write-off that’s sometimes difficult deciding just where to draw the line. Can you deduct the cost of going to see a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas if you’re treating your client? The answer is yes, as long as you can justify it as a business expense. And what if your spouse goes along on the trip? As long as they’re a partner or employee of your business and attended conventions or meetings on the trip you took together, then his or her travel and 50 percent of his or her meals are also deductible…. [Read the Rest from Entrepreneur]

Writing for a living is the career choice of many creative professionals - whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, technical, trade, online or other specialist area. Writing markets and mediums are wide and offer numerous business opportunities for freelancers, consultants and telecommuters.

A sizable proportion of the writing community work as freelancers. Many work from home offices or laptops from locations around the country and the globe. Writing is a job that has few physical boundaries, as long as you have access to a computer, the Internet and a phone - and of course, the talent. Freelance writers enjoy flexible hours and freedom of movement, even though the work is deadline driven. For many writers, their work is a labor of love. But it’s also reassuring to learn that writing skills are in high demand across all industries. According to labor market research, job opportunities for writers are on the rise and demand from newspapers, magazines, websites, business and non-profit organizations and book publishers is expected to be strong. So, with the right mix of skill, experience, qualifications, effective networking and marketing, you can combine a rewarding career with the benefits of a free agent lifestyle.

The markets for freelance writers are numerous and diverse. Print and online publishers, business of all sizes, public relations firms, advertising agencies, professional, non-profit and religious organizations, educational institutions and government agencies use the services of freelancers and consultants. You might be commissioned to write a book, article, newsletter or marketing copy. Or you might be contracted on a project-basis or for a set timeframe. A good source of work are the rapidly growing special interest publications (online and print) aimed at ‘niche’ markets.

So, how do you kick-start your freelance career? A proven track record or evidence that demonstrates your talent is vital. Show potential clients that you can express ideas clearly and logically and that you can work to a brief. A relevant college degree (journalism, communications or even liberal arts) is highly regarded, as is some on-the-job training. Technical or business writers require qualifications and/or professional experience in a specialized field like IT, law or engineering. Online writers often need to be familiar with web technology and electronic publishing software software. Learn more below: