Well, let’s see.

You get a list of 25,000 people and send an email that averages $1.00 per subscriber. 25,000 x 1% buy rate is 250 orders. 250 x 100 = $#25,000.

If you wanna make a million in 24 hours, you calculate a buy rate of 1%, and figure out the rest. One million divided by $1,000 = 1,000 orders. So you need 1,000 people to buy. At a 1% buy rate, that means you need 100,000 visitors. Figure you can average 1500 visitors per joint venture partner and you need 67 joint venture partners to email their list.

Now, the above is ALL true.

However, the REASON I’m pointing it all out is to get the stars out of your eyes! People hear about someone making $25,000, $50,000 or more in a day, week or month and they go all starry eyed over it.

Fact is, the way all the “big name gurus” make the dollars in their sales letters is by emailing their list or getting friends to email their lists all at the same time. THAT is the product launch formula simplified.

The point of all this is to NOT let your eyes glaze over and get sucked into every online pitch that throws out BIG numbers.

The biggest set of numbers in a sales letter do NOT win!

What you need to do is start acquiring skills. The basics of writing articles and reports. Making Camtasia videos. Getting your hosting in place. Learning to ftp. Discovering how to get people to agree to be interviewed and how to record the interview, turn it into flash audio and post it on your web site. How to do surveys to find out what people want to buy.

Now relax, you don’t have to learn all those things at once, although a bunch of them are in Design Dashboard (although not nearly all of them.). My point is that instead of buying every highly hyped program that comes down the pike, pick and choose.

Get the programs (if you have the money) that teach you EVERGREEN skills. Things like the above.

You stack and layer skills one by one. Oh yes, I know full well the next guru in line will come along and tell you to outsource all of it, they don’t know how to do any of it, you have to build and manage a business, blah, blah, blah.

Listen, I do ALL of that and have been doing it for 7+ years before a lot of the current “gurus” even knew jack about online marketing. I’m all for outsourcing. But unless you have the money for it, I recommend you invest some time and trouble into learning to do the basics YOURSELF to begin with.

You’re a LOT better off forking over the money to buy a good PDF creator or Camtasia or ebook compiler than you are hopping on the next get-rich-easy pitch that really isn’t going to teach you EVERGREEN skills that last.

So get those stars out of your eyes and get busy learning the stuff that is NOT sexy but is REALLY important. Like maybe figuring out how to use an html editor. Like buying Dreamweaver or Web Expression. Or buying and following Design Dashboard. Or learning how to use an autoresponder or set up automateyourwebsite.com.

NONE of those activities are particularly fun. But they ARE the skeleton on which you build a successful online marketing business.

Marlon

Many of us who start a home business do so while we are still working in another job. Our jobs provide us with a risk-free income, covering living expenses and, if we’re lucky, for funding at least a portion of our business start-up costs. Most people in this position hope to eventually leave their jobs to work from home full-time. But when’s the “right” time to quit? While there’s no black and white answer to this question, here are a few things to consider:

Are you confident in your ability to earn an income?
Some ‘experts’ recommend that you stick with your home business for at least a year before you consider quitting your job. This will give you the opportunity to ‘feel out’ any possible trends that may occur during the year. For example, you may find that sales are slow during the summer, and that your strongest months are from January to April.

If your business has been profitable for at least a year, you’ll probably feel reasonably secure that you can continue to turn a profit even after you leave your job.
Full Article

There are many reasons why people choose to start a home-based business. Some of these are:
1. Dissatisfied with your present employment situation.
2. Out of work due for whatever reason.
3. You need to be home to care for young children.
4. You need to be at home to care for an infirm family member or aging parents.
5. You really want to be your own boss.
6. You really could use an additional income source.
7. You wish to have more time to spend with family or friends.

Over the years I have learned to recognize two of the most important factors in recognizing people who should not be starting a home based business. If a prospective entrepreneur says something like…

“I’m broke — I need to make some fast money!”
or,
“I really want to start a home-based business but I don’t want to spend any money on the business until I start making some money.”

…it is certain that they have not addressed reality and, with that mindset, they will most certainly fail.

Full Article: Tips For Starting Your Homebased Business

From Small Business Informer:

With the constant development and enhancement of the internet, more and more people are looking for successful home based business ideas. It’s not a question really of what you can do to be successful working at home, but what you can’t do to be successful. As long as you are willing to put in the effort and promote your business, you will have a successful home based business.

There are a number of successful home based business ideas, but it all begins with you trying them out and seeing what works best for you. So what are some of the ideas you can try out you may be wondering?

Freelance jobs are great because it is a broad category that allows you to work with your skills. There are a number of different freelance jobs including freelance writing, graphic designing, copywriting and so on. If you were to do a Google search for freelance jobs, it comes up with a result of over 14 million. The demand is there and so is the possibility for success.

One of the most well-known and popular successful home based business ideas is affiliate programs. There are hundreds of thousands of affiliate programs to choose from giving you the chance to promote programs that are associated with your website. Another benefit of affiliate programs is that there is no limit to how many you can join. However, if you truly want to have success with affiliate programs you should join no more than a few. The reason being is that it takes a lot of effort to promote affiliate programs….

Full Article

From Allbusiness.com:

If you are thinking about starting your own home-based business, the available options can be overwhelming. However, there are many tried and true home-based businesses that may be just what you are looking for.
Here are the top 25 home-based business ideas, in no particular order:

1. Personal trainer. If you are fitness-minded, you can start your own career as a personal trainer. Check out the National Federation of Professional Trainers for information about the certification process.
2. Yoga instructor. Begin sharing your expertise with others by teaching yoga classes. There are a number of online resources, depending on the school of yoga that you practice. The Yoga Alliance Web site provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and so on.
3. Tutoring. You can start a business tutoring students by advertising at schools, the local YMCA, and other places frequented by families. If you have children, talk to their teachers and determine the needs of your school district.
4. Business coaching. Have experience with management or some other specialized business skill? Share it with others by becoming a business coach. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.

Ideas 5 through 25 Here

From Entrepreneur.com:

Knitting may have been all the rage a few years ago, but today, it’s all about sewing, with sewing converts eager to design their own fashions and accessories. “It’s a way to express yourself,” says Steven Berger, CEO of the Craft and Hobby Association.

Susan Goldie, co-founder of Sewnow! Fashion Studio in Lafayette, California, is providing a place to sew as well as lessons for sewing newbies. Her diverse clients rent time on the professional-quality sewing machines, and parties and embroidery services round out her offerings. Goldie says that even before her December 2006 opening, the store garnered a lot of interest. “It’s been exciting to have people just come in and check out what’s going on and hear their enthusiasm for the products [and services],” says Goldie, 41. All the creativity is pushing first-year sales projections to $250,000.

Sewing-related businesses are kindling originality nationwide. “We’ve made a space for the creative community, and the energy is inspiring,” says Melissa Alvarado, 30, who co-founded Stitch Lounge in 2004 in San Francisco with Melissa Rannals, 30, and Hope Meng, 29. With classes, private lessons and a boutique to sell their clients’ creations, these childhood friends project 2007 revenue of about $150,000, running the store part time……

Full Article Here

From American Chronicle:

If you are thinking about owning your own profitable home based business, then you need to seriously think about advertising if you intend to build a strong and lasting business.

Most people think that if they have a website, then they already have a booming business. These people could not be more wrong! An online business starts with having a website and a web host, but if that’s all you’ve got, then who else is going to know about you?

The 98% of people who start an online business and decide to pack it in early because it’s “not working” are probably experiencing difficulties partly due to the fact that they have not properly marketed their business.

Full Article

From PowerHomeBiz.com:

Vivacious Inc launches a free online program that lets anybody manage their media collection online.

Most people with a large media collection will be familiar with the problem of not remembering whether or not they liked a certain book, where to find their favorite quotes, or what to cd to purchase next.

ManageThings provides an easy and convenient solution for all those, and many more, problems that book, music and movie lovers may encounter. Users of the website can catalog their entire collection using an intuitive search interface. All items in a user’s library can be customized with favorite quotes, overall opinion of the item, a summary and much more.

Learn More Here

What does it take to be successful in this field? Ambition, personal drive, motivation, desire and perseverance are the forerunners. Without these, all the skills and experience in the world won’t enable you to succeed. However, combine those with your personal skills and experience, and you’ll have what it takes.
Also, take into account the following: Are you ambitious, constantly striving for more fulfillment in life? Are you not fully satisfied until you’ve done your absolute best? If so, working from home is for you. There are no limitations. The more you put into the business, the more you’ll get out of it. You control your paycheck. Only you can determine what follows that dollar sign on your tax return each year.

Are you a self-starter? You alone are the one who will make this business a success or failure. The amount of time and energy you invest will determine just how successful you are with your business. Are you motivated enough to make things happen? In the beginning stages, a business will require a tremendous amount of hard work and long hours, often without immediate results. You need to be willing to invest that time and await the results with confidence.

Are you creative? Can you think of a new idea and within days make it a reality? What a joy it is to tap that inner imagination and create a new idea for your business. Whether it’s an effective advertising piece or a dazzling brochure for your clients, you have the power to make it work.

Full Article: Home-Based Business – Is it Right For You?

Press Release from PR.com:

Chicago, IL, February 21, 2007 –(PR.COM)– The Launch of Global Abundance Program (GAP), a Division of Universal Software Consulting, has taken the Internet marketing arena by storm. One of the top marketers for GAP, The Pinnacle Group, says the GAP home based business opportunity was recently launched with a simple and very powerful purpose, to attempt to totally eliminate any chance of failure for those involved.

In short, GAP is a comprehensive lead generation, marketing, product presentation and closing system designed to empower its members to achieve financial success. The company’s co-founders Mike Churchill & Tod Bell have extensive experience with online business opportunities. And while Mike and Tod knew they had the skills necessary to succeed, they also knew that the vast majority of others did not.

Most importantly, through working with many such individuals, Mike and Tod were able to isolate the 3 most important elements causing home business failure:

1. Lack of sufficient, qualified prospects;
2. Inability to deliver professional, effective product and opportunity presentations;
3. Closing the sale.

Read Full Press Release

Excerpt from Rockford Register Start:

Question: I would like to start my own small business from home. What’s a good idea for such a business?

Answer: As you have stated your question, that can be a tough question and in any case we really need more information. Such as, first we should establish the “Why” of your purpose in wanting that business. It might be a part-time business, and those part-timers can be the “hobby” type or maybe just a supplemental income type. Maybe you are unhappy with your job and think this will be a good way out of that situation. Or maybe it’s full-time and for all the marbles, that’s is, to make your living expenses. So what’s your purpose? Why do you want to own a business? Is there timing a factor? And such initial questions can go on and on.

The most important things to consider include your experiences, any special education or specializing courses, all your business experiences, maybe your hobby (s), your interests, perhaps available mentors, and maybe last but not least your passion. Sometimes in business, all that carries you through to the next plateau is persistence and passion.

Some people have personalities that are more suited to a particular home business. For instance, some people fail at the selling part because of the difficulty in handling and accepting rejection. Some fail at the ability to cope with the variety and moods of their customers. Financial controls are difficult for others. So how does your personality fit with the foils of business? Not how would you like to have them fit but how will they fit?

Article excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“It’s the great “aha” moment every entrepreneur seeks: You’ve come up with a home business idea that no one else has thought of- one that ultimately gets off the ground and really flies. Everybody has ideas, but how do you come up with those million-dollar ideas that translate into big work at home business success?

First, take a good look at yourself. What do you do best? Consider what’s most important to you and what gets your blood racing, says Robert G. Allen, co-author of “Cracking the Millionaire Code: Your Key to Enlightened Wealth.” If your interest is dogs, for instance, then start a business that has to do with dogs. If your passion is chocolate, do something that dips your life in chocolate. Thinking about your interests will help you focus your brainstorming and give you the staying power to persevere through the tedious parts of starting a business.

To spark more creativity, put yourself in unusual situations, avoiding the humdrum of everyday life. Meet different people, travel, and read. “Put yourself in areas that stimulate your mind,” says Fred Kiesner, chair of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Gathering with small groups of friends to brainstorm and imposing a deadline may also boost your imagination.

Another way to hit on a great idea: Take note of the obvious problems you encounter in everyday life. Not enough people allow an idea to permeate their psyche, even if it’s staring them in the face. Keep a pad of paper and a pen in your shirt pocket, your purse or on your bedside table. Or start a pile of index cards with ideas written on them. Periodically throw away the ones that don’t cut it, and hang on to those that might be before their time, says Rita McGrath, author of MarketBusters: 40 Strategic Moves That Drive Exceptional Business Growth.

Every edition of your daily newspaper contains at least five million-dollar ideas if you know what to look for, says Allen. In fact, he points out, just about every object around you made someone a fortune–whether it’s a lamp, your computer or the paint on your walls. Dream up ways to improve or rework those same products to create another big idea.

Read Full Article Here

We still need farms and factories, but the bulk of our future is built on ones and zeroes–pure data. And here’s the beauty in that: we no longer need to work in a centralized office. Data, the livelihood of more and more workers, can be sent to or accessed from anywhere. You can work for yourself or just by yourself from the comfort of your own home.

International corporations will continue to devour smaller companies, but in the online marketplace, everyone has a voice; everyone is a click away and a delete button from good bye. Home based internet businesses let anyone with a modem set up shop from anyplace–and compete against the big guys. Not every business will survive, but the playing field is much more level online.

Article Excerpt from Entrepreneur.com:

“I love talking about choosing a great home business idea because it’s one of the most exciting and fundamental parts of starting a work at home business. But thinking up a great idea is just the first step–it’s critical that you take the time to thoroughly examine the idea that’s to become your future livelihood. As most business owners eventually learn, it’s not the person running the business, the marketing or the employees that make or break a company’s success–it’s the quality and profitability of the idea behind the company.

When you go into business, you have to look at the idea or business opportunity driving it from a different angle than you might assume. Most people wrongly choose a business based on one of two personal biases:

It’s a business they already know. The hairdresser opens a salon, the lawyer his or her own practice and so on. Generally, a huge mistake. They’re thinking about the job–not the business. Just because you’re a good chef doesn’t mean you know how to run a restaurant. More important, it doesn’t mean a restaurant would be successful in your market.

It’s a product or service they’ve fallen in love with. Again, just because you love something doesn’t mean a profitable business will come of it. This is especially true for first-time entrepreneurs. Learning to run a business is hard enough; you don’t need to make it any harder by doing something you love rather than something customers love paying you a good profit for.
How can you be sure your intriguing idea is also something from which you can truly make a profit? Read Full Article Here.

BOOK REVIEW: “Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love”

“If you want to chuck your job and you’re looking for a good self-help book to help you become an entrepreneur, consider “Making A Living Without A Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love” by Barbara Winter. Winter says people can be “joyfully jobless” by developing “multiple profit centers.” Rather than depending upon a single source of income, Winters says people should diversify their sources of income. Winter likes the variety of doing different things.
In addition to being an author, Winter publishes a newsletter, gives speeches and seminars, and finds other creative ways to earn a living. Because she has an interest in tea, Winter earned money teaching people how to have afternoon tea parties.

Winter writes that many people find “producing a tea a mysterious process.” (Don’t you just put the little bags in a cup of water?). In addition to enjoying teaching tea, it gave Winter the opportunity to travel to England and deduct travel costs as tea research. One of Winter’s goals was to travel to England. She emphasizes that we should merge our personal goals with our business ideas, if possible.”

Read More

Article Excerpt from BusinessKnowHow:

“Like many aspiring entrepreneurs, you may have decided to break free of your job to live your dream of working from home. You’re ready to seize the opportunity for freedom, unlimited earning potential and chance to live your life exactly the way you want.

One of the biggest challenges you will face during the first two years will revolve around cash flow and money management.

In order to give yourself the best chance possible of surviving the first two years so you can thrive from that point on, it’s imperative that you achieve mastery in five areas:

1. Gain control over your spending today
2. Create a personal and business budget
3. Increase your financial IQ
4. Explore sources of capital
5. Think like a successful business owner…..”

Article Continues Here

10 Steps to Running a Successful Home-Based Business

No one wants their home based business to fail, but that prospect is something that every business owner thinks about. Luckily there are steps you can take to help ensure your success. These steps are easy to follow and will help you along your way to becoming a home-based business success instead of a failure.

1. Plan ahead.

2. Put money aside. Don’t begin your business with delusions of overnight success.

3. Organize your time.

4. Organize your space.

5. Stay focused. Remove as many distractions as you can from your home office and stay focused.

6. Figure out home business tax laws now, before it is too late. Don’t wait to research the tax laws that will impact your new business.

7. Advertise your business. You can’t afford to wait for your customers to come to you — you need to go out and get them.

8. Get the proper equipment.

9. Cover your assets. You cannot afford to lose money when it could be prevented by having proper insurance for your home business.

10. Do not get discouraged. Success does not come overnight. It will require dedication, hard work, and a lot of extra effort to make it a reality.

Read Details from AllBusiness.com

If you are thinking about starting your own home-based business, the available options can be almost dizzying. However, there are many tried and true home-based businesses that may be just what you are looking for. Below are the top 25 home-based business ideas, in no particular order.

1. Personal trainer. If you are fitness-minded, you can start your own career as a personal trainer. Check out the National Federation of Professional Trainers for information about the certification process.

2. Yoga instructor. Begin sharing your expertise with others by teaching yoga classes. There are a number of online resources, depending on the school of yoga that you practice. The Yoga Alliance Web site provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and so on.

3. Tutoring. You can start a business tutoring students by advertising at schools, the local YMCA, and other places frequented by families. If you have children, talk to their teachers and determine the needs of your school district.

4. Business coaching. Have experience with management or some other specialized business skill? Share it with others by becoming a business coach. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.

5. Consulting. If you are an expert in your industry, consider beginning your own consulting business.

6. Medical and legal transcription. If you have transcription skills and the necessary equipment, you can easily work from home for a variety of different companies. Check local community colleges or online for transcription training courses.

Read the Rest from AllBusiness

“Leaving corporate America to run a homebased business is the ideal situation for many people: There’s no boss breathing down your neck, no boring meetings to attend and no 45-minute drives in rush hour traffic. Working from home can be a rewarding experience, but it’s easy to forget the basic rules of running a successful business when it’s 10 hours of just you, your computer and the distractions of home.

To help you stay on track, we’ve contacted homebased business expert Rosalind Resnick, CEO of Axxess Business Centers Inc., a New York small-business consulting firm. Resnick is a former business journalist who has regularly contributed her expertise to Entrepreneur.com. She’s put together eight helpful tips for keeping your homebased business running smoothly.

Structure your day. The problem a lot of homebased business owners have is that they no longer have a boss standing over them making sure they get their work done, or a tangible start and end of each workday. It’s easy to let time slip by as you head to the refrigerator, catch a few minutes of TV, or dive into a project first thing in the morning, neglecting the other tasks you need to perform to keep your business running smoothly.

Create a structure that mimics what you had in the workplace. Structure your day so you have a start and finish time, with certain hours set aside for specific activities. A general rule is to spend the first hour of the day prospecting for new clients. Send your emails, write your letters and make your phone calls first thing so you don’t forget to do it later.

Use Outlook or some sort of contact management software to serve as a visual reminder of what you need to accomplish that day. Live and die by your to-do-list. Try to have everything crossed off by the end of the day. Even my own children know that if they want me to do something for them during working hours, they have to put it on my to-do-list or it will never get done. ”

[Read Tips 2 - 8 from Yahoo Small Business]

Hot Home Based Business Ideas for 2007 from Entrepreneur.com

There are thousands of home based businesses to choose from when you decide to start your own. How do you know which ones will be the most profitable in the years to come? To help you get started, here are five up and coming businesses to consider for 2006 that have the potential to be the next home based trend.

Alternative Energy Installing
If you’re troubled by the rising costs of heating and lighting your home, you’re like millions of other households that may be feeling the pain of high energy bills. The result is that lots of people are seeking alternatives. They want to get “off the grid.” In other words, be independent of utilities that use electricity, water, gas or propane. Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and wireless are among the technologies that are enabling increasing numbers of people to live independent of pipes and wires and rising utility payments.

Collection Agency
Difficult economic developments such as rising energy and health-care bills, record debt loads, the doubling of minimum payments on credit-card debt, and a $5-billion cut in child-support enforcement funds mean more business for collection agencies. These agencies collect bills, debts and non-sufficient funds (NSF) checks for businesses as well as for individuals.

Home-Theatre Consulting
We tried watching the same broadcast of the Rose Parade on both the Discovery high-density channel and on a local television station. No wonder HDTV’s are selling so well! Unfortunately, getting an HDTV calibrated isn’t as easy as plugging in a new TV or even installing a new computer. This is particularly so if you want your HDTV to mesh with other video and audio components. A lot of expertise is required.

Massage Therapy
From time to time, most people enjoy a massage. But for people with injuries or boomers with aging bodies, getting a massage approaches being a necessity since some people use massage as an alternative to more costly physical therapy.

Web Design
Who, today, thinks about starting a business without having a website? What business can keep a website without updating and changing it?

With so many businesses stretched to the limit meeting deadlines, dealing with clients and getting through the day-to-day work load, more and more companies are finding it impossible to complete ongoing, data entry jobs. Indeed too often full-time staffers are tearing their hair-out because they don’t get the time to get through the backlog of administrative and secretarial work. Typically it is the time consuming work (such as the ever-present data entry job!) that gets left to the absolute last. Instead of sitting and watching while these data entry jobs pile up until they reach insurmountable levels, managers and recruiters regularly call on outside people to help clear the decks.

If you are a quick and accurate typist, taking on a data entry job as a freelance operator can be a very easy way of finding employment and making some extra cash. Data entry jobs are simple to perform, and generally only require basic computer skills, an attention to detail and patience. Indeed finding employment through online data entry jobs allows you to work from home and gives you invaluable flexibility to juggle work with your family and other commitments.

Indeed many stay-at-home mothers and students are taking online data entry jobs to supplement their incomes whilst having the convenience and freedom of working from home. The beauty of employment in a data entry job is that there is no need to retrain or learn new information. Providing you are a fast typist with an eye for accuracy, anyone can do it.

Whether you need a regular income or some extra cash, an online data entry job or on-site data entry job is the perfect way of money. Moreover being freelance gives you flexibility and the freedom to decline jobs if you are overextended or busy with other things. Finding a freelance data entry job – be it an online data entry job or otherwise – is simple when you join the Freelance Work Exchange. The Freelance Work Exchange is the premier place to both look for data entry jobs or post your details and data entry job request.

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:

Leaving home is a big step for any home based business owner, but it’s one that’s often necessary as your company expands and grows. In the past, making the transition from home to office often meant signing a long-term lease,
plunking down a hefty security deposit, hiring a contractor to renovate the space and borrowing money to buy desks, chairs, lamps, computers and other office equipment. Today, there are many options for homebased entrepreneurs seeking flexible and affordable office space solutions that won’t cost you a fortune or lock you into a long-term commitment. In addition to an office with a desk and a door, these business centers offer everything from Internet access and videoconferencing to shared conference space and receptionists.

Here are some of the services you can expect to find:

• Downtown locations.
• Fully furnished executive suites.
• Team rooms and individual offices.
• Conference rooms and services.
• Business identity services (”virtual offices”).
• Receptionist/concierge services.
• State-of-the-art phone and voice-mail systems.
• High-speed Internet access.
• Computer and network support.
• Copy/fax capability.
• LCD projectors and digital cameras.
• Free coffee and water.
• Flexible terms (three months to five years).

Read More from Entrepreneur.com

Hot Holiday Toys offer Money-Making Opportunities!

Whether it was the Hoola Hoop, collectible Barbies, Furbies, Cabbage Patch Kids or the original Atari games of the 1970s, there have always been “must have” toys and games that have generated a frenzy at local stores, especially around the holidays. Today, however, in a new age of consumerism, driven by an “absolutely must have at any cost” mentality, gamers, toy collectors and, in some cases, manipulated parents are not only pre-ordering the latest fun favorites but are bidding them up to 10 times their standard retail price on eBay.

This year, cashing in on shoppers’ demands to have it “now” (or even sooner), retailers are touting their offerings earlier than ever by putting pre-order tickets in the hands of the buyers. But with much of the supply sold before the products even hit shelves, a secondary market is emerging: Smart sellers are capitalizing on the public’s insatiable demand for these hot items by using the leverage they have as owner of one of the “golden tickets” to resell them for an exorbitant price–and pocket the difference.

Gearing Up for PS3 & Wii
The latest craze focuses on the forthcoming releases of Sony’s PlayStation 3 on November 17 and Nintendo’s Wii on November 19. Pre-orders at several leading retailers, including EB Games, Gamestop and Toys R Us, allowed those who got in under the early October deadline to secure consoles and even games for the new systems. Some of the early buyers are gaming enthusiasts, but others are “situational” entrepreneurs who are turning around and selling the consoles on eBay, where prices for the 20GB and 60GB PS3s are already topping $2,000 and rising.

Julian Georgescu, a gaming enthusiast who runs the website www.MyWii.com, says prices will most likely hit well over $3,000 by Christmas. “It’s mostly hardcore gamers who are buying them at these prices,” says Georgescu, who camped out overnight last month to pay a $50 deposit for his own pre-order Nintendo Wii. (For full disclosure purposes, you should know Georgescu also works for Entrepreneur.com.)

The retail prices for the 20GB and 60GB PS3s are $500 and $600, but “They’re only shipping a limited number nationwide–I think it’s around 400,000,” offers Georgescu of the reason behind the pre-order frenzy. Nintendo, meanwhile, expects to sell some 4,000,000 units of the new Nintendo Wii by January. Despite that number, the $250 console has seen bids of $500 and up on eBay…..Read Full Article from Entrepreneur.com

Book Review: 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women, 3rd Edition

More women than men start new businesses annually, since women enjoy the flexibility and ease of child care that working at home provides. Huff, a business journalist and author (Home-Based Business Ideas for Women, Pilot, 1993), enumerates 101 business opportunities to women found in traditional areas. Each listing includes information on start-up costs and financing sources, pricing guidelines, marketing methods, equipment, necessary education/training or experience, income potential, and information sources. Huff begins the book with short sections on selecting a business, developing a business plan, and understanding franchises and distributorship.

Review
Praise for 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women, 3rd Edition:
“A phenomenal resource for any woman with an entrepreneurial spirit! Priscilla has made it easier than ever for women to find their ideal home-based career. If you’re interested in launching a successful business from home, this book is a must!” — Debra M.Cohen, founder, Homeowner Referral Network (HRN) Business, and president, Home Remedies of NY, Inc.

“Six years ago I was scared I would never be able to be with my baby. I bought one of Priscilla Huff’s books. Now I have my own successful home business. I cannot believe I now offer advice to others who want their own home businesses. If you want to be successful, buying this book is very important.” — Jennifer Dugan, Dugan’s Travels