Lost,your,job,the,recession,St DIY Lost your job in the recession? Start an internet business !

When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in

Let’s face it, thiseconomy (for a lack of better words), SUCKS!! You may have heard thatwe are currently “recovering” from the recession and that jobs willcontinue to be shed, as companies focus on staying solvent, and whileemployees become “unnecessary expenses.” The truth is, there is no suchthing as a “jobless recovery” ! It seems that - the current economicclimate is creating a snowball effect, that will perpetuate the jobloss. To simplify things a bit: JOB LOSS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE! Now is the perfect time to “dust yourself off”, and change yourstate of mind from becoming a “consumer/employee”, to becoming a“producer/owner”. (Keep in mind that many of the largest companies thatexist today, were created during a recession!) Owning your ownbusiness is not an easy task, and you will definitely NOT enjoy aregular “9 to 5” schedule, as you will be spending the majority of yourtime working. You will have no one managing your job tasks butyourself, and you will need at LEAST 6 months of living expenses, OR apart time job to help you through the “start up” phase. Sinceyou are computer/internet savvy, currently (or nearly) unemployed andare good with people, what do you have to lose by starting your ownbusiness? You are correct......NOTHING ! Let’s explore threeof the opportunities that you could consider, and research, in hopes offinding your “dream career”. (NOTE: This is part 1 of a 3 part series) ------------------------------- 1.) Web Designer If you have a knack for graphic design & layout, and you have aworking knowledge of coding (i.e. HTML, CSS); you may considerimproving your skills, and becoming a freelance web designer. The mostimportant “items” that you will need to start your venture into webdesign are: web editing software, graphics editing software, a computer(obviously!), internet connection, printer/copier/scanner, and a desireto succeed! Once you have mastered the skills needed to becomea web designer, you can then decide whether you want to freelance, orwork for an already established company. One important thing toconsider is, you will need to develop a portfolio of the websites thatyou have designed, to use when marketing your services to potentialclients. Many people choose to offer designing websites for freeinitially, so they will have a variety of websites to use in theirportfolios. We won’t get into marketing in this particulararticle, but good “business sense”, and marketing your skills, will bethe deciding factor in whether you making money as a designer, ordesign websites only as a hobby. If web design sounds like your “cup oftea”, start learning as much as you can about design, coding andmarketing and put your plan into action. Do not expect “over-night”results, but work hard and do not be afraid of long hours in front ofyour computer, and your hard work WILL pay off ! ----------- 2.) Virtual Assistant The virtual assistant industry is becoming more popular for women thatwant to become entrepreneurs, but who are interested in maintaining ahealthy balance between work and personal life. For this business,start-up costs are low, and the profit potential is VERY good.According to the "Virtual Business Alliance", the average virtualassistant working full time in the US, grossed more than $39,000.00 inincome, in 2008. Determine what services you will be able tooffer, while being realistic about any limitations posed by yourexperience time dedication and skills. Decide how much time you willneed, to dedicate to your venture and whether you will be workingfulltime, or part time - to grow your business. It becomes extremelyimportant, to research what companies have a need for your services, inyour local area. You will need to consider who your idealclients are, where they are located, what their needs are, how to reachthem, and lastly, how to SELL them on your services. Other things tofactor into your goals are: a well-thought out business plan, yourbudget(how you will survive financially during start-up ?), yourequipment (does your home office have all of the necessary machinery toservice the clients efficiently ?), and marketing (how will you marketyour services and how much of your day can you spend on marketing?). Hopefully these tips, along with your own research into becoming avirtual assistant, will land you, your “dream career” ! ------------ 3.) Reseller (with internet storefront) Are you familiar with selling items on the internet? Are you familiarwith creating web ads or thinking of creative ways to sell products?You may want to consider a business - running an online internetstorefront! An internet storefront reseller, is a person(s) who has awebsite the allows e-commerce; and items ordered are processed andshipped to the customer, on behalf of the storefront owner. Becoming aninternet storefront allows you to sell items from the privacy of yourown home, and can be done on a part time, or full time basis! The firstthing you’ll need to do, is research to see WHAT you will actuallysell. Next, research for companies that will provide your sitefor a nominal monthly fee (beginning at $20), including: hosting,credit card processing, and support. Try to narrow your options down toa company that works best for you, and if you have the ability, you canbypass a third party, and build your website yourself. Building yourown website, can save you significant money and allowing you moreflexibility, but please keep in mind that an amateur website builder,will often get "amateur results." Your website should look asprofessional as possible, while complimenting your business andindustry. As an internet reseller, you will definitely need toobtain the following: a unique domain name, unique business nameregistration (DBA, Corp, etc), tax ID number, reseller’s license(wholesaler’s license), accounts with wholesale distributors, andpossibly a business license depending on your local laws. Inaddition, a “fast” internet connection, copier/printer/fax and other“general office” equipment will be needed, to operate this homebusiness. Since many of the wholesaler’s also function as “dropshippers”, you can sell goods without having physical inventory in yourhome! The customer places the order on your website and pays for theorder; after which YOU place the order with your distributor, who inturn delivers the goods to your customer. Your customer receives thepackage and is convinced that the package(s) came directly from YOU ! If you are considering becoming an internet storefront reseller,there’s not a better chance than today. Just realize that as with anyother business, it will be HARD WORK. Conduct the proper research, behonest with yourself, have realistic expectations, and a PLAN; and youwill eventually find your business a SUCCESS ! ----- Please stay tuned for Part 2, as we explore three more opportunitiesthat you can look into which are: Computer Repair Business, E-BaySeller and Software Trainer. We will help you take control of YOUR OWN financial future ! Happy Computing ! Jarvis Edwards – TekTime