Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale

By purchasing merchandise at wholesale prices, you can make money off of ebay. You will normally purchase items in bulk at low prices, then mark them up and sell them one piece at a time. There is no limit as to what you can buy at wholesale! Apparel, electronics, toys, home decor, books, DVD's and much more can be acquired at low prices. At the end of this article, you'll find a list of wholesalers organized by category.

Some wholesalers may require an EIN/TIN (Employee ID Number/Tax ID Number) before you can buy from them. It's easy to obtain one of these numbers, and you can do it instantly by visiting http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html

Some wholesalers have minimum buying requirements, others do not. To get started, browse through the list at the end of this article. You will find that you can buy wholesale lists, even on Ebay and make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale! I've purchased some of these lists myself and found that many of them contain broken links or links to sites that are no longer available. What a waste of money! You won't find that on the list at the end of this article - all wholesale links have been checked to make sure they actually lead to real wholesalers!

If you can't find all the wholesalers you need on the list here or you want to research some on your own, it's easy to find them. Just go to a good search engine (I recommend Google) and type in a search like 'wholesale,' 'wholesalers', 'wholesale apparel' or whatever type of product you're looking for to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale. You'll find lots of options, from great wholesalers to questionable ones!

Another way to buy cheap merchandise is to buy it from another country. This is called importing and it can help you buy the merchandise you need dirt-cheap!

To find some great exporting companies, check out the following sites:

• ttnet.ne

• tradekey.com

• alibaba.com
  

Ten More Places to Find Bargain Priced Merchandise to Sell

There are more places besides wholesalers where you can find bargain priced merchandise to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale:

1. Flea Markets

Flea markets are great places to find cheap merchandise. Depending on where you live, you can find one or more great flea markets during the warmer months. Check your local paper for advertisements for local flea markets or look in the Yellow Pages.

2. Yard Sales

Another great place to find cheap merchandise is at yard sales. Most yard sales also take place in the warmer months. The key for finding great stuff at yard sales is to go early before everyone else does. That might mean getting up at six A.M., but it's totally worth it! Look for collectible merchandise, clothing and books that look new, and children's toys that are in good condition.

3. Estate Sales

Estate sales are also good for obtaining great stuff for a low price. Most of the time, estate sales are advertised in the newspaper classifieds. You can find all sorts of things at estate sales, from electronics to vintage jewelry, antiques and so much more!

4. Pennysaver Papers

Are you looking for a particular type of merchandise to make your dollar stretch by buying wholesale? Pennysaver papers are great for placing ads. These papers are usually sold wherever newspapers are and allow people to place free ads. Not only can you place 'items wanted' ads, you can browse the ads for the things you're looking for.

5. Craigslist

At craigslist.org you can find all kinds of things to buy and resell. You can also place items wanted ads here as well, and the best part is, it's free! This website gets lots of visitors so your ad is sure to get lots of exposure.

6. UBid

At ubid.com, you can buy and sell items just like on Ebay. The difference is, this is a much smaller site with a lot less visitors. That means you'll have less competition when it comes to bidding. Often, you can buy an item for a low price at a site like UBid then turn around and sell it on Ebay for more than you paid for it!

7. Overstock

Another great site for cheap merchandise is overstock.com . Not only do they have an online store, they also offer an auction site.

8. Amazon

Amazon.com is another place to find merchandise for sale. You can find books, movies, electronics, apparel, cosmetics, housewares and much more. Some of the items are new, and some are used. If you search carefully, you can really dig up some great deals!

9. Discount Stores

Discount stores can be decent places to find cheap merchandise to sell also. Examples of stores that feature great prices on name brand merchandise include Kohl's, Marshall's and TJMaxx. It's probable that you have one of these stores in your area. Also check your local Dollar Store. Once, I bought sunless tanner for $1 per bottle and sold it on Ebay for over $5 per bottle. Sometimes you can find great deals, other times not. You just have to be vigilant with your shopping!

10. Annual Sales

There are other stores like JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, etc. that have annual or semi-annual clearance sales. This is a great time to stock up! Grab as much discount merchandise as you can, then turn around and sell it later in the year after the sales are over. November is always a great time because people are looking for gifts!


------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to free yourself of eBay dependency?
The "Big 3" will do it --> #1) Own #2) Diversify #3) Build equity.
Now auction sellers can build REAL businesses that YOU own.
------------------------------------------------------------

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How to Make Money Selling on Ebay

wondering how to make money selling on eBay? This Ebay start up guide provides free advice on how to make money on ebay, tips to sell on eBay, tricks and resources to help those starting out. 


Here you can learn how to make money selling on Ebay! Discover how you can open your FREE eBay account, and be earning profits by tomorrow! 

How to Find Cheap Merchandise to Sell. How to buy wholesale merchandise and sell it for a profit. How To Create a Great eBay Listings and much more.

There are millions of buyers and sellers on Ebay these days. If you're new to the world of Ebay, and you don’t know how to make money selling on Ebay, don't worry. It's easy to open an account and begin buying and selling!

There are thousands of people making good money off of ebay and you can too. Click here to read The Amazing Money-Making Secret Of A 28-year-old Convicted Felon Who Earns More Money Per Year Than The CEOs Of FedEx, eBay(R), Amazon, Time Warner, Apple Computer, McDonalds, Microsoft, Nike, Yahoo, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, And Goodyear Combined!

When you first register with Ebay, you'll need to enter some basic information such as your name, address, email address, and username. Give some thought to choosing your username. If you are planning on selling specific items, choose a name that reflects your business. Like, if you're going to sell books, you could choose a username like 'bestbookseller.' Choose a name that is professional and easy for buyers to remember.

To open a seller account, you'll need to enter a credit card. This is to verify your income and helps keep Ebay members safe from fraud.

Ebay does charge small listing fees, auction upgrade fees and final value fees. These are small fees and can be paid via credit card or PayPal.

An important part of buying and selling on Ebay is your feedback rating. If you have good feedback, buyers are more likely to buy from you. It's a good idea to build your feedback by buying items on Ebay, paying promptly and leaving feedback for good sellers, who will leave good feedback for you. Then, you can move on to selling with some good feedback under your belt.

I'll bet you already know all the basics of how to make money selling on Ebay. If you need more information about buying and selling on Ebay, check out the treasure trove of information.

How to Find Cheap Merchandise to Sell on Ebay?

In this part, we're going to talk about ways to find merchandise at a great bargain right on Ebay!
There are some sellers that really understand what makes a great listing. They sell items at the busiest times, write attention-grabbing titles, great descriptions, include lots of clear photos, and are usually quite successful.

Then, there are other sellers who either don't know how to create a good listing or don't care. These sellers can be like gold for you!

These auctions often feature misspelled words. Think about it - if the item is misspelled in the title, it's likely not as many bidders will see it. As a result, you can swoop in and snatch the item up with little or no competition.

Then, when you get the item, simply re-list it the right way, with the right spelling and all the elements that make a good auction (which we'll talk about shortly.) It's highly likely that you'll sell the item for a higher price than what you paid for it.
Another way to find items on Ebay that may not bring in bidders is to look for auctions ending at times when most people aren't shopping on Ebay, like the middle of the day or the middle of the night. Also, auctions without pictures are also less likely to get bids. If you come across an auction without a picture that you're interested in, email the seller and ask them if they can email you a photo. Many times, they will!

How to Make Money Selling on Ebay Off of Other People's Auctions

Did you know how to make money selling on Ebay from other people's auctions without selling anything yourself? Well, you can - and people do it every day!

The first thing to do is get an account at Commission Junction and sign up for Ebay's affiliate program. It helps to have a simple website or newsletter, even though it's not always necessary.

After that, start looking for high priced items up for auction. Why high priced? So you'll make more money, of course! Great high priced auction items that are good to promote are diamonds, real estate, motor, cars, car parts, electronics, antiques, airline tickets and designer handbags.

After you've figured out what you want to promote, write down your PID number which you will find at Commission Junction. Then, head on over to Ebay's Flexible Destination Tool you will need to enter your PID number and the link to the Ebay page you want to promote. Enter custom text that you want to display, and Ebay will create your own special link.

You'll notice it's very long. If you want to make it shorter, go to Tinyurl.com and you can, free!

All that's left to do now is bring visitors to your customized link. One place to do this is at craigslist.com. Let's say you place an ad on Craigslist advertising cheap diamonds. Once the emails start coming in from interested people, simply email them back with your customized affiliate link that you created with Ebay's Flexible Destination Tool. You can even use an autoresponder to email them for you!

There are lots of different ways to promote other people's auctions. You can use email marketing, your website traffic promotion, or newsletter. And that's all there is to it!

Sell Other People's Stuff for Big Profits

Ebay offers the Trading Assistant Program, which lets you make money by selling things for other people. There are many reasons why people might hire a Trading Assistant:

• They may not have a computer
• They may not have a credit card to open a seller account
• They may not have the time to create their own auctions
• They may desire the services of an experienced professional to sell their items for them.

A Trading Assistant lists and ships the items for their clients, then charges a fee for their service. Sometimes, Trading Assistants charge a flat fee for their services, other times they charge a percentage of the final selling price. It's also customary for the client to pay for the Ebay listing and final value fees, whether the item sells or not.

If you are able to find clients with expensive items, or find lots of clients, you can see how big profits could be made selling on Ebay. Some Trading Assistants even have physical locations where clients drop off their merchandise, others do not. If you're interested in becoming a Trading Assistant, there is some basic criteria you must meet first:

• You must have sold four or more items per month for the past three months

• You must have a feedback score of 100 or higher

• You must have 97% positive feedback or higher

• Your Ebay account must be in good standing

If you meet these requirements, you can sign up to be a Trading Assistant. Next, you can list yourself in the Ebay Trading Assistant's Directory.

There are other ways to find clients as well. Try placing an ad in your local classifieds, pennysavers, and Yellow Pages. If you have the budget, television and radio are highly effective. Also, try handing out business cards to anyone you can and posting flayers on community bulletin boards. Check with antique stores and consignment shops to see if they might be interested in your services.

Ebay offers a variety of marketing tools for their Trading Assistants to use, free - so take advantage of them!

Tips for Selling Informational Products

I have read that a person can make a fortune selling informational products on Ebay. While I'm not sure if that's true, I think there is some money to be made this way.

To find out, I ran an Advanced Search in the Informational Products category. I discovered that lots of auctions ended without any bids of all. Others ended up selling for small amounts like .99. However, there were a few informational products that seemed to do well. I am going to list them below for your convenience.

• New In Dash 9" DVD Player / MP3 Car Stereo Wholesale List (Sold for $29.95)

• Secrets of Refining Gold from Electronic Scrap (Sold for $24.99)

• Name Brand Wholesale Shoe List (Sold for $30.00)

• Toolbox Chest Wholesale List (One Day Auction, Sold for $81 with 7 Bids)

• New 50 Inch Plasma HD TV Wholesale List! (This is from the same seller as the last item, a 1 Day Auction, and it ended up selling for $20.99)

• Flat Panel Computer Monitor Wholesale List (Sold for $59.95)

There are lots more examples you can find by going to the books category and running an Advanced Search for Completed Listings. You will find that the majority of the informational products that sold for the most were wholesale lists for particular in-demand products.

The Truth About Dropshipping

You've probably heard about dropshipping. Dropshipping is where you sell merchandise that you don't stock yourself. The dropshipper stocks the merchandise, and you sell it at a higher price than what they charge. When your customer buys the item from you, you use the money they pay you to place the order with the dropshipper. The dropshipper then ships the item to your customer in a plain package with no company information so that they think it came straight from you.

You may have seen ads for dropship lists. These ads promise to hook you up with great dropshippers for a one-time or monthly fee. Are these lists any good? I couldn't tell you, because I've never bought one. And I'll tell you why?

While dropshipping is good in theory, the reality is not so good. Because each dropship item is sold one at a time, you won't find prices as low as you would if you bought wholesale in bulk. The dropshipper has to make a profit, and so do you. By the time you mark up the price to give yourself a little profit, you'll find you're not able to offer very competitive prices. And Ebay is all about competitive pricing!

If a bidder can find someone offering the same item as you at a lower price, who do you think they're going to buy from?

I've personally tried to use a few dropshippers in the past with Ebay, and I didn't do very well. I rarely was able to sell the items for the price I wanted, and I ended up racking up Ebay fees. Most of the time, I had fees to pay and no profits.

Here's another problem - what if the dropshipper doesn't fulfill their obligation? If the merchandise never gets to the customer, or arrives damaged, you are held liable by the customer. That will lead to negative feedback, which is the worst thing to have if you're an Ebay seller.

Not only that, but every time you order from a dropshipper, that dropshipper gets another potential customer to sell to. Do you really want another company that sells merchandise for less than you do having your customer list?

I'm not saying that dropshipping is always a bad thing. You may find great success using dropshippers. But because I feel it's just not the best way to make Ebay profits, you won't find dropshippers.

How To Create a Great eBay Listings That Draw Customers

To sell your products on ebay you need to create listings. Creating great listings is easier than you might think. The first thing you'll want to do is write a title that grabs attention yet describes your item well.

The most important thing about writing a title is to describe your item well. Suppose you are selling a television set. A good title might be something like:

“Magnavox 40" LCD Screen TV - Brand New – NR”

This lets the buyer know several crucial pieces of information. It tells them who makes the item, how big it is, what kind of TV it is, whether it's new or used, and the fact there is No Reserve.

In the Help section of Ebay, you can find all the abbreviations that people use in their auction titles and what they mean.

Next, it's time to move on to your description. Make sure to describe your item well and include as many details as you can possibly think of. Ebay offers a text editor where you can make text bold, change the font, make it smaller or bigger, underline text, and so on. If you know HTML, you can create your own designer listings.

One thing I've seen some sellers do is use text in all caps, or text that's all bold. Or, text in one long paragraph without breaks. This is hard to read.

Be sure to put shipping and payment details in your item description as well. While there is a place to specify them later, it's still a good practice to include them there. That way, there will be no questions because the terms are clearly spelled out.

Ebay also allows you to put inserts in your listing description. Two of the best inserts are 'Add Me to Your Favorite Sellers List' and 'Be Sure to Check Out My Other Items.'

After you've written your description, it's time to enter pricing details. Keep your starting price low to encourage more bidders. If you're selling an expensive item, set a Reserve Price yet keep the starting bid price very low to attract lots of people to your auction. If the Reserve is not met, you are under no obligation to sell your item.

If you're unsure of how much you should ask for your item, do an Advanced Search on Ebay for items like yours. Check the 'Completed Listings' box on the search form. This will show you the ending price that the items sold for.

Another part of creating a great listing is including good pictures. If you know HTML or use a template, you can insert your own photos rather than paying Ebay to host them for you.

Yet another way to attract more buyers is to offer International Shipping. Some sellers don't do this because they think it's a pain in the neck, but it's not so bad. At the USPS website you can calculate international shipping rates to quote to your buyers. At the post office, you simply need to fill out a form to ship internationally, and that's it!

Putting It All Together

In this article, you've been introduced to many different ways on how to make money selling on Ebay. You can Make Your Dollar Stretch By Buying Wholesale, or you can buy cheap items, and resell them for profit. You can promote other people's auctions and make a percentage of their sales. You can become a Trading Assistant and sell items that belong to others. You can create informational products and sell those as well!

I recommend first deciding what you want to sell, then doing as much research as you can on Ebay for similar items. Simply by seeing others' auctions, how much they started and ended at, as well as the listing itself can teach you a lot about what sells and what does not.

First, go to the category in which the item you want to sell belongs. Then, go to Advanced Search. You may or may not want to put in a particular keyword to narrow your search. Be sure to click the Completed Listings box. Then just hit Search, and you'll see the results. By avoiding mistakes that unsuccessful sellers made and emulating sellers who were successful, you can learn to be a better seller.


------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to free yourself of eBay dependency?
The "Big 3" will do it --> #1) Own #2) Diversify 
#3) Build equity. Now auction sellers can build REAL 
businesses that YOU own.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tips For Running A Profitable Home Based Business

Creating a profitable home business is a great way to be in charge of your own life and make the kind of money you've always dreamed of. It provides you with the opportunity to invest your time wisely and utilize your skills and at the same time earn money. You just need to find waysto work from home.

When you work online from home it can be fun, and rewarding, but it will take some time to learn and hard work to get your work at home business start. Working from your home office is so much better than having to work for somebody else. Any where you go onlineor of line you can find home based business opportunities.

Befor going any firther I want give moms this valuable free ebook Click to download 

So far I've made my living online doing a couple of simple things: Thinking, taking action and providing real value in exchange for money. And here, I will be revealing some methods and strategies that have helped me creating a profitable home based business and made me successful online that I encourage you to STEAL and USE them for your own success.

First, I'm NOT a guru. I just learned a few things about marketing by spending many years of my life FAILING first...

But when I figured this stuff out, I started making real money online.

What was it? What changed my life around?

Manage Your Time To Maximize Your Efficiency!

One thing I learned was that managing my time was harder than I thought it would be... especially working from home.

I could take so much 'time off' --running to the store, taking a 'nap', watching a little TV... instead of working on my business!!!

So I started to treat my 'home based business' like a job. I worked 9AM-4PM, Monday- Friday and took 1/2 hour for lunch.

Create An Imaginary Boss!

I know, I know you hate working for a boss. This not a real boss that will cause problems. It’s an imaginary boss.

I created a 'boss' who would reprimand me and tell me I had to get 'to work' when I started goofing-off.

He was 'demanding', but I needed him. You might try it. Make him or her the 'perfect boss'.. always encouraging you to do better, think faster, be a better person and very, very demanding to get things done.

He's a real SOB ;-)

You may think that's a bit weird... but, I kid you not, it WORKS.

Create Your Own Opt In Email List

Well another thing that really helped me getting a profitable home based business and make money online was figuring out that the money is in "the list".

Duh...

Try AWeber for $1

It took me the longest time to figure out what was meant by "the money is in the list".

I heard many 'gurus' talking about. But, never really understood it until I built my own list.

Now my #1 job online is to build my list

Did you get that?

YOUR #1 job online is to build YOUR list.

Let me state this clearly:

Building a list of qualified prospects and keeping your name in front of them is more important to your financial health than anything I can think of.

You need a constant stream of new prospects and customers or your home based business will die a slow death.

You should start by putting your website address on all your marketing materials, including brochures, yellow page ads, newspaper or magazine ads, letterhead, etc..

What's next?

Well, first you want to have in place a 'form' on your website that allows your visitors to subscribe to your list. You can call your list anything you want: An ezine, newsletter, 'updates', or include a free report for signing up, etc...

Once you have captured their name and email address, at a minimum, you can contact them and remind them about your home based business. Send them news and help them in some way.

The important thing is to be there, in their mailbox or ‘inbox’ when they are ready to buy!

It's about the cheapest form of advertising anywhere and if you're not using the data storage and follow-up systems the Internet has to offer you're missing a large amount of profits. When you build your list, you will make a profit.

I heard someone once say that most home based business owners don’t play hard enough… the guy who said that went on to sell his company to ebay for $300 + million.

Home based business opportunities are available nationwide in a variety of industries you need just to find what suts you most.

Do you play hard enough?

Do you market hard enough?

Do you live like you mean it?

Do you want to create a profitable home based business?

‘Nough said.

Go do it.

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How Business Failure Breeds Success

I hope you have enjoyed my last posts and profited from them!

Today's post is a little different. Instead of showing you how to succeed, I'm going to show you how to fail.

business failure is widely seen as a learning experience. Home based business failure offers insight. It's an opportunity to identify what went wrong and highlight greater issues that we all need to be reminded of from time to time. It also pushes you to strive even harder to make the next thing a success. This is true, of course, if you continue persevering. Most importantly, it increases your chance for success.

So, I think you need to learn about 'failure' and how to avoid mistake, before you can be successful.

Why?

Because, you'll be a lot closer to success if you learn how to fail, and fail fast... and more importantly how not to be afraid to fail. Never, ever be afraid to fail.

It took me the longest time to figure this out so please, I'm not BS'ing you here, I'm straight up... this is a matter of life and death.

Let me explain...

You have one life, one chance to do something with it.

But if you don't fail ever, or are afraid to fail, you'll be forever 'waiting' until you have the perfect product, the perfect 'system', the perfect timing, etc...

Forget 'perfect'... JUST DO IT.

Everyone fails... the only difference between you and really, really successful people is that really, really successful people try more often and fail more often than you do because in their mind 'failure' is NOT 'failure', it's a stepping stone to success... that's all.

If a pro baseball player is considered "successful" if he only hits 4 times out of 10 (.400) how can you expect to do better than that?

You take the losses and move on. You know one more thing that will help you hit better next time.

You don't have to get it 'perfect', you just have to get it going.

Imagine this for a moment:

You’re at the end of a dark alley way and your back is against the wall... there are 3 guys coming at you with knives and there's no escape.

Are you going to worry about 'failing' to defend yourself?!

No, you're going to pick up the closest thing to a metal pipe within reach and start swinging!!

'Failure', although a possibility, is NOT an option... your LIFE is at stake.

"Failure" will be defined in this situation as getting cut a few times by the thugs slashing at you... but your ONLY JOB is to SAVE your LIFE-you're NOT going to worry about a few cuts (i.e. failures)!

Right?

What will you do to SAVE YOUR LIFE? Will you even consider 'failure' as an option in this situation?

No. Total failure is not an option. So you'll do anything within your power to save yourself.

Marketing is like that 'pipe' you used to defend yourself.

Marketing can save your life... you just don't realize that your life is on the line.

Life is subtle... it's not as "stark" as the imaginary scene I've painted for you above.

But let's do another "what if"... instead of 3 thugs coming at you with knives, let's say they are "credit collection" guys... and they are coming at you ready to suck every bit of cash and life out of you, take all your possessions, ruin your marriage and leave you heaving in pain in the street- homeless.

What are you prepared to do? Is failure (homelessness) even an option?
Are you going to pick up the 'marketing' weapon you've been learning about to defend yourself and finally make some money so you can get these freakin' idiots off your back?

Are you going to sit back, relax and let them beat the crap out of you? Or are you going fight and save yourself by paying what you owe and finally being free?

Life is subtle... there are all kinds of dangers out there... BUT... life is also great and you have ONE CHOICE to make: How you're going to live.

Here's one truth about LIFE that may change the way you live every day:

"No one, and I MEAN no one, gets out alive."

So what are you afraid of?

Yep... your back REALLY is against a wall- no more analogies... the danger is living a life 'afraid' and never taking a chance to live life to it's fullest. Death is coming... what are you going to do? Wait for it to come without making an effort to REALLY LIVE? Live life to the fullest. Do everything you can to live a great life, not just a 'get by' life. Help others, be a hero, be kinder, love with all your heart... LIVE like you mean it.

This could be your last chance, maybe the last real no BS message you'll ever hear about life and death and marketing.

Whether you believe in God or not, there's one reality, one truth: no one gets out alive.

So start living your life like you really, really MEAN IT.

Failure is not permanent, it’s a stepping-stone to real success.

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• How to Avoid The HUGE Mistake I Made

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How to Avoid The HUGE Mistake I Made

Making mistakes is an everyday part of life and an opportunity for growth. It is a natural part of being human and a natural part of the way to be trained. Mistakes are very important lesson, at any time of life, but certainly the earlier the better! We all make mistakes as we grow up, and not only is there nothing wrong with that, there's everything right about it! While making mistakes is good, repeating them is definitely not. To avoid repeating mistakes in the future, it helps to ask questions and to learn from others mistakes and stay focused on what is important.

In the last post I told you that,

"I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before...”

First, let me tell you a true story.

My very first successful home based business, was doing odd jobs for people around my community.

I was 14 years old at the time.

I advertised in the local paper. If I recall correctly the classified ad said, "I'll do anything you need around the house. Clean, pick-up trash. Anything. Call XXX-XXXX"

I got calls right away and lots of jobs. Mostly jobs no one wanted like cleaning out garbage from rental apartments or backyards full of trash. I charged by the job and made some pretty good money that summer.

When I needed help on a bigger job, I'd enlist the help of some of my friends and we'd split the money.

Then I got busy with something else and stopped doing it.

My next home based business was a publication my brother and I put together called "Cars".

We took pictures of cars people wanted to sell and put them in the publication with 3 lines of text under each picture.

Most of the advertisers were local car dealers.

My brother sold the ads and I designed the pages, took the pictures and 'pasted up' the publication for printing.

We got a small newspaper in a near-by community to print the 10,000 copies we distributed. Believe it or not it cost us just $175 for 10,000 copies of our publication, with color on the front page!

The publication was a great success. The car dealers loved it - so it was an easy sell. It was another way for them to promote their cars.

My brother’s daughter got really, really sick and he had to stop the business so he had time to take her to clinics and specialists so we sold the business (for peanuts).

My next 'business' was a graphics biz. I has some artistic talent and had painted a larger-than-life picture of big bird, from the Sesame Street character, on my nieces' bedroom wall.

It looked great! And she loved it!

My brother said, "It's a great small business startup idea! Why don't you make some money doing this?"

So I placed another classified ad in our local paper that said something like, "I paint cartoon characters on walls. Great for kid's bedrooms. Call WallGraphics XXX-XXXX"

I got calls and lots of people wanted me to do other things besides kids bedrooms - I got jobs doing 'wall graphic' designs in kitchens, living rooms and recreation rooms.

I had a problem with one customer and decided to stop the business and moved on to something else.

The next home business I started was the one I told you about a couple of posts ago- the 'walking duck' manufacturing business.

What I didn't tell you was that after a year of making 'ducks' I started focusing on other things and let the business die a slow death until there was no more business.

One of the things I learned over the years is that you can have a great small home business idea and actually start making money in some little hobby or small business then, for whatever reason, it just dies because you give up on it or you get rejected a few times and suddenly it's not 'fun' anymore - so you quit.

Of course, the businesses I described above were all started before I was 20... so maybe it was just inexperience on my part.

But there were two very, very important reasons I never took these businesses as far as I could have and these are the two things I never shared with anyone until now ...

These two reasons may save you from a huge mistake in your own business.

#1 Reason:

• I never had anyone I could turn to for business advice. Except for my father, who was not a businessman, I had no one to talk to if I ran into a problem. I had no encouragement at all. In fact, when I was successful in some business my parents thought it was nice, but treated it as a hobby and as something to do until I graduated from college.

No one really sat me down to encourage me to continue it, expand it or make it successful in anyway.

My life would have been much, much different today if I had someone to turn to for real-life business advice.

I didn't need anyone to hold my hand, but meeting with someone once a month who knew what business was all about would have really helped me.

#2 Reason:

• I was totally unfocused and distracted. I found some success, took it for granted and went on to do something else before I fully realized the potential of the business I started.

Each of the businesses I started, made money... some I liked, some I didn't like (like the cleaning jobs). But I could have easily hired someone to do the jobs I didn't want and I could have grown them into substantial enterprises!

But, I was totally unfocused and it cost me a lot.

Then, life happened... I went to school, got a job, a career, got married, had kids …

Obligations, responsibilities put my entrepreneurial instincts on hold... until the Internet came along 20 years after my last business was started.

For 2 1/2 years after starting my business I struggled... almost to the point of bankruptcy.

What I've written about in the last few posts I hope will keep you from ruin... and if you're on the brink of it right now (as so many subscribers have told me they are) then take what I am about to share with you in the next post to 'heart'.

In the next post, I'm going to share with you the absolute truth, like you've never heard it before, about how to ‘think’ about success based on my own personal experience.

Related Posts

• Work at home business solution

• Work From Home Business Success Secrets

• Work at Home Business Internet Secrets To Success

• Successful home business

• How to make money from home

• How to Select the Best Home Base

• How to Increase Home Business Profits

• How Business Failure Breeds Success

• Tips For Running A Profitable Home Based Business

How to Increase Home Business Profits

making online fat profits is in getting lifetime customers. So, how to get lifetime customers when you run a home-based business?

OK... get ready and listen carefully...

The maximum benefit you can get  to your home based business is your Customer, specially, your Customer Lifetime Value.

In my many years in Sales and Marketing, I've met many home based business owners who don't have much clue as to what Customer Lifetime Value is, much less its weight and the impact it has on their outcome. To most of them, what matters most is to boost revenue by continuously getting new one-shot customers.

This is one of the fatal mistakes that many business owners make; it's a sad scenario, but it's also the reality. Let me tell you something: it'll cost you 5 times more to get a new customer than it is to bring one of your past customers back to you.

How to Get The real home based business fat profits?

The only way that you can use to make good sales profits is:

1. Getting more prospects to inquire about your products and services…
2. Selling multiple products to the same buyers over a long period of time,
3. Getting them to buy higher-priced products (such as coaching, seminars, etc)

In order to do that you need to give prospects and customers an awesome experience when they do buy something from you.

If you sold them a book on "how to make money online" you better give them something they haven't read about before from 100 other people selling books on "how to make money online"! and include some unique bonuses -not the same bonuses everyone else is using.

Yes, those “resale right” give-away ebooks could be killing your sales profits if you use them as bonuses because everyone already has them.

When you do give your customers more than they expect you'll dramatically increase their lifetime value as a customer and you get more customers and that's where the real money is.

What do I mean by “lifetime value of a customer”?

For example, someone on your list will buy one of your lower priced products for $29, then, if they like that and you truly delivered more value than they thought they would get, they may consider your $400 product, and then if they like that they will attend your seminar or join your coaching program for $2,500+ etc, etc... and that where the online fat profits is coming from!

They may also buy other low-priced products from you over their lifetime which also increases their value to you and make more online profits.

Now, you may have heard this already, that the real money is in “repeat” sales, well here's a secret about getting “'repeat” sales... the one I said will help you "make the maximum sales profits":

Follow-up. Did I say follow up?

Believe me this is a real secret!

Most home-based businesses work very hard to get a customer for the first time, but they have NO system in place to follow-up with them!

Why Would You Want to Follow Up With Your Customers?

If you are serious about your home business and want to make big sales profits, following with your customers is a must. Period

- To sell them more products and make more and more online fat sales profits.

For that reason I love the Internet.

It's very EASY to follow-up with your prospects and customers. All you need is an “autoresponder” account.

But most home businesses, especially those “brick and mortar” stores, shops and services have NO systems in place for following-up.

And, they are losing tons and tons of money.

If you're doing any kind of business (on or off the Internet) you need a follow-up system.

If your business is not on the Internet or you're not using the efficiency of the Internet to follow-up automatically with your prospects and customers then you're missing out on a lot of profit and extra sales.

It's not about websites... websites make you no money at all. They are an expense, unless you use them to capture leads, automate your follow-up and close sales.

Even if you have a bricks and mortar business like a gift shop or retail clothing store, you need to keep in constant contact with your customers. If you're not using an email autoresponder or a “system” to follow-up with your customers and prospects like eweber.com which sends out marketing messages for you, automatically - I guarantee 100% you are losing big profits to a competitor.

The proper understanding of loyal Customer Lifetime Value is key to the success of your home based business. It'll allow you to obtain more customers than your competitors through better and more attractive offers and you make more online profits. It'll dramatically Increase Home Business Profits through more repeat sales and shoot your profits through the roof. This the best customer solution profit tactics that will build your business !

How to Select the Best Home Based Business Ideas for Great Success

Finding a small business start up idea is one thing. Finding the best home based business ideas is an entirely different matter. The trick is being able to successfully put that Business Home Idea Internet Opportunity into practice.

As you are choosing the best home based business ideas for you, it might be a good idea to look around and see if there are any similar businesses ideas in your area. Maybe your idea is so unique that no one else has thought of it before.

In the beginning, it’s not necessarily to start with a genuine idea for a first business, it’s smarter to find and existing home business idea and duplicate it.

In the last few posts I told you about my "real" secrets to success.

My last one “How to Make Money From Home” ended with:

And to tell the truth... you don't even have to be *that* good to make money from home…lots of money.

"And to tell the truth... you don't even have to be that good to make sales and make lots of money..."

And...

"Even if your marketing and sales messages stink, you can still make a ton of money if you do just ONE thing... ONE thing that 99% of all business owners NEVER do, or if they do it, they do NOT do it correctly."

Let me give you a bit of background here because I think you may not understand the full implications of what I will reveal to you without it.

How I Found My Best Home based Business ideas

First, when I was getting started in business I tried just about anything (legal) to make money.

Several years ago I tried selling some audio tapes from a famous audio program publisher. It was the best home based business ideas that I started with. Or it seams like that. The programs were great! I loved them. I was able to get them wholesale if I purchased them in lots of 3 or more.

I put together a catalog and sent them to about 500 business professionals in my area.

What happened?

Nothing.

Not a single call. Not a single sale.

Ok... "no problem", I said, "I'll try something else".

Copy a Business Idea That Someone Else Had

I was traveling down town and stopped in a little crafts store. The store had these really cute wooden rabbit toys that had wheels and were on the end of a stick that you could use to "walk" your rabbit. When you walked your rabbit, the wheels moved the hind legs up and down just like a real rabbit!

I thought that was a really cute toy and it was really fun “walking” your rabbit around the store.

I bought one.

I took it home and thought about it for a while and decided to copy the “the business idea” ... but instead of a rabbit I made “ducks”... they had little “flaps” on the wheels were the feet should be and when you “walked” them they waddled just like a real duck!

I took them to a little crafts and gift store in my area and showed them to the owner.

He loved them!

He placed an order for 50 that same day and he said, if they did well, he would order more. I told him that I appreciated his order and that I would be back in one week with his ducks.

I didn't even get a deposit! I was too excited I guess and forgot... I was thrilled!

Wow... an order for 50, my first day!

I was so excited I went straight home and, after the excitement had dissipated, I thought about it for a minute and realized how long it would take me to make 50 of these “walking” ducks!

How would I EVER fill this order for 50 ducks in only a week!

It took me the better part of a day just to make ONE!

Ask Experts When Confronted With a Problem

Now I was only 18 or 19 years old at the time and quickly went to the only person I knew who was the least bit mechanical or handy - my father.

I said, "Dad, the good news is I sold 50 of these! The bad news is - how am I going to make 50 in a week? It took me all day just to make one!"

He thought about it for a while and said, "Well, the first thing you need to do is to make “templates” for all the components that make up one “duck”. Then, instead of cutting one part at a time, cut 50 of each part at one time."

Made sense to me... I made the templates, cut out 50 pieces of each part at one time instead of one at a time, and I got the entire order completed on time!

I delivered the ducks to the store and when the store owner saw them he was very happy! As I was unloading them out of my car he had sold 2 of them to people in his shop before I finished setting them up!... Good home based business ideas make money!

He came over to talk to me and said, "Listen, I have a another store too. I'd like to place an order for 100. How soon can you get them to me?"

Create a System to Help You achieve Your Goal

If you don't have a system working for you, you're not only behind the times but you're behind the competition for sure.

Now that I had a “system” in place for making them I said, "One week". He paid me for the 50 ducks I delivered that day and gave me a 50% “deposit” on the 100 to be delivered in one week.

Man! I made some real money in business! This was great!

I went home excited again... but then it occurred to me, "If it took me a week to do 50, even with my home business system, how will I possibly make 100?"

Again, I went to my father for advice. He thought about it for a while and said, "I was at this workshop the other day where they employ handicapped people. This shop had wood-working tools and maybe they could cut the pieces you need in their shop, then all you would have to do is assemble and finish them."

Wow...what a great idea!

Hire Workers as Necessary! 

I went to the shop and asked if they did any outside “contract” work. They did!

I showed the shop foreman my “templates” and gave him the dimensions of the pieces and he said "no problem". He quoted me a price and it was very reasonable so I gave him the order.

Within 2 days he delivered all the pieces I needed to assemble 100 complete ducks!

Within 7 days I delivered all 100 ducks to the store.

Again, the owner was thrilled and paid me the balance of the order on the spot.

He said he already sent 30 or so ducks he had from last weeks order down to his second store and they sold out within 2 days!

One of the buyers was the Chief Medical Officer! The store owner said the Doctor kept it in his office and walks his “duck” as a way of reducing stress in his job.

Great business idea I thought!

Over the course of the next year I sold thousands of ducks in my area to people who used them as gifts and “stress reducers” in their offices.

What's my point?

Here I was a 19 year old kid and I had an entire home business built in a few weeks time because I:

1. Found the best home based business ideas and Took action
2. Was bold enough to start actually selling the product
3. Asked other people what to do when I got stuck

And you know what, I didn't have to write a sales letter and I didn't know a thing about “marketing”.

But I had a “hot” product and a market that was ready to buy it.

Find a Hot Market And Step in Front Of It

Give people what they want not what you think that they need!

So what's the... "ONE thing that 99% of all business owners NEVER do, or if they do it, they do NOT do it correctly."?

They don't sell what people want.

They sell stuff that no one wants just like I did when I tried selling those audio programs.

Now you can twist and turn and change your marketing message so that your product is better positioned, but listen up:

If no one WANTS it, it isn't any good. Stop selling it and find something else to sell that's better!

That's what I did - I stopped selling the audio programs and found something better!

The only way to tell if someone wants what you're selling is to get it in front of as many people as you can WHO ARE LIKELY prospects, for as little money as possible, and see if they buy it...

If they DON'T... then move on and sell something else.

Let me repeat that,

"If enough real potential prospects see your product that you have accurately described how it will benefit them and they still DON'T buy your product... then move on and sell something else!"

There are some things that people just do not want, and you may have one of them ;-)

Life is too short to sell things no one wants...so move on and sell something they DO want.

The best home based business ideas means that your business can be extended, potentially without limit. And that means the difference between creating a business that will provide you with a modest living and one that will provide you with a long-term stream of income.