Build your own McDonalds!!

Here's a fab new way of building a massive multi million dollar business without and risk at all.
Play the game:

Why not try before you by so to speak.
From purchasing to employing staff this game has it all and with no risk what more could you want :-)

Visit HERE to check it out.

The best advice!!

Where have i been?

I've been down actually!
Very down due to lack of funds basically. I have been fed up with trying to make money online, being very unfocussed and basically stayed offline for quite some time.
I have since gotten my act togeather and am about to launch my new business website, FINALLY! and STILL i have no money.
I am spending $100 here or there to scrape up enough product to actually launch so i can then make some profit to put back in.
I am going to grow slowly but this is fine with me as at least i will have started.
I have also come across two of the best forums for Aussie biz people particularly micro busineses they are www.themessydesk.com.au/forum/index.php
www.freebusinesstips.com.au/forum/
ALL the help you need plus some inspiration!

I'm glad to say i'm back on track so i will keep you posted again and hopefully one day i can use this blog to compile the list of how to's for broke start ups lol.
Till next time.
Cheers

Warrior Forum

Howdy people!
I just want to be sure all you ave checked out the warrior forum?
It is a top forum with people from all over the world discussing and creating money making opportunities, ideas, busineses.
Check it out at www.warriorforum.com

FREE STUFF!

Hi readers.
I don't normally display such an obvious ad in my posts but hey this one is so good i had to.
Vista Print (I'm sure you've all heard about them by now or been on their site) I had but was yet to use them. Well this offer changed that. I chose to order a stamp for my new business. Previously i had one made up at a local printers for $70- $95 (sorry i cannot remeber exact price as it was 10yrs ago) Knowing how expensive they are i couldn't resist buying one for free from Vista Print. I say buying as you have to pay the postage which was very small. I LOVE my stamp.
You can get free business cards 250 of them!!! Great start to any new or small business, my sister did just that to start up her small design business from home. A great saving.
Anyway i'm going on and on but this really is a great offer unlike the thousands out there so check it out now by clicking the Vista Print banner to the right.
They've certainly got a new customer in me!

Work from home

Ok we all know EVERYONE wants to work from home.
Well almost everyone.
There are many many sites out there containing information on how to work from home, why to work from home and who to work from home for.
One great easy way to add some extra cash to your pocket without too much more work than you do now is by answering online surveys. Surveys are sent out by many well known companies researching products and consumers and they are willing to pay you for the time it takes you to complete a quick survey. There are a lot of groups who will link you to paid survey sites, some offering cash but most offerin points or prizes. I suggest you opt for the cash only paid surveys as they others can be a huge time waster.

See side panel link for the best paid survey site that will pay you cash for all surveys completed and offer a great variety. Give them a go if you are looking for some extra cash to help you through or to use for other money making ideas.

Company fees

Hi,
I mentioned in an earlier post that company fees were set to come down from $800 for registering a new company to $400.
Well it has. Below are the costs for registering a new company.
If you have trouble viewing this you can download the complete document here
ASIC
Registration – companies, registrable Australian bodies, schemes
201
Application for registration as an Australian company
Part 2A.1 company (s112)
- having a share capital
- not having a share capital
$400
$330
5(a)(i)
5(a)(ii)
202
Application for registration of a body corporate as a company
Part 5B.1 company (ss601BA & 601BC)
if already registered (as a foreign company) under Division 2 of Part 5B.2
- in any other case
$330
$400
5(b)(i)
5(b)(ii)
401
Application for registration as a registrable Australian body (s601CB)
- if incorporated or registered under a law dealing with the incorporation of associations
- if incorporated or registered under another law
$330
$400
6(a)(i)
6(a)(ii)
402
Application for registration as a foreign company (s601CE)
$400
6(b)

USP

What is a USP?

Well it stands for Unique Selling Point or Unique Selling Proposition.

Basically it is what makes your business stand out from the crowd. What makes you differant or special?

How can you be sure your product is Unique?
Find a niche. Find a specific market within a market and target your products to the people within that market. For example Lamborgini is in a very specific market as is underpants for larger people a more specific market again would be underpants for incontinent larger people. Not pretty but a niche market all the same. Many larger people have incontinence issues due in part to their size and the current market place is yet to realise this. There are incontinent undies foor the elderly, pregnant and hospitals but not yet the mainstream public whom may use them for weight issues.
We know weight is the new problem typically in the western world and this product would be a great niche within a niche. There is a large market, easy to identify and even easier to market to. This is one example of a unique product. By researching the market and defining one area you have more chance of finding a niche market big enough to capitalise one yet small enough to still be unique.

Taking a product already out there and changing it to benefit the consumer is a tried and tested way to add uniqueness to your product as is finding an aggravation, something that doesn't quite work or isn't meeting your needs and revising it, adding missing parts to make it more user friendly or if there is no product to do what it is you wish to do create it! There are so many ways to be unique in the marketplace today why be the same? Why blend in and target the same audience that thousands are doing now or have done so.
You need to stand out in todays marketplace to even have a chance.

USP - Your new best freind. Find it and market it right and you cannot go wrong.

You may have a product identical in nature to your competitors but with a handy very user friendly packaging. Maybe you sell

Start up capital

Start up capital where to find???

Well wether it's $100 or $50,000 you need to start your business it can be very difficult to find. Good ideas require money. Unique ideas require a much larger capital base in most circumstances due to the unknown nature of a new market or idea.
The ongoing funding can be hard to access particularly if the idea is untested or hard to research.

There are many forms of start up capital from family and friends, banks and building societies, to shareholders and venture capitalists.
Business angels or venture capitalists have very strict requirements to be met before an idea will be investigated. They are sometimes wishing to invest other times to manage or both invest and manage or oversee the running of the business. Sometimes it is possible you may have to give up a large portion of shares typically the better the idea.
In almost all cases you need to have a top management team in place to expand and continue to grow the business.

Small start ups can be launched on a credit card as risky as this sounds it is very common. A personal loan is another good option certainly safer.

There are many varied ways to fund a business start up although i must say all are not without risk and you need to really believe in the idea and follow that up with a strong business plan to make a sucess of the business in order to return a profit to the shareholders or yourself as only then is it worthwhile.

Frustrations

Today i am frustrated!

I work from home and when children are present work is not.
Besides the kids i have had visitor after visitor and have been at the computer for two hours and managed to send 1 email.
Frustrating!

Besides the constant interuptions i seem again very unable to stick to one single task and get lost on the internet for hours, researching, contacting, studying. All helpful but not very progressive.

My morning routine lol if there was one would be to spend 1 hr answering emails and following up last nights research. Then i get offline so i can focus on supposedly one task like label making but in reality i work on biz plan, labels, sales figues and product lines all at once, again completely NOT helpful.
I am my own hindrence as i'm sure many of you are so if i was just to get out of my own way i'm sure i'd get things done.

Business as usual

I'm plodding along still.

I have finally had some sucess in finding some products i am happy with, only a few mind you, yet they fit my criteria of great quality, no harmful additives and other such requirements.
I have found this process of product research much harder than first expected. The internet is a great resource for finding suppliers but the products still need to be paid for and shipped, all taking time and money for sometimes a dismal result. I guess it's all par for the course.

I have a whole range sorted and will purchase that in smaller quantities once my website is operational which will be very shortly.
I contracted a web developer on scriptlance.com to do it as my original Graphic designer had too many other commitments. So there's been a long delay with getting it up and running but it has given me time to research more products and sort the labelling.

I'm happy to have been able to put in more orders for packaging and the like and only wish i had that big fat business account to draw on some people have upon start up. That i'm afraid is a log way off for me as i am trying to fund this completely on my own which is extremely difficult yet rewarding.
I'm thinking shortly i may need a loan or some investors at least for some bigger purchases such as a company car (primarily used as advertising) a laptop for ease of information sharing (running between two houses) and a large quantity of stock for the official launch.

Anyway i'm still at it and getting closer to launching everyday.

I am hoping to be involved in some business training one on one shortly which will help me firm up the figures (yes i'm still yet to do this) me and my procrastination!

Until then i'll be sorting the new website and labelling up products ready to photographing for site.

I hope to see you all at my launch!

Affiliate Program Tutorial

I have been researching affiliate marketing some more for my blogs and websites trying to find the best way to make money online and after experiencing some problems with my new website (first) i posted on this forum as usual for some help. Well i not only got help for my site i also stumbled upon this fabulous Affiliate Program Tutorial.

It's free and has some great tips all in a step by step way which i find very useful.
Best of all there were links to research tools rarely spoken of but also free and fabulously useful.
Check it out here.

Busy ness

BUSYNESS as opposed to BUSINESS is quite typical of working for oneself!

This i am now discovering. I am yet to launch and i am so bloody busy!
I wonder sometimes if it achieves anything at all particularly online as i so easily get distracted once i dial up. If i stay on track great, but this is certainly not the norm.

Busyness can be a negative thing in business as you become so wrapped up in the day to day you forget the big picture.
For me i can never forget the big picture as that's who i am yet the day to day busyness gets me quite annoyed as it takes me further away from the vision. When your a one man show this is naturally going to happen.
I think the trick is to set time say at the end of the week to refocus and plan the next step to keep you inline with your goals.

Having a light at the end of the tunnel makes it all worthwile.

See you on the other side :-)

Internet Research

Lately i have been doing pretty much ALL of my research online and am beginning to wonder if this is an effective method to research?

Primarily i'm researching suppliers so in this instance i think it's probably quite effective as long as you, unlike me, can keep yourself focussed.

Market research: I believe the internet is a great starting point though don't assume it can all be done online and get the required results. I think any online research must be backed up with on the ground work; by this i mean surveys, focus groups, enquiring and such. Combined the two make a very powerful force yet alone i think they are both somewhat ineffective.

Services: For this the internet is fantastic, most companies now days offer enquiries via email which is great for researching a wide variety of companies before nailing down your top few.Sometimes the annonimity of the www is what is needed to dig out a deal or at least arm you with the appropriate information before doing battle with the insurance companies or large advertising firms.

You can check out Graphic Designers previous work and decide not to use them without offending or find a useful link or two for future use without having to ACT NOW! as so many adverts tell us we must.

Used properly the internet has to be the most powerful tool today for busineses; used improperly or without focus it can be equally detrimental.

Chasing Suppliers

I have been busy, busy chasing suppliers and working on my business plan.
Still plenty to do but i'd like to get it looking sharp before getting further advice in regards to the financial side of things.

I have been doing some price breakdowns for a few products, some look good some a little scary.
Things seem to be fine until i add in freight!!
Scary as starting small this can be quite high and unpredictable.
Anyway i'm still progressing and hope to be launching in a few months time.
Back to it..

What have i been up to lately?

Well i have been busy researching and writting my business plan, a task that never seems to end as the more i research the more i find out how much more i need to know. This is good though as by the time i'm finished i always have a very clear idea of what i'm after and how to get it along with any areas i need help in.

I'm a long way off nailing down my target market as i'm struggling to get a handle on this. I have a broad overview and a few segments but being precise is so important and here i lack experience.

The financials are always my biggest problem and therefore i will be getting help with these at a later date.

Thinking big enough is always a challenge also as we all tend to plan for what we think we can achieve not what we want to achieve so i am stretching myself in this department all the time.

I find looking at my competitors an interesting if not frightening experience as they are already doing what i propse to do only usually with a large amount of resources behind them. I believe this competitor analysis is important though and once disheartened continue on and you shall see the cracks. I look for the competitors weakneses as these shall be my strengths. Being large isn't always a good thing as they can lose touch with their customers and therefore not be servicing their needs properly.
If you find they are great at what they do there must be an area they are slightly weaker in this may be your niche.

Being a visual person i tend to spend far too long on the image, culture and feel of the business rather than the nuts and bolts, if your the same make an effort to get the help you need early on as it really helps your ideas evolve. You are better able to write the mission statement and image/personality of the business as you know where it's headed and who it is.

Finally don't be scared of writting a business plan. It really is the most important thing in starting and running a business as it not only helps you gain a better understanding of the business and where it's headed but it keeps you on track to reach your business and personal goals.

Company Fees to drop

I have recently read that to incorporate or become/start a company instead of the usual $800 fee it will be dropping to $400 in a move by the government to help out small business.

I think this is fabulous as in general a company offers much more protection to business owners depending on their situation.

I was saving to pay for incorporation of my new family partnership business as i am paying things week by week, so this will take the pressure of to some degree even though i am unsure as to when it will be brought in.

A great way to incorporate is online at

Why are we here??????????

I'm wondering???
What the hell do we think we are doing here, on this planet if we are just coasting through life but affecting no-one?
Why don't we make a stand?
Why don't we stand up and be counted?
Say what we think!

What on earth do we think is going to happen if we say "NO! I don't agree! That is wrong!"

Why do we feel so little empathy for others?
Why can't we ALL voice our opinions?

I hear people complain often about Governments, Unions, Bosses, Co-Workers etc yet they NEVER do a thing about it.
Even joining some type of group would be a simple yet effective way of voicing your opinion without feeling like the only one.

It's true there's power in numbers!

I believe business has a lot of power wether large or small and can not only affect employees lives but suppliers, customers, local councils and government. Why not use your business to voice your opinion.

What do you stand for?
What does your business stand for?
What are your ethics, beliefs?
Do they match your actions?

By believing in something you show you care, you will naturally attract similar thinking people to your organisation and therefore have the power in numbers to start affecting change.

Do you want environmental change? Is it an end to poverty you desire or maybe defense of human rights. Is Fair trade important to you or would you rather support a local charity?
Whatever best aligns with your company and your set of beliefs there is an organisation out there needing support. Find one, Join one and make someone's life better.

Stop the grumbling and take action!

Still Alive

Just letting everyone know i'm still alive :-)

Can't say i have done alot on business due to $ or lack of.

I have been working on obtaining keywords for the website, frustrating!

I've also been keeping busy working on my business plan.

Hope to report more soon.

Income from home

Income from home: Well for me that is dropshipping.
I have been a little lax in getting into dropshipping in a big way, just too much going on really but i figure if i want to see a real increase in income i need to dedicate a fair amount of time to this.
I've found some great products my newest being new to the market and well priced, along with the incentive of a great affiliate program paying $5 per sale to me.
Check their product out at
The Lock Block

It only costs $19.95 to join the program which included the product itself.
One of the best overall deals i've found in that you not only get the product but the affiliate program, great percent of sale, personal contact and as much help as you need.

I'm raving now but this is just one example of a great product out there that you can market and sell and have some faith in.

Dropshipping is wonderfull in that you can market online or off, via a blog, website, forums, auctions and many, many more ways. It is easy, quick and you can do it from home or on your laptop on holidays it's so simple.
Finding a good product is half the battle for me as i want to believe in the product. I want a quality product also not a junk watch or throw away cd.

Just one way to create an income and it really just comes down to how much work you wish to put in.

Three steps at a time

I've been told to take things one step at a time but am finding this isn't always possible.
In my situation (lack of money) i find i'm taking three steps at a time or more.

I need to focus on EVERYTHING which is impossible but whilst i'm waiting on my Graphic Designer i need to be creating the products ready for website which also need the labels sorted ready to apply and photograph for web. Not only that but my market research is still lacking and needs to be sorted before the website goes up which in turn requires me to find the best keywords to use and the most relevant and helpfull information to have ready to go on launch.

So as you can see there are a thousand and one things to do even with a small startup and a home business. Taking one step at a time is not possible and i wouldn't nessesarily want it that way anyhow as i'd be bored in a week. The pressure gets to me but the new challenges keep me going.

I plan to continue three steps at a time as long as i'm taking at least one step i have momentum which is nessesary for all startups. Once this momentum is lost i find it easy to procrastinate and make excuses even to the point of thinking "why bother!" this is obviously not good and it only makes things harder.

So my advise take THREE STEPS AT A TIME that way your always busy, creating momentum and if one thing stops you have two others to continue on with.