Monthly Archives: November 2008

Escaping the Rat Race – 5 ways to make money to quit your job!

Posted on November 30, 2008 by Hayley Weatherburn
by Hayley Weatherburn

“Working 9 to 5, it’s a way to make a living”, Dolly Parton sang these words and are true – but is it the ONLY way to make a living. What would you do if you had passive income to support you – would you still be doing the job you are doing? Or would you be out with the family, travelling or buy that new house you dream of? Life is for living, so why not give it ago! What would you do if someone gave you 5 starting points to achieve this – would you consider aiming to live your life?

5 options to mull over and weigh up which will be your vehicle out of the rat race:

PROPERTY – Although the media tells us otherwise, now is actually a good time to buy property. Often the prices are cheaper and value will eventually rise (as it has after every other economic crisis). Make sure you do the research, talk to people who are also buying property now, and read up. A great book to read is “0 to 150 properties in 3.5 years” by Steve McKnight. These are many different ways to invest in property and this book covers a lot of them.

STOCKS – Ouch – you mean now, when it seems so volatile. All i can say to this is read the article “Buy American, I am” in New York Times, by Warren Buffet. One of THE most successful investors in the stock market and he is investing – he must know something. Again research, speak to other brokers and investors and find what is best for you! Right now could be your chance to shine in this area.

START YOUR OWN BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY – Everything you see around you – the objects, the businesses and the relationships – began as a thought in someone’s mind. What gem is in your head that could bring you freedom and wealth? The best thing to do is start writing down your ideas, when something sticks -research it’s possibilities, the competition and so on. Ask people for their thoughts and ideas, it will evolve as you evolve. A brilliant book that will make sure you create a business that works for you, rather than you work in the business – “The E-Myth” by Michael Gerber.

FRANCHISES – If you feel that building your own business is too much of a risk, but still like the idea of having a business, Franchises are another great way to go! With proven systems that work and have proven profits, what more could you ask for. They often provide guidance and support through the whole way. One thing to keep in mind with franchises however is that you will need a substantial amount to invest with. Banks will probably lend you business loans for a franchise more so than an unproven business. Pick your franchise, check it aligns with your goals and also values & beliefs and you are on your way!

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Infos – Investing In Real Estate

Posted on November 30, 2008 by Martin Gurani
by Martin Gurani

When you are first starting out with investing in houses, you should always look for ugly or bad houses that need a lot of work. These homes are much cheaper to purchase, although they will take some work to improve. You should start out by looking for houses that need some work, such as clean up, painting, and in some cases new carpet. You don’t want to buy something too run down, as it could cost a fortune to repair.

If you think of yourself as a handyman and if you feel you can do the repairs yourself, you can save a lot of money. On the other hand, if you need to hire someone, you should always make sure the person or company that you hire is qualified to do the repairs. If you are not comfortable with doing any of the repairs, you should find a subcontractor or company who will do it for a reasonable price, or perhaps a part of the money once you have sold the house.

If the house you are thinking to buy and resell have any kind of structural problems, you should always obtain a reliable estimate of a contractor before making the purchase. If you decide to stay in business, you learn a lot more over the years, although you should always hire a contractor when you first start. Once you get all estimates together, can make the final decision on how much of an offer that you want presented in the property.

After you have a team together and successfully renovated and resold several homes, you’ll begin to feel quite a bit more confident with buying homes that need repairs. All it takes is time and practice – and you’ll be buying homes that the average investor wouldn’t think twice about. This can be a huge advantage when you are looking for homes to buy and resell, as there will be less competition to worry about. You’ll also be able to get a lower price when buying the home, simply because you can use the cost of the repairs to your advantage.

Once you are able to make repairs in homes, including structural problems, will have a great advantage in the marketplace. You can buy virtually any home, including those who choose to ignore other investors. Doing so can be very profitable for you, especially if the house is in a well-known and well-liked neighborhood. After making repairs, you can resell the house for a price much higher than you paid for the purchase of the house.

When you start looking for houses that you can repair and resale, you should always take your time and buy the right homes. You won’t have the money, time, experience, or support to buy the bigger houses at first, which means you won’t have any room for mistakes. Once you have purchased and resold a few smaller homes, you’ll eventually be able to work your way up to the bigger homes – which is where the big profits will come into play.

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Your small businees is not alone in this economy

Posted on November 29, 2008 by JR Rooney
by JR Rooney

You would have to be living on Mars if you don’t know that we’re in the worst financial crisis in our lifetimes in America. If you find yourself worried about your business and what can happen next, you’re certainly not alone.

As I write this, the next few days bring great uncertainty about what the government is going to do to try and help bail out the failed banking system in the US. While it’s not clear what form the assistance will take, it appears almost certain that the US government will have to do something to fix the mess created in the financial system by rampant greed. What is going to happen? Who knows! What is obvious is that the vast majority of Americans are very unhappy with the situation and quite angry about spending billions of dollars to bail out an industry known for greed.

The fact of the matter is, a bailout is not the end of the troubles for those of us who run small businesses. The United States economy is in deep, deep trouble and this will not be fixed very quickly. All the major news outlets have commentaries about what’s happening and what to expect. It seems the consensus is that it’s unlikely we’re going to experience a level of unemployment seen during the Great Depression. That’s the good news. The bad news is that things are ugly and their likely get much worse before they get better. And if that wasn’t enough, things are probably not to get better in the near future.

Small-business owners are unlikely to be able to get the credit that they need in order to expand their business in the near future. So what can you do? No one can tell you what you need to do in your particular business, but I’ve always been a strong supporter of the low-cost direct marketing style in my businesses. I suggest you start rethinking all the creative ways you can seek out more revenue at a minimum cost. This means not only getting new customers at minimum cost, but equally important, you need to try to sell more services to the customers you already have.

The situation is more complicated than simply not being able to obtain credit, but it is also going to be difficult for many business owners to even make it through the next several years. There has already been a big drop in consumer spending in the United States, and getting new customers as well as maintaining the ones you already have is going to get more difficult. That is why this is the time to get yourself back to the basic and most important task which is to get your business well marketed. There is nothing more important for your business in difficult times such as these than your marketing efforts.

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