Video Professor

There is a market for just about everything on eBay. There is little that you can’t find on this massive auction site. From cars to houses to celebrity memorabilia, I am constantly amazed by the items that are for sale on eBay and the wide selection of goods that seem rather obscure. There are eight different sub-categories inside the Entertainment memorabilia category and over 64,000 pieces of movie memorabilia. The most expensive piece of movie memorabilia is selling for over $10,000. The amount of money that can be made from a good eBay business idea is just staggering.

What is equally staggering are the eBay stores that have grown from a simple eBay business idea into some of the largest stores on the planet. Creating an eBay store takes a lot fewer resources and a lot less time than creating a real store. By selling a large selection of products on eBay, you give yourself a chance to reach the entire world and broaden the size of your customer base. You could use an eBay store as an extension of your existing business or, if it became popular enough, it could become your sole source of income. The right eBay business idea can become overwhelmingly successful. Take a look at some of the most successful eBay stores.

One of the largest stores on eBay is NorthKey Movies. This is a rather simple eBay business idea. The store sells a ridiculously large amount of movies, music and video games. At any given moment they stock well over 300,000 items. You can find everything from Collective Soul karaoke CDs to unknown facts of the Grand Canyon DVDs. Certain DVD box sets sell for over $500. This would be a great eBay business idea to run as an offshoot from a normal video store. It would be rather easy to run as a very profitable side project from your business. Having an eBay store is even easier than having you own web site.

Another huge eBay store is Mile High Comics, which boasts the largest selection of comic books in the world. They sell over 220,000 items on eBay in addition to their business web site, through which they also sell plenty of comics. They have a few comics that sell for over $7,000 each. This is another eBay business idea that is very easy to run and probably very profitable. They already sell plenty of comic books online, but by using eBay they gain a huge customer base that might not find their web site otherwise.

There are plenty of other eBay business ideas that have found huge success by creating an eBay store. Vintage clothing, paintball equipment, quilts and surveillance equipment are just a few of the products that are sold in some of the largest eBay stores. Some people even sell personal services and business plans through eBay. There is little limit to what can be sold on eBay and little limit to the amount of money you can make.

The word “free” gets thrown around a lot these days. Buy one, get one free, free ice cream, free weight loss pills, free air, and with so many free offers we often become skeptics. So, what makes the idea of free business cards any different? Rather than getting a free diet pill in the mail or another buy one get one free deal, getting free business cards is actually advantageous to your life!

One For You and One For Me

Handing out business cards can be fun and helpful to your career. When you meet someone new, it is always a great idea to give him or her a card. This is helpful in a few ways. On one hand they will help remind the receiver of you after you have parted ways and they make a statement about who you are. When trying to make a first impression, a business card will act as a representative and help you to build contacts in your personal and professional life.

Business cards, in general, are not expensive. They certainly can be, depending on how you design them, but getting free business cards makes the whole process a lot more fun and easier on your wallet.

Where Can I Get Free Business Cards?

Where is the one place you can get anything in this world? The Internet. Go online and search free business cards and you will see hundreds of web sites appear from the search engine. Many people might think that because they are free, they are bad, cheap, or will come with typos, however, this isn’t the case. Free business cards will not give you the fancy graphic designs that paying for them will get you, but if you are interested in a basic card with your name and contact information, then you will be sure to find the perfect card for you.

And creating a business card isn’t difficult. Simply fill out the form with your name, address, phone number, e-mail, title and voila, your business card is done. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for your free business cards to arrive in the mail.

The Arrival and Departure

Generally speaking, when we order things we don’t expect to get rid of them quickly. Business cards however, are meant to be given away. Once your free business cards arrive, it’s time to get started giving them away. Make contacts that will last you a lifetime because in business, it really is who you know and who knows you. 

Everything in the business world is about first impressions. This being said, what does your business card say about you? Did you know that a business card is one of the main channels for introductions and keeping an impression with someone you otherwise might not be familiar with. Many people think that a business card is only for top-executives; this is not true. When I went on my first interviews I made business cards for myself that simply had my name and contact information and received praise for having done so. Because business cards are associated with people in the business world, displaying yourself as someone interested, interesting and willing to go the extra mile by showing your discipline and drive will make an impression when perhaps your resume isn’t loaded with past jobs and accomplishments at work. I entered the interview with a notepad, pen and smile and a business card with my resume. The business card was just another way for my interviewer to know who I was and another way for them to keep me on file.

Where To Get Business Cards

Since I didn’t have an employer to make business cards for me, I went online and found a site who will make them for you. It is a huge business and there are literally hundreds of web sites online that will make you your very own business card. They are easy to design and can be showy or plain. Now maybe you are thinking, “this just seems like an unnecessary expense.” Well, truth be told, a few hundred business cards will run you around $10, so really, you should be thinking, “how far am I willing to go to get where I want to be?” If you are at a loss for what to say on your card, stick to the basics, sometimes saying less is more. If you are pursuing a career in like writing or marketing, make up something for yourself, creativity and humor are also great ways to make an impression.

 
Making A Name For Yourself

A business card is, like I said before, a way for people to remember you. If you are ever at an event or conference, make sure to bring a bunch of them. Whenever you meet someone new, get their business card and give them one of yours. In the long run, the more contacts you have, the better. In the business world, the more people you know, the better off you are. In our world, it is still about who you know and who knows you, so don’t feel nervous about putting yourself out there. You never know, the next person you hand your business card to could help jump start a new career for you! Make it a point to advertise yourself. The job market is competitive and only getting worse. More and more people are getting college degrees and an undergraduate degree does not hold the value it once did. Anything you can do to make a memorable impression will only help you.

Most people would like to have their own home business, I would. It implies two things that most people find very agreeable; you would work from home and work for yourself. It is much easier to get along with your boss when you are your boss, and the commute is much less irritating when it is from your bed to the living room and not from your house through traffic to the office. We are all jealous of people who have their own home businesses, especially if they are able to do something they love. It seems that what you have to do is find a public need that associates with something you like and then you can turn it into a business. Take a look at this interesting story about one of the most unique home businesses you are likely to find.

David Marcks was once a 23-year-old golf course superintendent in Greenwich, Conn. with the unpleasant task of trying to keep hundreds of geese and their droppings off the golf course he worked at. He tried every different deterrent known from sprays to pyrotechnics to fences to flags and nothing worked. Around the same time he adopted a border collie that was brimming with energy and had very little outlet for it. Marcks decided that he would attempt to give his dog some exercise and potentially find a solution for his geese problem at the same time, and he struck gold. His dog chased off the geese without harming them and after the dog performed this task several times, the geese stopped coming to this particular course. This idea would give birth to Geese Police, one of the most unique home businesses you are likely to hear about.

Initially, Marcks just needed something to keep his dog occupied, as it would chew up his belongings if left alone. There was no thought of joining the ranks of home businesses, just keeping the dog properly exercised. As the geese fled the course that Marcks worked at, they migrated to other area golf courses. Marcks offered the services of his dog to the other courses in order to keep it occupied, never thinking of charging for the service. Word spread to other golf courses, homes and businesses and Marcks was willing to help and keep his dog sane. The owner of a neighboring golf course heard about the dog and told Marcks that he would pay him to keep the geese away, a light went off, and one of the most improbable home businesses was launched.

Geese Police, the unlikeliest of home businesses, was started in 1996 and has expanded to the point where they have multiple offices and made almost $2 million in 2000. The business now serves a wide variety of locations and businesses after getting its start on the golf course. The original location spawned seven franchises and qualified individuals are welcome to start another.

If this idea can work, there is no limit to the scope of home businesses. If you have an idea, literally any idea, it could give you an opportunity to work for yourself.

Dress codes are never fun. In high school, I had a very strict dress code to adhere to. It included button up blouses, shorts to my knees and anything else to make sure we couldn’t look cute while in class. But don’t let the sound of business casual scare you, in reality, you have a lot of freedom in the style and can maintain your personal look while still following the rules. Here are some business casual dress guidelines that I would recommend if you are at a loss for what to wear.

 
When in Doubt Err on the Side of Safety

For women, it is always a good idea to think below the radar. Solid colored blouses and shirts with collars are always safe choices. But, if your sense of style is a little more outspoken, find a funky print, but nothing too ostentatious. You are in an office and business casual dress guidelines are there for a reason. As for shoes, you aren’t at a club, so leave those gold stilettos at home. Don’t think that this means you need to wear grandma’s orthopedics, find moderately heeled shoes that will be comfortable and that fit the style of your company. 

For men, it is a little easier to dress under business casual dress guidelines. Suits, ties, button-up shirts and solid colors will always win out. Tank tops, graphic t-shirts and flip-flops are not considered acceptable when thinking about business casual dress guidelines.

If you are ever wondering whether an outfit might not be acceptable under the business casual dress guidelines, it is always best to err on the side of safety, the last thing you want is to get written up and sent home for not dressing appropriately at work.

 
Why Have Business Casual Dress Guidelines At All?

It is commonly assumed that dress and work attitude are one in the same. If you dress sloppily, the work environment will follow. To keep an organized, professional attitude, you should dress as such. Business casual dress guidelines are there to reinforce a state of mind in the workplace; they are there to promote productivity and professionalism. While some think that business casual dress guidelines are oppressive to freedom of expression, the reality is that when people dress well, they act differently. You would never wear ripped jeans to the opera because it is not acceptable, on that same note, the office works the same way. You go to the office to do work, it is a professional area, and people should act as such, therefore having a dress guideline that will help promote that attitude seems, to me, completely reasonable.

By now, most people in our society are aware of eBay and understand the concept. I feel like it is similar to a really good and consistent athlete to a sports fan. It is always there and producing so you end up taking it for granted until you find another reason why it amazes you. Every once in a while I will go on eBay and just browse around for looking for a good deal on something or for an item that is hard to find. More than half the time this leads to me stumbling upon something that amazes or dumbfounds me either by its sheer shock value or the stupidity. People who are trying to make money from eBay by selling alien eggs or supposed alien carcasses would fall into the category of the things that strike me as amazingly stupid.

There are certain things that I run into that actually impress me, mainly how some of these stores seem to make money from eBay sales at an incredible rate. Upon my most recent visit, the largest store on eBay was a comic book store entitled “My Comicshop.” This store had 261,668 items for sale. The store claims to stock 62 percent of all comics ever published, the largest selection in the entire world. The most expensive comic they have is available for $2,090, a rather efficient way to make money from eBay. This is obviously an extreme example of how Internet sales have taken off, but even if you had a modest collection of comic books or some other type of collectable, you could stand to make money from eBay sales. This particular store has been selling comics since 1961 and was among the first stores to sell comic books online, which brings me to another example of ways to make money from eBay. If you already have a business, and it is feasible to sell items on eBay, there is little reason to not open an eBay store.

Creating an eBay store is easy and provides you the opportunity to expand your customer base from whatever local market you have to the entire world. Not a bad scope for expansion. It is probably the easiest way to be able to reach anyone in the world, and you don’t even have to go to the trouble of creating an entire web site. If you already own a business, you can add to your profit, make money from eBay, and gain advertising just by opening an eBay store.

The other stores that round out the five largest stores on eBay include another comic book store, two stores that sell movies and a car parts store. Some of these are expansions of an actual store and some are strictly eBay businesses. As a seller on eBay, you are judged by customer feedback. This information is displayed for anyone who wants to read it. The formula is simple; if you treat your customers right, you will attract others.

Ask anyone who’s started a business, and they will tell you that writing the business plan was amongst the most difficult things they did. You may have the greatest business idea since Al Gore thought of the Internet, but before your idea becomes reality, you need to write a business plan.

Take a walk through the business section of your favorite bookstore, and you’ll see dozens of books on the subject of writing a business plan — most proclaiming theirs is the only one you’ll ever need to write the “perfect” business plan. And while they’ll probably be of some help, the thing to remember is that what might be the perfect business plan for one start-up may not be the perfect business plan for another.

Too many people get hung up on following all the rules the experts have laid out. And while I’m sure no harm can be done following the rules, I question whether or not they’re all necessary. It seems like each expert on the subject proclaims something different and that their format and rules are the ones to follow. But having read the books and having written my fair share of business plans, I can tell you that each business plan is different. I’ve written lengthy, statistic heavy plans, and I’ve written five-page plans with hardly a number to be found. Both worked. Why? Because I knew my audience and because each plan clearly articulated what the business sought to accomplish and how it would be accomplished.

Reread that last sentence and remember it. If your business plan sticks to those simple guidelines, you’ll be fine. Sounds too simple to be true, doesn’t it?

Starting a business is hard enough, why complicate it anymore than you have to? The right business plan for your business depends on who your intended audience is and what type of business you are starting. Starting a process-heavy business that’s producing goods and requires outside investment to get started? Then you’ll need to paint a very detailed picture of how your business will operate, grow and profit. You’ll need to communicate that your idea is sound and the business model is viable. At the same time, if you’re starting a small home-based business or web site that doesn’t require outside investment, your business plan will probably be substantially shorter, though you’ll still need to provide data to back up your assumptions.

The key thing to remember is that with any business plan, you are using it as the foundation from which all other decisions and actions will be based. If your plan has holes in it, if it doesn’t articulate what your business’ goals are and how they’ll be reached, then it doesn’t matter how long or short it is.

Finally, many ideas sound great in theory. It’s only when the business plan is being written that one realizes the idea can’t support a business. And, in my opinion, there is no better way to test the strength of a business idea than by trying to write a well thought out, executable business plan.

Patrick C.

Working from home is a dream come true for many Americans. Getting out of the rush hour commute, being your own boss, setting up your own working hours and taking holidays when you want are just a few of the reasons people start their own home based businesses. But how to decide what type of home based business will be profitable, doable and manageable? Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Alternative Energy Installation

With the rising price of fossil fuels(oil), natural gas, heating oil and propane, there is a large demand from companies and homeowners alike to get onto the alternative energy path. Solar panels and wind energy are the most well-known sources of alternative energy, but did you know that geothermal energy can be used as a source of home heating and cooling? Getting into the market and running a company that does installation work is profitable, good for the environment and is a field that is in high demand. This is a great idea for a home based business. Check out http://energy.sourceguides.com for more information on this up and coming field.

Dogs

Did you know that the average dog owner spends hundreds of dollars on his/her furry friend a year? This includes gifts, grooming, baby sitters and day care. Standard dog service businesses, such as walking, grooming and training, are good bets, but try looking into home based businesses like dog-treat bakeries or restaurants. The organic trend is on the run and offering organic foods that are healthy for dogs is a great market. Or think about a doggie daycare idea for your home based business, if you have a yard and patience, there is a lot of money to be made here.

Online auctions

eBay, we all know and love it. But did you know that you can supplement your income from your office job by working with sites like eBay®, Amazon® and Yahoo!? Commerce on the Web continues to grow at alarming rates. This past holiday season online sales grew by over 40 percent from last year! If you have a hobby or an interest, you can sell what you make, collect or buy on the Internet. A great, and free, newsletter that can help you stay involved and accelerate your home based business can be found at www.auction-sellers-news.com.

Interior Decorating/Home Décor

Many people don’t trust their own taste. That’s why we have interior decorators and designers! There’s a lot of room in this field for an individual entrepreneur with a strong sense of style. This home based business idea is great for the individual who has a good eye for design, is organized, and who get things done.

Tutoring

Tutoring has always been a great home based business, but the need has been growing in the past few years. More and more parents want their children to go to the most prestigious schools and excel in class. College is getting tougher to get into and the pressure’s on for students to get straight A’s. Generally speaking, tutoring is in demand for math, language and writing. Your home based business of tutoring is a great way to generate fast income, and you can help make a difference in a student’s life. To learn more about the tutoring field, check out the web site of the National Tutoring Association.

Take this information and see what you can do to start your own home based business! Good luck!

Ask any small, or for that matter, big business expert and they will tell you that the name you choose for your business is probably one of the most important decisions you will make. While you may think it’s just a name, the truth is the name you choose for your business is its soul.

Having worked in brand management and advertising, I can tell you that while a poorly chosen business name may not kill your brand, it can make the marketing process that much more difficult.

Think about it for a minute – of your favorite brands and businesses, how many have names you can’t stand or that make no sense? I don’t know about you, but of my favorite brands there isn’t a single one that I don’t like. Now think about the brands or businesses you don’t care for. How many of them have names you don’t like or make no sense? My guess would be quite a few.

Would you buy a car from a dealership called “Cheap Cars” or “Prestige Motors”? Would you rather have your taxes done by the firm “Instatax” or their competitors, “Jones and Hawthorne Accounting”?

As you try to come up with the perfect business name, put yourself in the position of the consumer. Take a step back and subjectively judge your choices. Do they tell the consumer what you do? Are they too long or difficult to spell? How do they roll off the tongue? Are they generic or too outrageous? Do they involve plays on words or gimmicks? Are they memorable? How you answer those questions will help you narrow down the perfect business name.

In the world of branding, the goal is to create recognition and resonance. As you work to build your small business, you should remember that your business isn’t just a service you offer or a product you sell – it’s a living, breathing entity, it’s your brand. Take for example Volvo® and Yugo®. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of each? Now think about the name you are thinking about choosing for your business. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? What do you think the first thing will be that comes to your customer’s mind? If you like the answer, chances are you’ve got a great name for that business you’ve worked so hard to build.

Once you’ve decided on a name, you need to make sure it’s available. You may have come up with a great name, but if it’s already registered you’re back to square one. Visit your state government’s homepage to find out how to do a name search and registration. If the name is available, most states will allow you to register it online. In addition to being easier, registering your business name online can also be cheaper!

At the end of the day, the name you choose is something you have to be proud of and happy with. You’ve worked too hard for too long to feel otherwise. By keeping in mind the guidelines mentioned above, you should be able to find the perfect name for your perfect business.

Ask anyone who’s started a business, and they will tell you that writing the business plan was amongst the most difficult things they did. You may have the greatest business idea since Al Gore thought of the Internet, but before your idea becomes reality, you need to write a business plan.

Take a walk through the business section of your favorite bookstore, and you’ll see dozens of books on the subject of writing a business plan — most proclaiming theirs is the only one you’ll ever need to write the “perfect” business plan. And while they’ll probably be of some help, the thing to remember is that what might be the perfect business plan for one start-up may not be the perfect business plan for another.

Too many people get hung up on following all the rules the experts have laid out. And while I’m sure no harm can be done following the rules, I question whether or not they’re all necessary. It seems like each expert on the subject proclaims something different and that their format and rules are the ones to follow. But having read the books and having written my fair share of business plans, I can tell you that each business plan is different. I’ve written lengthy, statistic heavy plans, and I’ve written five-page plans with hardly a number to be found. Both worked. Why? Because I knew my audience and because each plan clearly articulated what the business sought to accomplish and how it would be accomplished.

Reread that last sentence and remember it. If your business plan sticks to those simple guidelines, you’ll be fine. Sounds too simple to be true, doesn’t it?

Starting a business is hard enough, why complicate it anymore than you have to? The right business plan for your business depends on who your intended audience is and what type of business you are starting. Starting a process-heavy business that’s producing goods and requires outside investment to get started? Then you’ll need to paint a very detailed picture of how your business will operate, grow and profit. You’ll need to communicate that your idea is sound and the business model is viable. At the same time, if you’re starting a small home-based business or web site that doesn’t require outside investment, your business plan will probably be substantially shorter, though you’ll still need to provide data to back up your assumptions.

The key thing to remember is that with any business plan, you are using it as the foundation from which all other decisions and actions will be based. If your plan has holes in it, if it doesn’t articulate what your business’ goals are and how they’ll be reached, then it doesn’t matter how long or short it is.

Finally, many ideas sound great in theory. It’s only when the business plan is being written that one realizes the idea can’t support a business. And, in my opinion, there is no better way to test the strength of a business idea than by trying to write a well thought out, executable business plan.