Free Website Design

For many small business owners, establishing an online presence is a cost they can do with out. With most web designers charging hundreds of dollars for a simple site they process can seem daunting and expensive.
Small business resources site www.bbbcubed.com has begun offering a free web design service for small business owners.
Their service is not designed to give business owners a top of the line product, but rather a proffessional and simple entry point to the web without breaking the bank. While customers will still have to pay for their webhosting and domain name through webhosting company Ipage, these charges start from only $3.50 per month so are minimal and affordable.
With nearly 2 billion internet users spread over the world, can a business affford to not be online? For Craig Darrall from bbbcubed the answer is simple.
"No. Whether your business is selling a product or service, the website gives business owners an easy way of communicating with customers and establishing potential new markets that in the past would have taken years and many thousands of dollars. The internet gives even the smallest of small business's the opportunity to become a global player and ignoring it is ignoring the future of your business."
He goes on to say "We invisage this service of being particularly beneficial to business's in developing countries who do not have ready access to the technology or expertise and while this is a commercial endeavor our main aim is to help these markets grow and succeed in a world where being at the forefront of technology is often the sole domain of developed western nations."
Currently the service is in a limited trial phase, but bbbcubed has plans to expand the offering the offering in the future.
Further details can be found at http://www.bbbcubed.com

Discover Facebook Marketing - The Facebook Marketing Explosion

Unless you've been living under a rock you are almost certainly familiar with Facebook, the biggest thing to happen to social networking since Myspace. Launched in February of 2004, it is only in the last year or so that Facebook has become the household name that it is today. What the average person may not be aware of however is that Facebook Marketing has recently begun to take off, and in a very big way.

With over 62 million active subscribers and growing, Facebook is still comparatively virgin territory for the swarms of internet marketers that, by many accounts, have turned Myspace into a virtual spam hell. Rest assured however, Facebook marketing has only just begun, and you can be sure, the marketers are coming. There is however some good news as well as some bad.
While the bad news is that Facebook spam is on the rise and is almost certainly going to get a lot worse before it gets better, the good news is that the Facebook is not as vulnerable to unsolicited messaging as Myspace is and Facebooks integration of an Adwords-like advertising system seems to be promoting a more pleasant environment for users and in turn a more profitable one for internet marketers.

Setting up a Facebook advertising campaign is extremely simple. You are guided through a series of steps that are similar, though several degrees simpler, than Adwords. You simply write an ad, select a headline, add an image, bid for ad placement, enter a credit card, and you're done. It's as simple as that. With Facebook advertising, you not only can target your ads by specific keywords and regions, but universities as well. It is a system so simple and effective that many are calling it "the new Adwords".
Like any marketing technique, Facebook marketing has its tricks, theories, and secret strategies. There is a right way and a wrong way to engage in Facebook marketing. However, if you are a business owner or an affiliate marketer who is after a demographic between 18 and 25, Facebook marketing may very well be a worthwhile addition to your marketing campaign.

Click Here For More

Selling stuff online at a moment is a pain in the backside - you have to deal with building your online shop, getting the products, packaging them, shipping them, dealing with payment options, technical support… But does it really have to be?

Well, thank to a service that was recently launched in the US, all these problems are now a thing of the past. Zlio isn’t just the world’s most innovative e-commerce service ever launched - it’s also pure genius! It allows you to create your own internet store, even if you have nothing to sell! All you need to do is to go to their website, create a store (takes less than three minutes) and fill it with products from their directory (which gives you a choice of over three million products, from most of the internet’s top merchants). You don’t need to know anything about programming or making websites unless you want to – all that garbage is dealt with by them (and they make your shop look really pretty as well).

Once your shop’s up and running, all you need to do is advertise it round (family, friends, your blog…) Zlio even provides all kinds of tools to help you do that. And then, when people log on and buy anything from it, you get a commission from the supplier. But best of all, you don’t even need to worry about handling the product yourself – it’s shipped straight from the merchant to your customer. All you ever need to handle is the cash!

So next time someone asks you where you got that incredible book/watch/shoe/couch/computer/remote controlled helicopter/etc… make sure you’re be able to send them to your ZlioShop and to get your cut on the way! With over 100 000 people who have already created stores with us (some of whom now make over $750 a month!) and over 2.5 million unique visitors a month, you just can’t go wrong!

How To Make Money From Passions

To make money online many people jump right in before they are properly prepared. You know that to be a rocket scientist, a doctor, a brick layer, a construction worker, an office worker, a teacher there are prerequisites, things you must learn, before you can be successful, you don't just jump right in unprepared.

The same applies to the Internet marketing industry even though there are unsavory people out there who'd have you believe it's a "Walk in the Park" and requires no more than the belief that you can just do it.

And I'll have to admit, it is a walk in the park compared to what you have to put up with in the working world punching a clock being a subordinate to someone who does not have your interests in mind, but there are still rules you have to follow and pitfalls you must avoid to actually make Internet marketing work for you.

Most people will not make a dime online and yet there are others who will make more in one month than most people make in a whole year. Why is that?

My answer begins with the age-old chicken or egg question, "what comes first the chicken or the egg"? Personally I vote for, well never mind, each argument you or I make comes back to the same old conclusion - I have no clue and I don't think many of us do either.

But one thing I do have a clue about and know for sure is that to make money online you must first have Passion for the company products and/or service of any Internet business from which you expect to make money.

Passion in this sense simply means that you've researched and like the company and products or services. It is then that you translate that like (or Passion) into the education, excitement and work that usually accompany Passion.

I will have to say that many online entrepreneurs are so good at what they do that they ignore passion because they can sell anything. But I'm concerned about those of you who are not so knowledgeable at working an online business successfully.

Now, I'm not trying to make anyone believe that Passion is the only thing necessary. Because to be successful you must also have a good website, good marketing, widespread advertising, company support, effective keywords, and etc. Those things are often learned from the company you join - but sidestep Passion and you reduce your chances for success dramatically.

It therefore follows that, if you have no Passion for the company and the products and services provided by that company, again, you won't attempt to do the work you are being taught.
Internet marketing work is typically not all that difficult or time consuming but it does take motivation caused by Passion to get you off and running with a sustained effort so that you won't stumble.

You have a great resource in the Internet search engines to search about the Internet Marketing industry for business opportunities, USE IT!

Your research should uncover a company that you like and have confidence in. It should be solid, founded on great principles, and easy to understand with great products and services that are sell-able for which you can have Passion. If you don't find it move on,
You can find the right opportunity containing the attributes identified above.

Comments like, well, that one sounds good and the compensation plan is excellent so I guess I'll start that business - does not sound like a decision based on anything near Passion. And remember when you hear that an Internet "guru" does that, don't be tempted, because as I said earlier they are experienced and can sell just about anything, without being Passionate about the company products and services.

Note: By the way it's your goal to get to the point where you can sell about anything online. That end skill and goal is a worthy one indeed.

Remember, there are other steps you must make before you step into Internet Marketing but if you don't first find the right company products and services to be passionate about, all of those other steps may just cause you a lot of frustration instead of bringing you great success.
Not being Passionate about a company and products and services that has market proof that it will sell is a pitfall you simply must avoid.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Maverick Money Makers is a private
society that will teach you how to
build a six-figure a month business
on the internet.
If you want to make money online,
join the society before it's too late.
http://bit.ly/9lWwqB
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Smart Cashflow Management

For a lot of businesses, especially new ones, success is a matter of survival more than anything else and in order to survive it’s important to remember this one principal. Cash is King!

Without a ready stockpile of cash, the ability to meet ongoing operating expenses will become problematic. The reality of why so many small businesses have not survived the recent recession is because they did not have access to cash when their income suddenly nosedived.

First of all what is cashflow? It’s important to not confuse cashflow with profits. Profit will support the growth of your business, contribute to the value of your business and pay back long term debt. Cash is what you need to pay those everyday expenses such as suppliers and employees. As an example; if your customers pay you 30 days after purchasing, then you will not receive that useable cash until the following month, yet that sale will still register as profit.

In order to control your cashflow you need to take to do the following.

- Make sure your accounts are up to date. This should be a daily task.

- To boost cashflow you can raise prices and increase sales.

- Sell off surplus assets and equipment.

- Get rid of slow moving stock by discounting.

- Make sure you invoice your customers as soon as possible.

- Follow up on invoices as soon as they are due. Some business’s will not pay unless they are chased, so it’s perfectly acceptable to start calling your customers the day they are due to remind them.

- Keep a close eye on your debtors. If you have debtors regularly falling behind in their payments change the way you bill them, by insisting on payment up front or stop dealing with them until their accounts are cleared. Remember you are effectively loaning other business’s your cash interest free.

- Make sure your customers understand your payment terms by making it a central part of the supply contract.

- Cash cheques as soon as you receive them.

There are other effective methods to get customers to pay on time or even better, early. Offer a prompt payment discount, perhaps for payment within seven days or payment at time of purchase. This might just be a short term fix to get cashflow moving, but it’s a common tool for business’s to use and a quite attractive way for your supplier’s to save money, especially if you point out on their monthly statements how much they could have saved had they used the facility.

Probably the easiest, and most neglected, way of solving cashflow problems, is to review the cash that is leaving your business. Keeping an eye on costs, especially during difficult times, can be an extremely effective way of keeping the bank account under control.

- If times are difficult, the easiest and perhaps least painful cost (from the business’s point of view) that can be targeted is your own drawings or salary. You might not like the idea much, but remember; short term pain for long term gain.

- Review your employee expenses. Reducing employees is never an easy step, however during difficult times it is a necessity that cannot be avoided. Start by reducing the number of hours you have them working or maybe look at linking performance more closely to pay.

- Try and negotiate better terms with your own suppliers.

Remember that most businesses that do fail, fail because they do not have the cash to meet their financial commitments, and not necessarily because they are unprofitable. Keep a healthy cash reserve aside for rainy days and above all, make sure you maintain a good relationship with your bank, because it will be they that you turn to as a last resort.

MLM and PYRAMID SCHEMES

Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries; unfortunately it can be quite difficult to tell the difference between an illegal pyramid scheme and a genuine MLM scheme. However the main difference is, an MLM scheme is designed to sell product and a pyramid scheme is designed to recruit new members.

The questions you need to ask to determine the legitimacy of the scheme should be;

1. Is there a large amount of upfront money required? A legitimate MLM business should not require large start up costs.

2. Will the company buy back unsold inventory? You might not get back what you paid, but you should get back at least 75%.

3. What sort of emphasis is placed upon the market you will be selling to? If there doesn’t seem to be much emphasis on customers then chances are their main business is recruitment.

4. Is there a lot of emphasis placed on recruitment? Are incentives or commissions offered to recruit new members? Does the plan suggest you will make more money through recruitment rather than selling?

This is an extract from a larger online article that can be found at http://www.bbbcubed.com

Coping With Stress

Running your own business can be one of the most satisfying things you will ever achieve. It can also be one of the most stressful activities to undertake.

You can be guaranteed not everything you set out to achieve will work, and not everything you meticulously plan will pan out the way it was supposed to. There will be nights when you lay awake worrying, or thinking about what needs to be done. There is little you can do to avoid those times, but you can minimize the effect that stress will have on you, your employees and your family.

The first thing you need to learn to do is to identify what is causing the stressful situation and accept it, rather than explaining it away by blaming someone else or trivializing the issue. It might be helpful to write down the occurrences in your diary or journal, that way you can also document what you did to deal with the stress.

Think about how you deal with stress and be aware of the damage that some coping mechanisms have on you and other people, such as drinking, sleeping patterns, withdrawal from family and friends, procrastination and particularly those angry outbursts. If that’s how you typically handle your stress then it’s time to look for some new methods.

Avoid stress. Easily said than done, but some situations are avoidable. It might be a particular person that causes it; maybe you can spend less time around that person. Reduce your to do list, by reviewing what’s important and dropping off things that you don’t need to do. If you have employee’s then DELEGATE! One of the more important things we can do in business is learning how to say no. You will be amazed at how the stress level drops when we start saying no to people.

If you can’t avoid the stress then avoid the situation that causes the stress. Communicate your feelings with those around you. Compromise, look for the middle ground. Assert yourself, tell people that you are too busy to have the conversation and most important, manage your time better. Plan ahead as far in advance as you can and then try to focus on the task in hand rather than what’s on that list.

Another method to minimize that stress is to change yourself. Look at the situation that’s causing the stress from a more positive point of view; look at the benefits you will get from dealing with the problem. Don’t forget the big picture; is this really going to matter in a month or a year? Try not to be a perfectionist. The standards we set for ourselves are sometimes unachievable, so be realistic, remember you are not a superhero.

You should also learn to accept that there are things and people in our life that we simply cannot change. You cannot control the world; that’s that superhero thing again. Sometimes we just have to let the situation roll off our backs. Again easier said than done, but if you can achieve that particular skill, life will get a whole lot easier to deal with.

Ensure that you take time out for relaxation and fun! As a business owner it’s very easy to get caught up in the moment, and before you know it a week has gone by, you haven’t seen your family; you are tired, grumpy and intolerant. It happens to everyone, but is so easily avoided by penciling in time throughout the week to relax; it will put what you are doing into perspective and remind you that there is more to life than work.

Lastly and most importantly, talk to someone about your stress. It might be your partner, a colleague, your accountant even your bank manager. If you need to, talk to your GP or get counseling, if the stress seems impossible to deal with.

We want you to grow old and successful not young and washed out!