The Simplest Form Of Commerce

When is the last time you just picked up the phone and called someone you know and told them about a product or service you are aware of, and offered to send them some information via an email?

Isn't that something that a lot of us do on a regular basis without even thinking about it? When we are lucky enough to find something that works well for us, we generally want to pass on that information to others we think might need the benefits we received.

This process is what we commonly refer to as "networking". Now if you can find a way to get paid for "networking", other than the fact that you will feel good for having helped a friend with something that they might find valuable in their life too, what's wrong with that? How about NOTHING!

Commerce is what makes the economic world go around. How you fare in life can be directly related to the effort you put into being a part of commerce.

You are invited to come take a look at a very simple way to help others and earn money at the same time. You will be surprised at the companies that are taking advantage of this technique, and the vast numbers of ordinary everyday people who participate. The only difference between you and them, once you understand the principle and how to employ it, is that you will be earning money and they won't.

Bill Reid Specializes in Virtual Business Development and Training

Are You Thinking About A Home Business?

Are You Wondering?
Why Start a Home Business

As I go about discussing the virtues of having one’s own business as opposed to working for someone else, I am often confronted by the unspoken question that lurks in almost everyone’s mind, and that is, “Why should I start a home business?” I should be quick to add that, at least in my opinion, a home business is not for everyone. Some just are not suited to the task. There are certain personality traits and human characteristics that do not lend themselves to support the discipline that is required of a home business operator. But, with that said, I find that, in general, there are a number of ways that a home business can be “customized” to the operator in such a way as to optimize their chance of success. Identifying limitations and strong points are the key, but that’s a topic best reserved for a later article.

Rent or Buy

I believe the best way to answer the question of why anyone who is qualified should start a home business, is a simple analogy to either buying or renting a home in which to live. If you think of a “job” as “renting an income”, the same way you rent an apartment or house on a temporary basis, compared to “buying” a house or condominium, where you actually assume “ownership”, and begin to accumulate an equity in the property, then a “job” seems to be a more tenuous occupation opposed to developing your “own” income source that you control.

It’s about Control

A job is only as secure as the company that provides the work that constitutes the position that you occupy with them. If something happens to that company, whether it’s an internal matter or external forces that affect it, you will be affected as well. As we look around today we see company after company in a broad range of industries that are suffering due to the forces of the economy. High fuel prices are just one of the factors that cause major changes in some companies, like those in the transportation industry. The airlines, for instance, are struggling. They have to raise fares in order to offset the increased cost of fuel, and that affects the numbers of people who fly. The eventual outcome of the situation is that the employees are affected through no fault of their own, and some will loose their jobs as a result. Either way, internal or external, the result is the same. No job, and no income.

Taking Charge

For those who are suited for, and have the ability, operating their own small home business offers another possible outcome when an economic disaster is looming on the horizon. They simply make the necessary adjustments, if needed, and continue to develop their businesses and along with them, the income that is needed to maintain their standards. By becoming your own employer you shortcut the process, and at the same time, take the limits off your creativity because everything that you do to “enhance” your own business will be a new investment that will add value for you.

So How Do You Find a Good Home Business

I think it comes back to the last part of the first paragraph of this article. Start by identifying strengths and weaknesses, and then, the most important part, find a way to apply the strengths, and mediate the effects of the weaknesses. In my opinion, the best course of action is to sit down with someone who can present first hand knowledge of the information you need to make a solid decision, take what is offered, use what you deem to be appropriate to your personal circumstance, then get into action with the plan you choose to use immediately. Once a suitable match becomes obvious you will know it, and action will happen. Inspiration will be automatic if you truly believe that you are involved with the right product or service.

The Time For Home Based Businesses Is Now

There is A New Paradigm for America and the World

Two generations ago Americans' financial security was rooted largely in an agricultural economy. Then there was The Great Depression, another World War and a more modern America emerged as a world leader in the age of "mechanization", followed closely by yet more regional conflicts, and the emergence of the "technology" era of space travel, the Internet, the personalization of computers, cellular communications and more of everything than the rest of the world could possibly imagine. The Americanization of the world had begun.

Our Influence is Everywhere

American influence pervades just about every corner of the globe. As a people we had grown so fast and gone so far that no other country on the face of the earth could compete, but in the process we became the world's most ravenous consumer of everything as well. Living standards were elevated at a break neck pace as the "Baby Boom" generation of the World War II generation came of age, and finally, this same generation, that has been the benefactor of the American economy for so long, has become the weight that it toils to carry. And now many of the rest of the world's economies, racing to compete, are beginning to become massive consumers of the staples that Americans need to maintain their standards. We are beginning to be forced to compete in the world market place, not just for the luxurious "extras" that money will buy, but for the fundamental "fuels" that keep our mechanized and digitized society running, and all the other necessities of life as well.

We are a world of consumers

As America, and Americans have spread the dream of a better system and a better life throughout the far reaches of the world, several of the highly populated nations, China and India, just to name two, are racing to "catch up" with the apparent abundance that Americans enjoy. Demand for food, water, materials for shelter, oil and other forms of energy, and, generally speaking, most all commodities is on the rise, driving prices for these essentials higher, precisely at the time when aging Americans are least able to pay for them. Just about everywhere one looks...prices, taxes, fees...more is being demanded and financial security is becoming more tenuous, and those who have not come to this point in life, heretofore called retirement, totally prepared are feeling the pinch and the "social safety nets" don't appear to be strong enough to catch the overflow. The American Social Security and Medicare crisis being one of the most discussed of these.

The strain of the numbers

With social systems, pensions, healthcare systems, and just about every other institution in America, and for that matter, the World at large, feeling the strains of higher standards, and with the "globalization" phenomenon creating the worldwide export of American manufacturing jobs as well as other deteriorations of earning abilities, more Americans in all age groups are looking for ways to fill the "gap" between their existing financial means and that which is required to maintain, or rise to, an acceptable standard of living. Americans don't seem to be willing to accept less in their "golden years" than they have been able to enjoy during the higher productivity years of their youth. Apparently they want to continue with the same high standards even though they are no longer able to produce the levels of income necessary to maintain those standards, and unfortunately, the maturation of many of the major pension systems, and some world financial reverses, have caused reductions in accrual, and even pension payouts, that were unexpected.

A New Paradigm and A Final Career
The time has arrived when the "old tried and true" conventions of the past can no longer be applied. A change is in progress. A massive change. A new paradigm for the middle class of the world, not just America. A new way of thinking. Instead of retirement, many are moving from what was to be their "final career" to their "next career". Instead of earning a living with "brawn power", it will have to be done with "brain power", and instead of "burning gas" we will be "burning bits". In other words, taking advantage of technology to compete with the big boys. For those who are already immersed in retirement, or those who are very near that stage of their life, time is the most important factor. The potential for accrual and compounding, as it is normally defined, is diminished greatly, even though Americans are living longer than ever before. The big question then becomes, how do we accelerate the process in order to benefit from our efforts for the balance of our lives? The answer lies in one's ability to understand and employ a process of replication and duplication of their production, and in the United States it can be done with many different "micro-scale" variations of the methods that the great industrialists have known of, and used, for most of the history of the world.

A Home Operated Internet Business

Why a "home operated business"? Very simple. Because the tax laws of the United States were written to help those who are willing to accept the risk of running their own business, to succeed. That is exactly why I urge you to take a brief moment to visit the Small Office Home Office Website where you can find information that could help you to broaden your understanding of the overall problem and perhaps help you to find ways to hedge your financial position at the same time. The only way I can see to put a "stop loss" in place for your retirement years is to be in some kind of home based business for yourself. With proper mentoring, it's not really that difficult, and there are lots of options. You can start a simple home business that could help you live the rest of your life to it's fullest. You have a computer. You are here. Never before has it been so simple!

A Vast Store House of Free Information is Available to You

How fast would our civilization progress if every doctor, mechanic, accountant, or any other trained individual was forced to start learning their skills or the arts of their practice without the benefits of studying the trials and errors of those who had gone before them? My guess is that you could probably measure progress with a 12" ruler, and there would be no such thing as schools, libraries or any other institution that is used to store and pass on knowledge. But that doesn't have to happen to you. Now it's relatively easy to start a reputable home-based business and then, through the Internet, put an automated system to work, doing the heavy lifting for you! Take advantage of what is already known and is there for the taking. Amazingly, there are vast resources available to help you, and many of them are free, and include free training as well. It's possible to succeed by spending just 7 to 10 hours a week and earn a lifetime walk-away residual income. And what if you already have a business up and running? Well, if you need customers for your business you can still use these free resources which include an automatic lead generation system. I will say it again! You shouldn't waste another minute. The link above will provide a vast amount of information. Then all you need to do is take that first very important step, complete the form and submit for more specific information. Why wait until you are forced to seek out extra income to offset the rising cost of living against your fixed income? Do it now and get ahead of the curve. You will be glad you did.

What Makes Network Marketing Work?

Many times I am asked, and in some cases confronted, about network marketing with many different negative connotations. There are some who think that anything to do with marketing in general must be some sort of hocus pocus that "scams" people into doing something that they don't really want to do.

And then there is the attachment to "selling" that comes with the word "marketing". It reminds me of the story that Zig Zigler tells about Willy Lohman, and I hope I have it spelled correctly, the salesman in the play "Death of a Salesman". Of course Willy is depicted as a failure in the play, and even his name, Willy Lohman, seems to denigrate his character even further. Pronounced Low-man, it would indicate that his station in life was less than desirable, and it's all due to his occupation. A sad story to be sure.

But that was then, and this is now. I believe that the "sales profession", and it is a profession in every sense of the word because it is really the art of developing a favorable relationship with the customer or prospective buyer to enhance the possibility of gaining their business, and this is a learned skill that does not always come naturally. To some it might, but those are a very fortunate few. For most a considerable amount of time and effort must go into learning what, how, when, where and why to employ their profession. Most of the time the necessary skills are learned "on the job",so to speak, and because this is generally the case, the only way to overcome any deficiencies that might exist in the salesperson's techniques, is to increase the numbers of approches, or attempts, that he or she makes. The theory is that the more times you try, and fail, the more you learn from your mistakes, and with adjustments, the sooner you weed out the techniques that don't work, and begin applying only the techniques that do work. Great theory, but fatally flawed from the very beginning because the human psyche will not withstand the battering that the perceived rejection delivers, and so, the newcomer will fall by the wayside long before any real chance for success has had time to play out unless they are just really lucky.

So how do we avoid this high attrition rate among those we are recruiting for our network marketing organization? There are three things that are paramount in my opinion.

First, you have to be honest with the person you are inviting to your business and understand that not everyone is a fit for what you do. Be fair and don't be painting pictures of instant success and wildly exaggerated expectations of earnings.

Second, you need to help the new recruit develop an attitude toward themselves that will enhance their chances of success. Help them to develop the attitude that they are "problem solvers" who may happen to have a solution for some problems, but that there aren't too many products or services that will be needed by everyone. You might think that they need it, but do they? Even if they do, if they don't percieve the need, then it might just as well not even exist.

Finally, you need to help them develop faith and hope. Part of any success is in the "believing" that it can really become a reality. How will they survive approaching the large numbers of people who will have to be invited to their business if they are to succeed? I think it's by understanding that most of the people who join them will NOT be as excited about the business as they are. In fact, the tendency of most new recruits is to sort of sit back and watch their sponsor to see how the "plan" is working for them. If they get a sense that their sponsor is growing their business and earning money, then they will likely get more involved, but if you, as the sponsor, are spending all your time trying to get them to "do something" that you have told them they need to do before success will come, then they dont' have a model to guide them. People will follow a leader, and a leader is someone who is out front, doing the things that they are teaching. Ask yourself, are you a leader? What do you want your organization to look like? Have you ever heard the expression "birds of a feather flock together"? Then when you attract someone to you who wants to be a part of what you are doing, allow them to "become" an associate, an equal, and give them all the help you can without expecting them to do anything in return. For me that means not only making sure that the businesses I associate with are reputable, but that when someone chooses to join my organization they are shown where to get and how to use the tools to promote their new homebased business. There is a wealth of information out there, and much of it is free to use. You just need to know where to get it. One of my favorite places to get the basics and some good "first step" training by the experts is at SOHOMATIC (The Small Office Home Office Website). One could spend the better part of a half day purusing the materials and presentations there, and it's all straight forward, down to earth information.

I have a mentor who is fond of saying "people won't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Isn't that the truth? I believe it is. So just walk the walk and let them have a chance to see you moving forward. If they like what they see you will not only get an associate, you will get a little bonus along with it... A leader in your organization who will most likely emulate what they have seen you do.

This Applies to Most of Us

As most of us assess the state of the world today, and how we fit into it, most of us find that we would like to have, do and be more.Is that you? Are you looking for a better way?
Most of us have been lead to believe that to be in business for ourselves is beyond our reach. That it takes lots of money or demands too much time, or some other obstacle that we don't feel that we can overcome. Is that true for you?

Most of us have found that the world is full of offers for business opportunities, home based and otherwise. Some are legitimate, some are not. Some are feasible, some are not. It seems like everyone's deal is the best one out there! (According to them!) Has this been your experience?
Most of us have tried some of these ,so called, businesses only to find ourselves in even more dire straits and much more disillusioned than when we began. How am I doing? Am I right so far?

Unfortunately, what most of us have not done, is

• take a rational, reasoned approach,
• do our home work,
• acquire the tools and training necessary,
• make a plan,
• cross the t's, dot the i's and
• make sure that those with whom we associate ourselves are as committed to our success as we are to our business.

Would it be fair to say that you are one of the majority of success seekers who fill this burgeoning category?

Most of us don't give ourselves a real chance for success when we "attempt" to establish a homebased, or Internet business of some sort. If you give it some thought I think you will agree that most of us who have started a homebased enterprise that failed to live up to the hype, did so because we bought into someone else's dream, but that dream didn't have "legs". All you could see was the dollar signs. Yes, maybe they did tell you about the sweat required to make the dream your own, then put legs on it, but you didn't hear that part. Then, when the initial excitement began to fade away as the "dream" didn't, magically, become a reality, you realize that you are not willing to pay whatever the price for success with the new venture happens to be. If you are like most, the vast majority who "try" a homebased business, you probably looked at everyone who "sold" you the dream and blamed them for your inablitiy to make the dream come true. Or maybe you blamed your spouse, or some other relative who didn't support your effort, but in the end, wasn't it really about you? If you were to be totally honest with yourself as you look back through your experiences, wouldn't you have to say that you are largely responsible for the result of the failed attempt?

What if I told you that everything that I have described to you in the preceding paragraph is NORMAL? That you really are responsible for your failures, but that it's just part of a maturing process that almost everyone goes through as they learn to deal with new and different realities that come with independence and being a homebased business owner or Internet entrepreneur? This may, or may not, come as a shock to you, but there really is NO magic! No one is going to compensate you for doing nothing, and if you find someone who says there is a way to do it, watch out, it's most likely an illegal scheme that will just take your money, or even worse, lead to a confrontation with government rules, regulations or laws. There are mistakes that really are better, not made!

If you agree with this last statement, then you are probably wondering why there are so many out there who continually get involved in the many schemes that promise overnight riches. The answer is short and simple. They do it for the same reason as the promoters who devise and push them. They are looking for an easy way to riches. Something for nothing. A shortcut to success. It's a mentality that has been promoted for many years in America that says you can take a pill and get an immediate result. You can "own" a home now, and pay for it later. The same goes for luxury automobiles, and other non-necessities that we choose to lavish on ourselves, and all we have to do is pay "rent" on the money it takes to enjoy living beyond our immediate means. It is the American way, is it not? As recent generations have become accustomed to "having" everything now, as opposed to "when we can afford it", it becomes easier to believe that the "smoke and mirrors" are the real thing, and they are not.

Are you ready to reel in the unrealistic expectations that drive so many to look for a quick fix or a shortcut? If so, and you are really serious about putting all the schemes, and funny stuff behind you, and understand that there REALLY IS no free lunch, then start at the beginning.

First, understand more about how we have become what we are and are where we are. Then, if you agree that you might benefit by starting and developing a homebased enterprise of some kind, take some time to learn something about the dynamics of the different types of homebased ventures, and whether they will fit your personality or skill set. There are many legitimate businesses that will adapt well to homebased operation, and not all of them have a compensation plan that is based on "multi-level" or "network marketing". There are some legitimate "turn-key" businesses, and there are those that will require more cash capital than others. In all cases, it's important to understand that the less capital required to start and run your business, the more likely it will require some leveraging of effort, or duplication, to succeed. In other words, your success will depend largely on your ability to get your product, plan, or service in front of large enough numbers of prospective customers to make it work. If this turns out to be the case in your situation, doesn't it make sense to get plugged into the right people and systems to learn the business or develop the tools that will help you promote your business?

It sure made sense to me, and that's exactly what I did. Now I am willing to put all my training and hard knocks on the line to help you to take inventory, marshal your resources, and eliminate unnecessary wastes of time on your way to becoming a successful homebased business owner. The next step is to just simply get better acquainted and see if we have enough common ground to work together. You will have to get the ball rolling. It will be up to you, and all you have to do is come to visit and learn about me at my "Who Is Bill Reid" site. You will find the contact information there to proceed if you choose to do so.

The Most Powerful Link In The World

When you are in business there is usually something that gives you, or your service, or your product, a value that will benefit others. That is really what business is all about. Regardless of whether it's a homebased business, online business, Internet business, marketing business or some other type of more traditional brick and mortar, store front type business, the entire purpose of it's being is to offer a solution for a specific problem that is evident to the prospective customer, and that the customer wants to resolve.

Every business competes for customers, even though not every solution, or product that is offered by every business is equal to the others. Some solutions are just better than others for a variety of reasons. Some businesses have a product or service that is unique, or contains some proprietary technology that makes it more competitive or useful than others. When the prospective customer is properly presented the advantages of a given solution that has some "unique edge", compared to the competition, assuming the prospective customer is "qualified", (Qualification includes a need, recognition that the need exists, a desire to fill the need, and the ability to pay for the solution.), then the probabilities that the prospective customer will buy the product or service are greatly increased.

Most businesses that have a "special" edge will go to great lengths to protect their "technology" or whatever the "uniqueness" is that makes their product or service more valuable than all the rest.Now, with that said, if you are attempting to conduct your business online through the World Wide Web or the Internet, with web sites or other "online" marketing tools, then "findability", or "visibility", for the web site you are promoting on the search engines is of paramount importance. You still have to have something of "real value" to offer those who may have a need for your product or service, but getting online "traffic" to the site you use to promote your product or service becomes priority number one. "Findability" is the problem that needs to be resolved.

There are a lot of different methods and techniques that are being presented as the solution to this particular problem. Frankly, some work, and some don't. Some cost lot's of money, and some don't. Some are feasible or practical, and some are not. I could go on and on, but the "bottom line" is, to be successful on the web or the Internet, you must have links and content that promote your business' web presence. The content must be of high quality, and relevant, and It is no secret that some "links" are more valuable than others when it comes to promoting your business. It follows then, that if more "valuable links" are part of your promotion, you would want to know how and where to acquire them for your sites and online tools.

What if I told you that The Most Powerful Link In The World just happens to be free? If you click on the hyperlink here and go to the page behind the link, you will probably begin to scratch your head and wonder if I have lost my mind. Unless you are a Search Engine Optimization specialist, or have some training in SEO, then what you see when you get there will probably not make any sense to you at all. To the untrained eye, it will probably appear to be just a simple page with some catagories that you can "click on" to see advertisements for services or products in which, quite honestly, you have no interest at all. I will be the first to admit that when I first learned of The Most Powerful Link In The World it didn't make any sense to me at all. Then someone told me how it works, and I became a bit more interested. I used the link as instructed, and it was a huge factor in producing the result that I was seeking for my web presence. Then, after a considerable amount of thought and experimentation, I devised a method of using The Most Powerful Link In The World that has a multiplying effect that I'm not even it's creator envisioned. I believe that by applying the methods of using "the link" that I do, I have captured an infinite potential to drive the web presence of any business on the Internet that, heretofore, did not exist.

Would you like to learn how to put this extraordinary tool to work in your online business marketing effort? I will show you how to use it, and then if you choose to do so, the rest will be up to you, but I want to offer a word of caution here as well. The implementation of the methods I employ with "the link" are very easy and simple to use, however, it will require effort. There is definitely a price to pay. There is a learning curve, which I will assist you to overcome as quickly as is possible. Then there is the actual "work" that is involved in putting the "tool" to work for you. If you are sincere about your "online success", you will be more than just a little glad you took the time to check it out, and I hope you are, and that you do.If you follow the last link at the little flashing icons, you will find my Who Is Bill Reid page and all the contact information you may need as well as a more intimate glimpse of me and some of my online businesses.

Feel free to contact me by any method you choose. I will be more than happy to make your acquaintance.

Need A Hot Fuel Mixture for Your Business

Are you taking stock of where you are with your new homebased business?

After finally jumping in and getting set up, have you decided how you are going to market your business? There are lot's of ways to do it, and maybe you doing well with what you are doing already, but generally speaking, most homebased business people won't come here if they are doing really well. It's when they hit some kind of a wall of resistence that they begin to look around for help.

With this wonderful medium that we call "the Internet" so much a part of our daily existence now, it becomes a part of almost every network, mlm, or even retail marketer's dream to be able to tap into it's power. I know. I talk to people almost on a daily basis who are trying to find their way onto the Internet and "explode" their business. Wouldn't that be a networker's dream. Just set up a web site, "plug it in", turn on the power, hit a few buttons, and be on your way to massive riches, just like they talk about on the late night "infomercials" that show you the big houses, shiny, fast cars, beautiful women, and a lifestyle that only the very rich and famous can afford. That would be nice. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that way.

I know. You hear the stories all the time. You see the news snippits in your browser window that says some 18 year old kid had a good idea, put it on the Internet, and now is rolling in the dough. Sure there are the great Internet success stories from the past, and some still going in the present, but they are few and far between. Think about it just for second. Who benefits when you, and every other "gullible" someone out there online buys into that line and charges off to get your "get rich quick business" going on the Internet? Don' t you think it might be the industry that surrounds and supports the Internet? They are saying, "come on in and play our game by our rules, and (we) get rich in the process". You can play their game, and you can play by their rules, and win, but you have to know and understand the rules and how the game is played before you have even a ghost of a chance. So let me ask again. Do you need a "hot fuel mixture for your business"?

There is a way you can win in the homebased Online Internet marketing business, but it's not through the "get rich quick schemes" mentioned earlier. You can win with the right tools and lot's of hard work. Didn't want to hear that did you? Hard work?! Nobody wants to work hard. Right? Well, if you find that you fall into that catagory, then you should save yourself some headaches and just try to build your business in the more traditional ways. But if not, then perhaps it will serve you well to spend some time learning about a system that really does work for promoting your business on the Internet. Veretekk can be the answer to an Internet Marketer's dream, and if you are building either a network or MLM business that depends on recruiting new people into your organization, then this particular tool, which comes with the system, could be one of your most valuable assets.

Take a look around. I think you will be glad you did.