Ebay - Did Anyone Else See The Show on CNBC?

I did see it and I know that they repeat the shows that they air so it will probably come on again - reruns.

Personally I liked the show and I was glad to see examples of people who were able to be earning an income from it - especially the story about the woman who was disabled who when she mentioned that she was disabled other disabled people started emailing her and she started this whole thing about helping other disabled people to sell things on Ebay.

I also liked the fact that Ebay was started as this little buy/trade site for beanie babies or such and it just grew to global proportions.

However on a minus side I do know that there are those that don't make as much or make as much as they would like to and there are the inevitable things like buyer/seller deceit but overall I was glad to see some examples of those who were actually able to earn an income - and a livable income at that.

Grants to start a daycare / Grants to start your own daycare....

This is a very popular search term.  So hopefully I can shed some light on this kind of thing.  Number one you are going to have to decide whether or not you will operate your daycare as a non-profit or a for-profit.  You can even do a combination of both!  For for-profits there are a number of funding resources that you should be looking into.  There are funding resources that are not just limited to daycare. There is a grant funding competition that is funded by a business that awards five grants of $20,000 per year.  There are some requirements - one you have to be a minority and you have to submit a business plan plus you must be under the age of 30.  This is an example of a funding source where a lot of people are eligible plus its not just for those that want to start a daycare - its for those that want to start a business.  There are grants for those that want to operate a for-profit daycare that are sponsored by foundations.  Of course there are more grant programs for funding non-profit daycare but that doesn't mean that there are no funding programs for for-profit daycare.  If your daycare will include "special need" children or children from low-incomed families the number of grant programs increases.

But you are going to have to do some planning first.  Answer the question of whether or not you will operate as a non-profit, for-profit or both.  Make a business plan and include the specifics of your daycare operation such as the age and any programs/education that you will be offering.  This will help narrow down the amount of research that you will have to do when looking for grant funding.  There are even some areas that will provide grant funding for starting a daycare service because the need is so great so you should check your own area to see if they provide for such funding.

There is a fondation that awards grants that are related to bring a greater awareness of adoption/adopting children/adoption related services.  Applications for this program ends in October of this year.  There is a grant program that accepts applications from both non-profits and for-profits as far as daycare providing services go.  This program has awarded 900 grants in one year!  In New York over $1,000,000.00 was awarded to daycare startups and expansion funds for daycare.

Grant Recipient - Lane Bryant!

Lane Bryant, Inc., located in Columbus (Franklin County), will receive a $400,000 Business Development Grant to defray costs for building improvements and capital investments related to a planned expansion of its headquarters operation. The company is a publicly traded firm that specializes in the sale of plus-size women’s clothing. The $22 million project is expected to retain 220 positions and create 45 jobs within the first three years of operation.

Grants - Even the Prince of Wales gets government grant money!

According to an article published in the Yorkshire Post the taxpayers added over a million dollars to the Prince's personal income in the form of government grants to cover some of the costs of his public duties which included a contribution for palace maintenance.

It's all very complicated but you can read the article by going to the link below:

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1072614

My "Other" Blog

I also have a more personal blog at

Rose's (AOL) Journal

Originally I started it as a journal talking about how much of a computer nut I was (and still am). But it has takend a different direction because others were having problems with their journals so I decided to make it a "meeting" place of sorts. Each week I come up with a question of the week so that everyone can post their comments and then add a link to their own journal. Every so often I'll skip a week just to let everyone catch up with the questions.

This is another very good way to network and communicate with others and I think that having a blog whether it be for personal, professional or both is a good ideal.

So if you feel like answering the question(s) and are curious to see the comments by others be sure to visit my journal. It will be interesting to see posts by those both AOL and non-AOL members.

Needing help finding and applying for grant(s)...........

I need help finding and applying for a grant. Can someone help me?
   

Thank you for your email.

It all depends on what type of grant(s) you are looking for.  You haven't said what the grant is for or included any information as to what type of grant that you are seeking.

Usually when someone or some organization is looking to apply for grants they first determine what it is that they will need the grant for and then they can start looking for grant programs/funding resources that provide grants in the areas that they are seeking.  Over 90% of my fact finding has been done online.

For example, my latest client wants to know about grant funding resources to open her for-profit daycare center out of her home.  Since she has specified that she wants to operate it as a for-profit then that helps to make the searching more easier.  Since she has hired me to find grant funding resources that she can apply to I will make a list of who, what, when, where and how and it will take thirty days to complete.  Once I have finished finding the grant programs that she can apply to I send her the complete information about the grant programs that she can apply to complete with the information of what she will need to apply.  Once she has that information she can then decide whether or not she wants to apply herself by submitting the information herself or she can hire a grantwriter to do it for her.  But that decision is totally hers to decide.  Often times applying to these programs can be done by the person/organization seeking the grant, however if the application process is too complicated or they just don't want to do it themselves then they have the option of hiring a grantwriter.

Grants for opening a daycare

By far this seems to be about the most asked about topics as far as finding grants is concerned.  One of the things that you have to realize is that providing daycare is a very sought-after service.  Starting a daycare business (inside or outside your home) has been one of the businesses that is often recommended as a good business to start because it is a service that is always in high demand.

While gathering information for a client that wants to start a for-profit day care service I have found information which includes the following:  There is a grant program available now for those that want to start their own chld care service.  The minimum requirement is that you must have at least 2 years experience of caring for children.  Startup grant awards are $500 and can be used for starting your daycare/child care service.

In Massachusetts, a facility that provided adult day care for adults with Alzheimer's received a $93,000 grant from a foundation that boasts of providing over $37 Million Dollars in grants annually!  Their "Independent" Grant program funds one out 7 proposals that are submitted.  This particular program does not have a deadline and proposals can be submitted at any time of the year.  Their areas of interest include 7 different areas relating to the welfare of those that need it the most - which is the very objective of both childcare and adult care.  This foundation also has an interest in helping those that need care by providing them with information that they can use to help them better.  What this means is that not only do they have a program that provides grants for care services but they also have an interest in helping those who need care get the information they need.  This means that not only can you apply for providing care services but you can also apply if you can provide informational services to help those that need to know more. 

And one of the most important features of this grant program is that if you are a for-profit then you can still apply!

-the average grant award is $300,000!  But grants have been given anywhere from $1,200.00 to $50,000,000.00!

-on the average 900 grant awards have been given annually!

So do not give up on searching for grant funding even if you want to operate it as a for-profit.  No matter what anybody else has told you there are grants available - even for for-profits!

Your first customer......

My very first customer was a neighbor of mine.  He had heard from another neighbor that I was a bit of a computer nut but I guess he figured that since I was a girl I didn't know anything (he told me so later that that was what he had indeed said!)  Anyway I was at his house and he showed me his family's webpage about football and then I showed him my webpage.  At the time it had music that played and it was in a frame format so that anything you clicked on the left would show up on the right side.  He was so impressed with my webpage that he wanted to know who had done it for me and when I told him that I had did it myself he was stunned!  He became my very first paying customer!

With that being said one's very first customer could be someone that you already know.  A friend, family member or even a neighbor! 

The very first thing I always advise people to do is to have a business plan - with that being said I would first look to my own immediate area.  What places would provide a good opportunity to at least introduce your product?  Are there any social gatherings, parties, meetings?  What groups do you, yourself belong to where you can bring some samples along?

How can one turn a computer program into a money making idea?

Of course it all depends on the program but you have so many different possibilities. 

A woman used her astrology program to provide readings for a fee.  No big deal you may say but the difference was that she gave readings for people's pets!

Another route you might want to try is to just pick the program that you use the most and turn that into a career.  Let's say you use Microsoft Word the most well do you have any idea of all the things you could do with that program?  I was playing around with it one day and had the most fun just creating graphics with their built in drawing program.  You could design flyers, cards and other publications for others.

How about what computer game do you love that you love playing on the computer?  I was thinking about my own example which is I'm currently into playing Descent and I just past the "training" level and am having the hardest time advancing thru the first real levels!  But I was thinking about putting up my scores so that others could see it and then add their scores.  And if you're thinking Descent is an old game you're right but guess what?  A lot of people still play it.  Don't you think a lot of people would like to see others scores and even add their own.  That will lead to people adding their comments and then people suggesting other games and then BAM there you have it - potential advertisers who will want to advertise with you.

For those of you that can't find an investor here is some good news for you!

In my own state of Pennsylvania a start-up manufacturing company called Advanced Technology received a $150,000 investment to help develop new products.

"Grants for Business startups"

Someone recently did a search for grants for business startups which led to the government's US Department of Commerce. Here is an excerpt from the page:

"The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that small-and-medium-sized businesses account for approximately two-thirds to three-quarters of all new U.S. jobs and represent approximately 99% of all U.S. employers. Yet these companies often are unaware of the wide range of federal resources available to bolster their competitiveness in world markets. "

If you want to find grant funding resources for your startup business then I do suggest that you first start with the federal government's site. There are some grant programs that are open to all which means individuals, non-profits, for-profits and small businesses are eligible to apply for these grant programs. One of the reasons that I suggest you start your search with the federal government's website is because the government programs usually offer the most in grant funding.

While so many people say that there are no government grants to start a business I must just be seeing things differently. Let's say that your passion is helping the environment well there are certainly enough grant programs out there that you can apply for including those from the government. Helping the environment is a big concern of the government which means that they will have programs to help bring a greater awareness (and hopefully a solution) to the problem. So if you are eligible to apply to one of their environment-related grant programs and you receive the grant - isn't that the start of a business? And I haven't even touched upon the non-governmental organizations that also offer environment-related grant programs. There are foundations and organizations and businesses that also offer grants in a wide variety of topics as well.

Another major concern of the government is the health and welfare of others including seniors and children. That's why there are so many programs that offer funding to help with the health and welfare of others.

To all the writers out there (and those who aspire to be writers)......

Did you know that J. K. Rowling received a grant?  Who is that?  Well that's the woman who wrote (and still continues to write) the Harry Potter books!  It has been estimated that this author has made more money than the Queen of England!

In the 90's, Rowlands received a $13,000 grant that allowed her to quit her job and concentrate on writing her (second) book.  In the meantime her first book received over $100,000 for the US Rights and from there she hasn't looked back!

Could you please email me..............

"I found your post to be very helpful.  I would like to you some more questions.  Can you please email me at my personal email address of ~@~ and lets talk more."

Well the purpose of these message boards is for people to find out more information about funding opportunities.  Many people want to know about grants for starting their own businesses and I have found that there are two groups of opinions on the subject - one is the group that says that there are absolutely no grants to start a business of any kind what so ever.  What that tells me is that they either haven't found the information or they simply just don't know what they are talking about.  Then there is the second group that says that there are grants out there to help start a business.  Of course I'm with the second group but mainly I know that the information is out there because I have found it and that is the information that my clients want.  Whether it be from sheer frustation, curiosity or just the desire to be able to start their own businesses they have found that the information is out there.

There was a recent study done that said over 50% of the public said that the government isn't doing a good enough job telling the public about government grants while I know that that this information is accessible to the public - it has to be because since it is government information it is public information.

But there are categories of grants that aren't a part of the government but are provided by foundations and organizations and even big business and corporations.  How many people who are categorized as minorities would be interested in a grant program that awards 5 grants of $20,000 per year to those that have the best business plan?  What about the founder of Ebay who has made so much money that he has his own grant program for non-profits and FOR-PROFITS because he started with a dream (and dare I say the desire) and he wanted others to achieve their own dreams.  There are grant awards for the best business plans and their is even a $100,000 grant program awarded by a major company to those that have a vision/dream of improving society.  How many people would apply for that grant - which by the way in the words of one of the directors has said that "while non-profit and humanitarian endeavors are considered we realize that doing such work can also fall into the realm of for-profit businesses as well so the awards are NOT limited to just non-profit organizations".  There are many entities out there that have grant programs for for-profit businesses and for those that want to start their own businesses - even the government's website(s) have grant programs that are open to all - which means individuals, home businesses and for-profit businesses.

Grant News from the News Wires

President Bush also announced a breakthrough for Faith Based and Community Organizations. Policies have been lifted which prohibited them from receiving government funding based on religious affiliations. Churches and religious based community organizations can now compete on equal footing for available federal dollars.

Terry Newborn, a researcher for Government Publications in Washington, DC, reported, "There are billions of dollars in grants and loans earmarked for people previously identified as credit risks. Public and private funds are now available for them to buy homes, cars, start a work at home jobs business, consolidate debts,and any worthwhile purpose." In addition, he reported new financial resources have been committed to help the unemployed get job training re-enter the job market or perform work at home jobs.

"Now is the time for citizens to act if they need money for any worthwhile purpose," urged Newborn. He also revealed that several reduced-cost and even free programs now exist to benefit economically disadvantaged and recently unemployed persons. Such programs include dental and vision care services, prescription plans, legal aid and work at home jobs. The program also includes free postal training manual, government jobs training manuals, applications plus practice tests that help low scorers acheive a higher score when taking civil service exams,it also includes work at home jobs manual and more.

grants for daycare - another route

This year Cambria county received over 3 Million Dollars in grant money.  This money was distributed to those that provided daycare (also known as subcontractors) and included those that provided daycare in their homes, and those that operate group and family homes as well.  In some instances the subcontractors were either relatives or neighbors who agreed to provide this type of service.

So what this means to someone looking for funding for their daycare facility - whether it be in their home or not should really look into their own local community.  As noted above there was a very big need to provide childcare services and in order to help fill this need the community subcontracted with those that provide (or are willing to provide) daycare services.

Grants - Sometimes you just have to fight!

Fishermen in Massachusetts are trying to recover from a red tide outbreak. While its true that the government has loan programs to help them recover, they (the fishermen) want GRANTS not loans which will have to be paid back. You can read more about this by going to the link below:

http://www.provincetownbanner.com/article/news_article/_/32719/News/6/16/2005?eazy_sess=8e7cca2345823a171d28fbbc7351c5d6

In a nutshell since the red tide outbreak has stopped the fishermen from making a living they argue that the loan programs offered by the government will force them to take on more debt. Apparently there are two major grant funding sources that could be used to give the fishermen their grants but it is being fought over. One grant funding resource apparently has no money in its account and the 2nd does have money in its account but an aide to the State's Congressman says that there is so much paperwork involved and that the grant money will take longer - so he argues that using the loan program will drastically decrease the amount of paperwork that has to be done and the money (from the loan) will be received faster.However the main argument of the fishermen is that it is still a loan and not a grant and they don't want to take on more debt!

Grants For Mobile Homes!

I didn't know this until now but there are even grants available for mobile homes - including repairs!  I actually saw one that also grants monies for the purchase of them.

I'm constantly amazed at the information that I find!

There is a category of grants that I don't consider real grants because.....

in some way or another they charge a fee.  That's not to say that I don't include this kind of information for my clients - I do - BUT only if they ask for it.

For instance there is a "grant" available for writers who write about food.  The grant provides for travel or research expenses however as a part of the application process you also have to include a $10 payment.

Investors - A Word About them

After reading some information on the Internet I was surprised to find out that there are still investors, angel investors and venture capitalists that are still out there.  The problem is that you are going to have to weed through all the information out there to find the ones that are legitimate.  Coincidently this is where a lot of people give up looking because there is just too much weeding that has to be done.

Another thing that people tend to overlook about finding investors is that once they do find potential investors they realize that they have to have a presentation to present to those potential investors.  Basically you are going to have to show these potential investors WHY they should be investing in your business.

And lastly, consider how much are you willing to give up when you are negotiating with investors.  How much of a percentage of your business are you willing to give up to have investors invest in your business?

All one needs to start with is DESIRE!

Here is a response to a question I answered:

Rose writes, "You do not need a degree to be a consultant and you don't need
a degree to start your own business.  The one thing that one truly only needs
is desire and that's how I started - with a desire."

No, you don't need a college degree but it sure helps.  In today's complex
and competitve marketplace desire is not a substitute for knowledge.

And here is my reply to the response:

Of course having a degree helps but not everyone who has started a business had a degree.  People don't want to go to college or can't afford to go.

Desire may not be suitable but it is all that one really needs to get started.

Daycare Business - Non-Profit vs For-Profit

I'm trying to start a daycare. Can someone tell me the different in nonprofit daycare and profit daycare?

Don't think that the irony of this has escaped me! In my own honest (and humble) opinion I think it would be better to operate as a for-profit the main reason being that you are limited in what you can do as a non-profit because there is much more that you have to answer to and for. But one of the many reasons why people operate (and want to operate) as a non-profit is so that any contributions and donations that they get are tax-deductible to those that contribute and donate - a fact that makes it much more appealing to those that contribute and donate. And of course there is more grant funding available for non-profits. (That's not to say that there is no grant
funding available for for-profits there are of course).Talking about daycare specifically starting a daycare center is one of the businesses that is always recommended as a good business for someone to start because there is always such a high demand for it. (And the reason why there are so many grant programs for daycare is because there is such a big need for it!) The basic theory behind running a daycare center is
that there is such a need for it that you may have more business than you can handle and of course more business means more income and more income means more profit. A recent example I read about was about a man that started a daycare
business and he had so much business that he opened a 2nd and then a 3rd daycare center. But unfortunately I have also seen the other side of this and from the people who would know and that is other daycare operators. Their complaints range from parents that don't want to pay all the way to the operator being sick and the parents bringing the children to them anyway (or even worse yet the parents bringing a sick child to them).  So this is another reason why operating as a non-profit would
look more attractive because receiving as much grant money as one can helps the business go more smoothly.

Of course there is always a third option and that is operating  as a non-profit or for-profit and then changing to the other "side" depending on how your circumstances are (or how you want your circumstances to be). Just because you operate as one way doesn't mean that you have to continue to operate that way.

And then there is a fourth option of "splitting" it - which is one of the ways that organizations of all types have been able to do it for years.

And then there is a fifth option of partnering with either a profit or non-profit - again another way that organizations of all types have been doing for years.I hope this explains it a little bit better

Cold Coffee!

Almost nothing tastes yuckier than cold coffee!

That's what happens when your so involved with working that you forget that the time has passed by!

A New Month - A New Client!

My latest client is a woman that wants to start a daycare business out of her house in South Carolina.  She wants to run it as a for-profit and NOT a non-profit so I will be finding funding resources for her.  After I give her the funding resources that are available to her she can then decide whether or not she will want to submit the applications/proposals herself or she can choose to have me or someone else do it for her.

Since she is still a newer client there is still information that she will have to give me including the age range of the children that she will be taking care of and whether or not she will be taking those that are considered low-incomed as part of her business.  There is also the question of whether or not she will be having other people work for her as well.

As I find more and more funding resources for her more questions may have to be answered.  As part of the services that I provide for her she has already answered the basic questions that are included.  These are questions that have to be answered before any funding resources can be submitted.

The basic questions that have to be answered before I can start finding any kind of funding resources can be found here:

http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/payinfo.htm

Starting a for-profit business - especially starting a for-profit day car business out of one's home is a very popular topic and one that is always asked about.  The resources are out there - you just have to find them.