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....I am thinking about selling for others on eBay. I don't think there is a place near me that does it so I would be the only one in the area. I just need to know a few things. How much of the money made goes to the customer and how much to me as the seller. What if something doesnt sell? does the customer pay all fees? And last but not least what types of items does it pay to do this for. After all, after all the time you spend making the pictures and listings and shipping the item do you realy come out ahead or do you expend too much time and energy for too little return?
Ebay has a term for this and its called "Trading Assistants". Your idea doesn't sound like a bad idea but take it from the people that have replied to your post - it aint easy!
I had one woman who wanted me to sell her sports card collection on Ebay. I see a similar set sold for $30,000! Well I showed her that information and she was ready and willing to go BUT she didn't want to pay anything and she wanted to hold on to the cards until I got the payment. Well my main caveat with that was that after I got the payment I would have to chase her all around to get the cards. Mind you now its not her name on the account and its not her doing the work. So to make a long story short I did not do it.
I recently made a brochure that I give out to anybody that wants me to sell their stuff on Ebay and in that brochure is the EXACT terms that I'm going to accept. So I do suggest that if you want to do this that you do the same thing - write it out and then when someone comes to you wanting you to sell their stuff on Ebay - then BAM! - you give them the brochure!
If they balk you can simply tell them to try and sell it theirselves on Ebay. That will give them a better understanding (and hopefully some respect) for what it is that has to be done.
So many, many people want to work from home but a lot of them say that they don't know what to do. As I have said many, many times before the fastest way to make money is to find a need and fill it and the best way to make money is to take something that you love and turn it into a business.
There is also a third option too. How about taking one of the programs that you already have installed on your computer and start a business using it. People think that that you have to have the latest software and/or the ones with the most "bells and whistles" when really you don't have to. I am a big fan of "using what you have to get what you want."
On my consultation page I list a few programs and how they can be used to start a business. A simple program that came with my computer was the Windows "Paint" program which is a basic paint program. How can you use this program to start a business? How about designing logos? Or specialty T-shirt designs? You can create your picture using this program and then copy the picture and paste it into your wordprocessing program. Just think of what you could do with capabilities like that! You could start your own newsletter, doing desk top publishing for others......You want to hear a "strange but true fact?" Even with all the home computers in use there are still people/businesses and organizations that still use the service of desk top publishers - publishing everything from logos to stationary! And this is something that you can do using two basic little programs that are already installed on your computer.
What's that? You say that you can't draw? In a lot of instances you won't have to be a Picasso at it. The most basic of paint programs lets you draw shapes and include text and once you start at it you will become more and more familiar with the program itself and then you can start to experiment and acquaint yourself with what your program can and can't do.
Don't think that there is a market for this type of work? Then you're wrong. Look at all the websites that offer these kinds of services. What about businesses that offer this type of service in your area? If you live in an area that doesn't offer this type of service you can use that to your advantage!
What about a niche market where you do a specific type of design? Let's say menus, resumes, newsletters, stationary - some type of specific design?
You will have to have clients right? There are no-cost and low-cost ways to advertise and market your business. Why don't you design a flyer advertising YOUR business (make yourself your first customer) and distribute it around? Prepare a business plan so that you will always have the steps that you take written down (and add enough room for the new things that you have come to learn!). Business plans don't have to be complicated. You can start with just a simple objective (ie: I want to make $ per month) and add to it as you progress.
You know there are people that are doing this very thing now. Why not you?
Are you interested in providing shelter for the homeless? There is a grant program in Wisconsin that provides funding for this. Again (as I have said before) when there is an overwhelming need for something a grant program is created. This one has been around for over 15 years! Both non-profits and private for-profits are eligible to apply. I was looking at the the listing of past recipients and the list includes organizations like the Salvation Army, community action organizations and a number of religious organizations.
Please remember to bear in mind that this is not the only grant program of its kind that is available. Taking a look at the bigger picture here this has to do with providing shelter for the homeless and to encourage more shelters - that is why these kinds of programs have been created!
I a have a Website,trying to make money working at home! I am 67 years old,with very little retirement! Looking for knoweledge to get more people to my website,
One of the first things that you should do is to identify/define your target market. Who is most likely to buy your product and why?
You also should realize that a lot of visitors will happen upon a website because they got the link from a search engine. Well, how does your page(s) rank in the search engines? I try to keep my pages at least in the top numbers of rankings and this is something that I do manually as opposed to paying for high(er) rankings. It is something that I do and that has to be done on a continuing basis. You have to realize that new webpages are coming on the Internet everyday and theoretically speaking the more new pages that are added to the Internet everyday the more your page(s) will get bumped down the list of links.
Also you're going to have to analyze the traffic that you are getting now to see how you can go about increasing it - another thing that should be included in your business plan.
I want to open/start a home daycare, A.S.A.P.
I want to apply for grant.
Please tell me where to start!
Thank you for your email.
The first place that you should start looking for grants is your own locality. You can start at the local level of your municipality to see if there are any grant programs for providing daycare services in your area. You will also have to decide whether or not your daycare will be operated as a for-profit, non-profit or a combination of both.
There are daycare-related grant programs at a federal and national levels but if your own local area also has grant programs than you will have more that you can apply for. There may also be certain aspects of your daycare that will qualify you for other funding programs such as providing "after-school type" programs, some kind of educational aspect and on and on.
It will all definitely depend on the type of daycare service you will be providing. In some cases you can even find a grant/funding program that you can tailor your business to in order to qualfy for the funding program(s). For example if you found an organization that had a grant program for helping to improve a child's math skills (or some subject that you are well acquainted with) then you could include such a program as part of your daycare services.
So the best place for you to start is with a general outline/business plan of the way that your business is going to be. With this then you can start to find the grant/funding programs that you are eligible to apply for.
When you are "looking for a grant" there are some things that you are going to have to take into consideration. Number 1 grants are not automatic meaning that you have to apply. You are most likely to receive a grant when you best meet the guidelines and requirements of the grant program. Going on your post specifically you have to know that theatre and theatre groups receive grant funding all the time so that makes it definite that there are such grant programs out there.
You take your endeavor or project and figure out who best would it serve. Know that the bulk of grant programs out there exist to bring a greater awareness to something and/or to help solve a problem. How does that relate to your endeavor specifically? Well since yours is a minority endeavor you should look into sources that are related to that minority. What can you bring a greater awareness to? How about those problems that relate to your minority - ie literacy, there has also been in the news a lot lately about illegal immigrants - how about telling their stories? How about telling the story or stories of those of your minority that have achieve some kind of infamy (good or bad) and there is also the good old "standby" of offering some type of educational aspect to your endeavor. The above are good for at least 5 different kind of grant programs that you are qualified for and can apply to.
One side note that I want to add is that it is not enough to just say that you have a endeavor and/or project and then say you want a grant for it you are going to have to show why you should receive such a grant.
I'm looking at some literature from a company. What is striking to me is that there is no letterhead with the company's contact information. Please do not make this mistake with your own company's literature. I don't care how small or how big your company is ALL of your literature should have some type of letterhead even if its just your company's basic contact information either at the top or the bottom of the page. Remember that you want your business to be remembered!
PS - This also applies to your non-profit business and projects as well!
Can someone point me to the best resources for learning how to market my art?
I seem to be inept at using ebay, websites, google etc. I've tried everything and I'm so frustrated I could scream LOL! The long of the short... I feel as if every place I see on the internet is out to take your money, for a service they know won't work eventually you quit after that they take the next guys buck. I've tried click services, general submissions, paid submissions, I've tried ebay who takes so much when you list and then afterward they take from your profit and they own paypal that also grabs a chunk. I feel used and abused, tired and frustrated I love my artwork, I do many types I am unfortunately a bit of a recluse and I don't have a networking ...my own folly I fear. But how do I go about building a clientel? Target market? I'm kind of crippled at knowing which way to go...also terribly unfocused...I make jewelry, paint watercolors, do poetry, cards, LOL I even tried to add products from places like SMC, crystal manufacturers to round out my own...they just d!
rove me nuts with low inventory, poor turn times etc. I want to crawl back into my cave and just paint LOL...help!! any suggestions? I made a website/store but it's not "turned on" to shop at...you can't click a basket and buy anything...but it shows the kind of work I do...should I give up online and hit the street with a suitcase full of my work and hope some gallery likes it? I am such a ninny.,..LOL I am NOT a sales person, I'm an artist and need some real guidance ...check out my work and tell me who /how I should approach to guide me at selling ...there's a fraction on this site...I have so many things LOL... anyway remember, you can't buy any of it, most of it I either gave away by now or it's packed away, but it is good to at least see what I mean by artist...
Well you seem to be quite unfocused. The first thing that you should do is sit down and determine EXACTLY what it is you want! AND you should make this the first page of your business plan which is something that you should have and is something that is always advised as having. Your post is the perfect example of why one should have a business plan. You're quite unfocused and going every which-a-way!
It just seems that you are in the middle of this big cloud with ideas and words swirling around you. You're not the first person that has wanted to sell their art online (and you won't be the last). You should also know too that there are people who are selling their own art online - you need to look no further than the "Artist" Message boards here on AOL. And you know if there are AOL'ers selling their art online then there are those artists that aren't on AOL who are selling their art as well.
I can see that you're very frustrated and the simple solution to that is just that - MAKE IT SIMPLE! Even though the Internet gives you a lot of options its easy to want and explore every new thing that comes along - which is all fine and well but have your simple plan and do that while you explore the other things!
What you need is one basic plan to follow. You can explore other things but have a BASIC plan! Then while you are carrying that out you can explore other things.
There are so many things in your post - all of which can be analyzed and should be and then turned around to make them an advantage as opposed to a disadvantage.
From my email box......
Message:
========
I am trying start a home daycare center and need grant money to help me out with my business. Could you please give me so info on grants for small business for women, etc. I need an name and address so that I can write a proposal for a
grant.
Sincerely,
S~
Thank you for your email.
Number one it is not as simple as writing a proposal. You have to know the guidelines and the requirements of each grant program you are applying to because no two will ever be the same. Besides there are many grant programs that let you apply online - not all of them but some of them - and that doesn't mean that you should not apply to those that don't have such capabilities - you should (and can) apply to as many grant programs that you are eligible for.
As for a name and an address once you start finding this information on your own you will see how much time and effort is required.
