Can You Make A Living With Ebay?

The answer, of course, is a resounding YES.

There was a show on CNBC about Ebay and it profiled some of the people that were actually making a living using Ebay to buy and sell.

Now I'm sure that I posted about this already but it is well worth repeating!

One woman sells clothing on Ebay. Actually she buys clothing (sometimes at a discount) and then sells it on Ebay at a higher price. And yes she is making a living at it because it is the only thing that she does! A farm family also uses Ebay in their business which consists of selling movies! And it feels very good to them to be able to keep their farm when so many other farm families are losing theirs!

If you have a computer you can access Ebay and it is free to sign up even if you don't buy or sell anything. They have message boards where you can ask questions and these message boards also contain tutorials and help for those that want to know about how to make their buying and selling on Ebay more successful!

Don't think you have anything to sell? I had some old coins from Germany and I put them on Ebay just to test how I would do and I did sell the coins at a profit to me. It was a small profit but I hope you get my meaning here. Look around your house - is their something that you can put on Ebay to sell? How about a book or some clothing? It's best to start with something small because remember you will have to ship the item to the buyer.

What about getting paid? Well when you place an item to sell you are given space so that you can talk about your item and in that space you can say how you want to take payment. It may surprise you to know that lots of people sell on Ebay and will only take a check or money order as payment (and yes people are paying using that method). You can also use Paypal to receive payments.

People have started businesses just buying and selling on Ebay! People go to flea markets and buy things cheaply and then sell them on Ebay. And that is just the beginning! You can gain a reputation as a good source for certain items and people may start to contact you directly and ask you about items. You can get more creative and seek out these specific items and then sell them to the buyer(s) and from there your reputation will grow even more!

I have also seen people selling their services such as writing (and they sell their own publications as well), graphic designing and just so much more than I can mention!

So if you seriously want to work from home you should definitely check out Ebay!

Inventors and Funding?

I have been asked to write an article about inventors and funding. This will not be a hard article for me to write because there are many funding opportunities for inventors. Right now President Bush is talking about finding alternative methods for oil and this is just one of the paths that is open to inventors. Another avenue is the military. The government is always looking for inventions that will help make the miltary better. This can be anything from designing new kinds of weapons to designing better durable uniforms! The government spends a lot of money on this and they will continue to do so!

The government is not the only source of funding for inventors. Most notably I'm thinking about if you can make a product better then you stand a good chance of receiving funding for it.

However one thing I want to repeat about getting funding - be it for inventors or anyone - and that is there is a process to it. In more cases than not you have to go through the application process. A grant is not guarenteed! You have to apply for it. Now I have been involved with some funding that requires nothing more than submitting a simple proposal but they are not all like this.

There is a lot of untapped potential out there (waiting to be tapped!)

The Need For More Grants For The New Orleans Area

There is a proposal for a number of new grant programs in the areas that were hard hit by Katrina. One such program would bring in over $1 Million Dollars in grant moneies for those small businesses in the area that were affected. While this is good news for those that want to continue to do their business in the area, the proposal has to be approved first. Of course there is much dissappointment at the number of grant programs that were and are still available for those in the area. While there are still a number of loan programs available the people affected by hurricane Katrina don't want to incur more debt because they have so much that they have to pay for now. There are still grant programs available for both individuals and businesses in the affected areas and some of these programs have been started by entities other than the governemt because of the need to bring back the businesses to the area.

Sex & Mrs. X - Movie Review!

I just got finished reading a post from a woman whose husband left her for a younger woman and it reminded me of this movie. In the post the woman said that she had no job skills but she also mentioned that she would be able to do "light" work for donations/money.

"Sex & Mrs. X" is a movie about a woman whose husband left her for a younger woman. So she decides to throw herself into her work - which is reporting. She interviews a woman who provides a service to women to help them find men to marry. On the surface it seems kind of sleazy but once you find out more about it you find out that it really isn't. What I found fascinating was the story behind why the woman got into that kind of business in the first place. She explained that she had been in love with a man and he left her and she wanted to know why and she began to learn and thats how her business started. I won't give away the ending but I will say that it has a happy ending and if you'd like to find out more about the movie here is a link

Sex & Mrs. X

That is really a good example of taking a negative and turning it into a positive - even if it is only a movie.

You may think that its a crazy idea but just look at all the escort services that are around. There is a woman whose career it is to teach women how to find their inner godess! Another woman teaches bellydancing and what about the books that teach things like how to be a better lover, etc., You may think that "hey nobody's asking me to write a book" but how about you write an article? Circulate it. Let it be seen. Put it on a webpage so others can see it. When you garner enough interest in it opportunities will come.

It's Never Too Late To Start (or maintain) Your Career!

A very popular soap opera actress recently died. She kept working well into her senior years. This kind of dispels the myth that you have to be young in Hollywood to have and sustain a successful career.

I also belong to this mailing list that has to do with acting as a career. One of my most favorite actresses is Tyne Daly. She's probably best known for being in "Cagney and Lacy" series a while back. She is always working and she is definitely not in her 20's. Again this dispels the myth of having to be in your 20's to have a successful acting career.

I get a lot of email from people who dream to be actors and singers and I don't see any reason why they can't pursue this. Eddie Murphy said that the best piece of advice that he could give aspirees is to not take any advice!

It's NEVER too late to start your career (or dream job)!

For Inventors Seeking Angel Investors!

I saw yet another message post by an inventor who posted that he was seeking an Angel Investor. I didn't know whether or not I should have replied to this post but when I saw the amount of $25 Million Dollars needed from an angel investor it just struck me as to how that is a LOT of money! I'm sure other inventors seeking angel investors would like to know whether or not the original poster got any kind of response - whether it be good or bad.

I have seen so many people posting looking for investors and they think that it ends with just them posting a request. I'm a firm believer in "never say never" and "nothing's impossible" and there have been instances where an inventor will post a request and receive a response (both good and bad) and it's not impossible to get a respnse this way but it does give me pause for concern. I'm sure that a lot of inventors don't know of any other way of finding (potential) investors other than posting their request on a message board.

One of the best ways to find an angel investor is to find someone who had an angel investor and find out how they did it. There have been instances where an angel investor found the inventor instead of it being the other way around so again - never say never. But there is more that the inventor should be doing than just that. It would be great if you could just invent something and then by some magic you automatically get an investor. But it just doesn't always work out that way.

I Have An Internet Radio Station!

Number one - there is nothing wrong with "tooting your own horn". It's something that I would advise everyone to do!

Number 2 - While I didn't start this radio station with the intention of making money at it I have had a chance to read posts from others that have their own Internet Stations and one of the topics that has come up is how they can make money at it. That's when my "professional" vibe kicked in. Now why would I want to have an Internet Radio station? Well the most important reason is that I used to be a DJ for a lot of years back in the 80's and 90's and to be quite honest I miss it! When I was working as a DJ it wasn't just "DJ" work that I did. I did a lot of production work like making commercials and I was even the producer for a talk show! But besides that I did sales and I even worked on and repaired the equipment. All of this experience has just added to my skills and it brings back memories when someone posts and asks how they can make money with their Internet Radio station. Now there are a lot of seasoned pros that have their own Internet Radio stations and they have offered their tips and examples of how they are making money with their Internet stations. The most often cited way is that they have advertising on their web pages that relate to their Internet Radio stations. Now take note here because I said they have advertising on their webpages and not on their station broadcasts. To make a long story short it isn't allowed if you have a certain kind of station.

But for me this started out as a pleasure kind of thing - something I love to do - and since I'm always talking about taking something that you love to do and turn it into a career then I should go on to say how you can turn it into a successful business.

• Number one - if you haven't done this kind of thing before it may be quite frustrating for you. Most of the people that have their own Internet station has had experience relating to it in one way or another. I should also add that this is not a free service! There is a monthly/yearly fee involved. (By the way my station is on Live365.com).
  

  Basically you first have to decide what kind of format your station will be. Personally mine is a "community" station for my local area with music filling in the gaps. The basic technique is picking out your music and uploading to your space so that it can be added to the playlist. Since the music that I play originates from various forms (ie vinyl, cds, tapes) I simply have to convert it to the right format before I add it to my playlist. The same thing applies to the "spoken" stuff that you want to add. For me I record it and then upload it to my playlist. Now since I have a radio background I can do some creative producing to the stuff that I add to my playlist. This kind of skill can be used to form your own production company where you can do things like produce jingles and professional recordings for others.
  

• Like I mentioned above a lot of the broadcasters rent out advertising space on their webpages - another good source of income.
  

• While it's not "money-making" a lot of the broadcasters also receive free music - BUT you can turn this into a moneymaking thing. I'm not talking about accepting money for playing certain music (I think that's payola and I think that is illegal) I'm talking about building up a reputation as a legitmate radio station where you will come under the radar of those in the business - people who are anxious to get their music played. You can turn that into your advantage by creating a newsletter for your station - accepting advertising and the like!

There are many ways that you can take this and turn it into a money-making career!

A Career As A Graphics Artisit? Is It Still Possible?

The answer, of course, is YES! There are many, many people that want to have a career as a graphics artist and you would think that with so many people wanting to do so that the market for this type of work would be flooded. In a way it is. But compare it to the many people that want to have a show business career. Even though there are so many of them there are still those that manage to have a career at it.

I guess it would be perfect for someone that wanted to have their own career as a graphic artist to be able to have their own business as one and be able to work from home doing it. Guess what? There are people that are doing it successfully from home. For example just watching a program recently I saw an example of a graphic artist that has his own business from home. How did he get started? He got an idea for his art by watching a movie. He started designing his art - yes, from his computer at home - and then he started advertising his art in as many places as he could find. Interest in his art grew and then he started getting PAYING jobs for his work. For example his work was shown in galleries, he was commissioned to do work for buildings (meaning his art was painted on the buildings including walls and such). He even got commissioned work from individuals.

Now this all didn't happen in a day! It takes time to build up any new business or career. But he decided that it was something that he wanted so badly (and in his words it was a "passion" of his) that he took the necessary time and effort. Now he has the career of his "dreams" working as a graphics artist from home in his own business.

Yes there are many out there that want to have a career as a graphics artist and there are people who are actually doing it! (and successfully too!) Just think about how "perfect" it would be to be able to work from home doing something you love and being paid for it! Yes it is possible!

Here is some very good information about grants in general. I say "in general" because the process isn't the same for all grant programs but this is very good information for those who are considering applying for a grant.

Grants are the toughest to get and have the most stringent requirements. Grants require a written grant proposal (almost like a business plan), defining the specific project for which the grant funds will be used, detailing how this will benefit the granting organization, describing how the project will be managed (including a project timeline with build-in review meetings and reports) and delineating the past relevant experience of the key members of the project management team.

In the event you do receive a grant, be prepared for mandatory reports, reviews and site visits by the granting organization to ensure that its funds are being used as promised.
Because these are government funds, politics always play a role. Securing these funds does not require dealing with financiers; it requires dealing with bureaucrats and politicians.
Bureaucrats usually won't consider your company's growth potential, the importance of your proposed project or your experience. Instead, they will consider how well your proposal meets the requirements of their confidential rule book.

This closely held internal document specifies certain conditions required for approval (only a few of which may be known to you). These conditions do not guarantee approval, they merely qualify you for serious consideration.

Examples of these conditions might include: Does your proposal create at least (a specific number) of new jobs paying at least (a specific wage)? Does your proposal have strong written backing from your city government and area politicians? Is your business on their list of targeted growth industries?

You need to understand as many of these conditions as you can before making application for funds. Visit with government managers familiar with the funding sources and area politicians and economic development directors to gain more insight. You will also want to sell your proposal to your city government, chamber of commerce and area politicians to gain their written endorsement of your project. Once you have met the conditions of the bureaucrats' rule book, you will have to sell your proposal to the agency that manages the funds.

As you move forward, remember that proposals are rarely a perfect fit with the agency's internal requirements, so be willing to compromise on terms to make your proposal more attractive to the agency. Also, government money always comes with strings attached, so never sign an acceptance document without first ensuring that you understand all the strings and their ramifications. Here are examples of what can go wrong if you rush into the process too blindly and too fast:

• The CEO of a flourishing manufacturing business had been involved with his state's economic development organization for years. He knew all the key executives. He also knew that a sponsoring city should apply for an economic betterment grant. However, when he decided to expand his business, he submitted an abbreviated proposal directly to the committee, assuming his stature with committee members would ensure speedy approval. He was turned down.
  

• An entrepreneur launched a company and approached his state's economic development office for potential support. He applied for a forgivable loan program specifically tied to the creation of jobs. However, because his business was expanding, he began to hire the extra people before his application was considered. When his application came before the committee and they learned he had hired the people, the loan application was rejected. They reasoned that he didn't need their funds to create the jobs if he had already created them.
  

• Another business owner's struggling company had some debts, but it also had an exciting high-tech product with a bright future. He sought a state product-development loan to bring his new product to market. He was granted the loan. However, the loan agreement contained a clause specifying that the proceeds could be used only for future costs associated with the new product. He ignored the fine print and used a portion of the first loan installment to pay off debts. As a result, he never saw the rest of the funds and is still struggling.
  

  Impatient or poorly advised entrepreneurs perceive that securing government funds is easier than conventional financing. Not so. Government money is more difficult to secure, and it always comes with more restrictions.

However, if you are still considering applying for government funds, start by visiting your banker, your chamber of commerce, local economic development groups and other business people who have run the gantlet to develop a more realistic assessment of your road ahead.

My Website Page about Grants....

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

I was updating the information on my grants page and I noticed just how much information was on there. I decided to let that information stay because it answers the same basic questions that get asked over and over again. Even though the questions (and answers) posted may be a few months old the information is still applicable today.

So many people want to know how they can get a grant and the answer is that it will depend on what you want the grant for. Another thing that people should be made aware of is that a grant is not guarenteed. You have to apply for the grant. Some grant programs have many applicants, some have not very many applicants and there have even been a few grant programs that have closed because they didn't receive enough or any applicants!

I have also visited a lot of websites that say that there are no grants for starting a business. A lot of them say that there are no government grants to start a business. When I see this I think to myself "Have they even seen the government's website?" Did you know that there are government grant programs that are open to all? That means that individuals and even for-profit businesses can apply.

Did you know that a man (just last year) received $500,000 in grant money? Actually the term used was "fellowship" money. He can spend this money in any way that he wants! I don't even think he knew about the program. He didn't go to them - they came to him! Why did he receive this money award? Because of his love of books!

Help For Heating Bill Woes?

Below is a response that I made to someone who was looking for help with his heating bill.

I know of at least one national program that helps provide assistance with heating bills. If you have a medical emergency and/or are low-incomed you are eligible for this type of program. As a matter of fact this particular program payed for an entirely new boiler system for a client of mine - and that includes the boiler system itself and the installation! I'm told that this is normally a $2,000 job and it was had for free - all because of a government grant program.One of the very first things that you should do is talk to your utility company to see if they have any grant and/or financial programs that you may be eligible for. I personally had a chance to talk with the contracter that did this particular job and the one thing I remember him telling me was that as good as the program is people just don't take the time to find out about it and that's really a shame! Who couldn't use a new heating system for their home if they qualify for it?

With all the talk about grant funding being cut there are still programs out there to help with one's heating bill. Although these kinds of programs are not available to everyone they are available to those who are low-incomed and/or have a medical condition.

You should also check with your local utility company to see if they have any programs available to help assist you with your heating bill.

There are also organizations that are non-government affiliated that have programs that provide financial assistance to help with one's heating bill. One organization that I know of provided a $100 check paid to the person's utility company and all it took was a phone call and a faxed copy of the utility bill to them. The utility company received the check within a week!

To find out more information about heating bill-related grant/financial programs just visit my Grants Related page at:

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

Ill. gunman felt cheated over invention

You can read the full story by going to:

Ill. Gunman Felt Cheated Over Invention!

It's not a very pleasant story and it doesn't go into detail about why the guy felt cheated about his invention. I won't go into details as far as what his invention was but you can read the news article by clicking the link above.

The reason why I posted the link here is because inventors feel a real need to keep their inventions private until they find an investor or a grant for it. They worry about their idea being stolen and/or about being short changed as far as receiving ample compensation for their invention. The whole process of getting your invention made is not a simple one and it is better that you plan for it well in the beginning so that you know exactly what it is that you want to achieve with your invention - and that includes financially as well. Although people think that its a waste of time or they simply don't want to do it - one should make a business plan - even if its for an invention and not a business.

You should plan out exactly what it is you want to achieve with your invention, the basic specifics of your invention and it is very important that you read over any contract or agreement that has to do with your invention! Get your invention patented! If you can't afford to get it patented then I suggest that you find a way simply because once your invention is patented there is an official record of it and an official record of you being the one that invented it!

A Scholarship For White Students Only?????????

BOSTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) -- A Boston University student group is offering a scholarship for white students to protest financial aid programs in the United States that select by ethnic background, university officials said on Tuesday.The group, Boston University College Republicans, told campus publications the $250 Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship was intended as a statement and they had raised funds privately for the award, which does not have the backing of the university."We think giving out a scholarship based on any race is crazy," Joe Mroszczyk, president of the group, told the college's BU Today Web site.Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said he believed the move was misguided."Our goal is to try to increase diversity on the campus, and that usually means diversity from an ethnic and racial standpoint," Elmore said. "This scholarship does not further that goal."U.S. colleges commonly use financial aid packages, which include grants and loans, to attract students with diverse characteristics, from sporting abilities to ethnic backgrounds.Tuition at the private Boston University, which has more than 31,000 students, costs $33,330 per year, and with room and board a student's expenses can top $44,000.

The "Working-at-home" opportunities are growing.....

For the last 2 hours I have been at websites that talk about the different work-at-home opportunities that are out there.

Did you know that there are openings for professional bloggers? One job post that has been filled was for a blogger needed to post on a blog for one of the tv shows on the Fox Network! And they are offering a salary!

There is another website that lets you earn money by writing reviews on almost any subject out there - there is a special interest on writing reviews about places in your own local area.

You can also earn money by playing games online!

Unfortunately the sites that I have seen don't offer a lot in the way of payment. Some you het paid by how popular your posts, articles or reviews are - but they are offering to pay you. And you may even be able to find that hidden gem that will pay you more!

Are There Any Grant Programs For My Mother To Start A Pet Business?

There are grant programs that fall under the category of entrepreneurial grant - meaning that they are grant programs that are specifically geared to those wanting to start a business. These kinds of grant programs are available on a national, state and local basis however a LOT will depend on the specifics of the business. For instance I know of a grant program for aspiring entrepreneurs who are a minority and under the age of 35. That grant program awards $20,000 and the award goes to more than one winner. In this case you have to be a minority and under a certain age. All of these grant programs are like this - SPECIFIC!


Another thing is that you have to understand the whole grant process thing. Just because you apply for a grant does not mean that you will automatically get a grant. Theoretically speaking the grant application submitted that best meets the objectives of the organization awarding the grant will - theoretically - get the grant award.


What your mother will have to do is to tailor her grant application for the individual grant programs that she is eligible to apply to. A lot is going to depend on the kind of business plan that she has. Entrepreneurial-type grant programs are most often awarded by foundations and big businesses and corporations so that will be a good place to start to look. The federal government also has grant programs that are "open to all" and/or open to businesses to apply so you can check for those programs at their website.

Grant Programs For Individuals?

Are there grant programs out there for individuals? Of course the answer is YES! For example there was a professor who, at age 64 received a grant award of over $100,000 that had no strings attached (meaning he could spend the money any way that he wanted) simply because of his love of books. Technically this grant is called a fellowship but the award is for individuals of outstanding talent to further continue their endeavors and they don't have to be affiliated with institutions which means that they can receive it as an individual. This grant is open to scientists, artists and even businesses people and entrepreneurs to apply!

There are no credit checks involved. It doesn't have anything to do with what your credit report score is and this is not a loan. It is a monetary award that you can spend in any way that you want. And like I have said many, many times before these kind of grant programs have an objective in mine. In the case of this grant program the objective is to help encourage creativity and education.

So there are "grant" programs of this sort - in this case provided by a foundation. So in spite of what the so-called experts say there are grant programs out there for the individual!

Some Grant Programs I'm Not Too Crazy About.....

In its most basic meaning a grant is money given that does not have to be paid back. That is what a grant is in its most pure and simple form. However there are some grant programs that don't follow this simple and pure form. You should never have to pay money to get a grant and I am finding that there are other requirements that don't adhere to the "pure and simple" form. The latest grant program that I am investigating has a specific requirement that has to be fulfilled by the applicants. No, not by the business that wins the award but by every business that applies for the grant program. To put it quite simply the applicants have to apply for a line of credit. Now since part of the grant award is provided by a bank I think that there may be a conflict of interest - and especially so because the applicants have to apply to the bank that provides part of the grant award! There is a list of the grant recipients so that means that the grant program does get applicants but there are some questions I have. One of the most important has to do with the business applying for a line of credit. Would they do so even if there wasn't a grant program behind it?

A lot of businesses that I know and that I have worked with didn't have the means to apply or be eligible for a line of credit in the first place and that is why they are seeking grants. And doesn't having a line of credit mean that you have to pay it back? That doesn't sound like a grant program to me. While there are other requirements as well this one stood out to me because it doesn't sound (or feel) like a grant program.

Movie Review - Lara Croft Tombraider!

I'm all for independent women and this is certainly one! Lara Croft (as potrayed by Angeline Jolie) is gorgeous, smart and rich! Her father was an archeologist and she seems to have taken on the business after her father's death.

The reason why I'm mentioning this movie is because I had a chance to see it again and I was reminded of why I like this particular movie. Number one that place that she lives in is gorgeous! I especially love that bathroom and the reason why it stood out for me is because I want one just like it! Now you may be asking yourself what this has to do with business or working from home or even grants. Here is my answer(s)

1. Carrying on a father's business - do this sound familiar? Do you know of anyone (male or female) that has taken over the family business? What about you yourself? Are you a part of a family owned business? What about starting a family owned business? What about starting a business that has to do with families? For instance there is a market for helping people find out about their family roots or geneology. You could start a business researching this information for others. It's the kind of home business that you can start and do from your home researching on the internet and even going out to find specific information for others.
2. Archeology - It may seem like a boring topic but there is a LOT of interest in it and as far as it being grant-related there are grants for archeology-related endeavours.
3. Lara Croft - Did you know that there is a newsgroup that discusses this movie and character? How could you turn that into a business? Lets say that you are a fan of the movie. If you make jewelery you can design specific pieces relating to the character and the movie. (However I should note that (of course) the Laura Croft movie and character are copyrighted items so you can't do things like sell images of the character unless you have permission.) There are many fan websites on the Internet and some of them have managed to make a living from their website. So if you are a fan of a specific thing you should seriously consider putting up a fan website!

Top Home Businesses That You Can Start From Home!

Here is a link to an article about businesses that you can start from your home. The first one that is listed is one that I have been recommending for a long time now!

1.Pet Sitting: Imagine the perfect home-based business where you get paid to walk and enjoy the companionship of pets. A pet is often the "children" of the family in more homes today as Americans spend more than $34 billion a year pampering their pets.

Darlene Ehlers of Pampered Pets Home Care in Blue Jay, Ohio and Pet Sitter of the Year couldn't imagine the potential of a home-based business opportunity. "I started as a part-time business and never dreamt it would be a full-time business. It just keep growing and growing," says Darlene.

With busy work schedules and the choice of leaving their "best friend" in a kennel, more and more pet owners are hiring the services of a pet sitter to walk the dog and provide companionship while at work. With the current dog and cat population in the U.S. at 135 million, according to The Pet Food Institute, this is one home business that should purr for years to come.

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The link to this article is: here

Hurricane Katrina-related repairs

It is expected that over $1 Billion Dollars in grant monies will be awarded to help apartment owners repair storm related repairs to their apartment buildings.

Homeowners are expected to receive over $7 Billion Dollars in grants for Katrina-related repairs!

Short But Sweet!

The federal government awarded more than $380 billion in

 

contracts last year and gave away another

 

 $300 billion

 

 in grants

No 2 Grant Programs Are Alike!

Unfortunately that is not entirely true.  A non-profit daycare does not have to be funded by the government.  As a matter of fact there is one grant program for non-profit daycares in one area of California that has 4 different grant programs for non-profit daycares.  Basically speaking non-profits are so named because their objective is not to make a profit but to reach their goal whether it be saving animals, providing daycare or bringing a greater awareness to a specific medical condition.  Very good examples of this are the fundraising events and volunteer work that is constantly being done.

 

My personal opinion is that it would be smart to operate your daycare as a combination of both a "for-profit" and "non-profit".  The irony of operating as a non-profit is that if you don't generate enough funding you run the risk of going under.  The same thing is true for for-profits as well. 

 

Another misconception is that grant funding can only be had by government programs, which is yet another myth.  There are many organizations, foundations, groups, businesses and individuals that have grant programs.  There is also a small but growing trend in the belief that for-profit businesses can serve in the "non-profit spirit" - which means that more (at a slow pace) grant programs are being made available to for-profits so that they are eligible to apply.

 

I would say that 6 months is a good average time period to expect to receive a grant reward.  BUT I want to emphasize that word "average" because like I have said many times before no two grant programs are alike.  I have dealt with one grant program that took only a few days to provide the award.  There is a grant program that provides a $500,000 grant award to help people "pursue their dreams" - but it is not paid out all at one time - it is paid over a period of years.  So again no two grant programs are alike.

More Information About Financial Assistance For Teachers!

Yes there are financial programs out there that actually help teachers with their mortgage payments.  There is a national program that is available to teachers who teach in the public school system BUT to be eligible to apply for the assistance you have to be teaching a certain subject.

 

As well as the national program, there are also financial assistance programs being provided by different states to help teachers with paying back their student loans.  For example in Florida there seems to be a shortage of qualified teachers so a financial program was developed to:

 

"provide financial assistance to eligible Florida teachers for the repayment of undergraduate and graduate educational loans which led to certification in a critical teacher shortage subject area. Full awards may be an amount up to $2,500 per year to repay undergraduate loans, and up to $5,000 per year to repay graduate loans received prior to becoming a certified teacher in a critical teacher shortage subject area. Graduate courses which did not result in a graduate degree in an appropriate critical teacher shortage subject area may be awarded at the undergraduate level. A total annual award may not exceed $5,000. Applicants may receive up to a maximum of $10,000 for the duration of the program."

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs For Teachers?

Well I'm having the hardest time posting a reply to the teacher that posted to ask if such programs are available so I will post the answer here on my blog. The answer to this is Yes HOWEVER each program is different. For instance there is one particular Student Loan Forgiveness Program for teachers that let them apply for $2500 each year until a total amount of $10,000 has been applied towards paying off their student loan. However this particular program has its own set of requirements and eligibilities. For instances teachers who teach K-12 are eligible to apply but must teach in either a rural or urban area.

Scholarships - Where There Is A Will There Is A Way!

There are many local organizations that have scholarship programs of $1,000. Now you probably think that that is not a lot - especially when you talk about the cost of going to college. But one enterprising student applied for (AND GOT!) 11 OF THEM!

More Proof That There Are Indeed Grants Available For Small Businesses!

An article in a major publication about how the big companies and organizations are taking advantage of all the grant programs that were intended for small business owners!

 

Over 20 Billion Dollars were allocated for 9/11 recovery grants but the bulk of that money went to giant corporations!

Still Don't Believe Me About Government Grants Being Available?

Here is an excerpt from the "American Chronicle"

 

"Buying a New Home, Paying For College and Starting a New Business has never been so easy!

A Government Grant is an aid program specially designed for helping those who have financial difficulties and cannot achieve, due to lack of finance, certain goals the government is interested to promote.

Government Grants Explained

Though there are many different government grants for a lot of purposes, as noted in the first paragraph, most of them concentrate on three goals: Helping people start their new business, helping people pay their way through school or college and helping people buy their first home.

Grants are provided by government agencies all over the country and at all levels of administration: There are Federal Government Grants, State Government Grants and Local Government Grants.

Each agency has its own requirements and though qualification is not as difficult as it may seem, the truth is that you need to be informed in order to successfully apply for a Government Grant without fear of being declined.

Grant’s amounts range from hundreds of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. As the loan amount get’s higher, it becomes increasingly difficult to qualify for. So you ought to know the requirements beforehand and apply as early as possible. It is known that most Government Grants are granted on a first arrived, first served basis, so timing is a very important issue not to be bypassed.

The smartest thing to do is, by analyzing grant’s requirements, to select the Government Grant you are best qualified for and concentrate on applying to it. There are certain grants restricted to citizens of certain states or towns. Others are restricted for those working on certain fields or for those coming from certain economic conditions.

A 490 Page Document!

That's not even a document - that is a book! But oh what a book! This is a 490 page pdf "document" that lists available grant programs for both school districts and teachers. I have a lot of reading to do!

Internet Radio?

I was a DJ for a lot of years. I stopped when the last station that I worked for fired 95% of its airstaff and replaced us with a feed from California. I do miss it though. I did have an Internet radio station at one time and am considering renewing it. But I have browsed the message forums and saw one post from someone that wanted to work for an Internet radio station. What I suggested was that he start a website. With a website you can post your voice so that others can hear it. Include some contact information like an email address so that they can contact you in case they are interested in using your voice.

There are a lot of things that you can do to "advertise" yourself. I have a basic PC and one of the programs that comes with it is a simple sound recorder that I have used numerous times to record my voice and put it on my website. You can get really creative and add sound effects and even add sound effects to your own voice. You can hire yourself out as voice talent. I have come to find out that there are a lot of people that have Internet radio stations but they don't like the sound of their own voice - so they can use yours instead.

How would you make money with this? Well you can hire yourself out as voice talent. You can set up a webpage listing all the general information like what you charge and what you charge for. I even read about a woman that started her own business doing answering machine voices/sound effects for others.

This may sound like a complicated thing to do but for those that have an interest in this type of thing it is another example of how you can start a business from your home doing something that you love!

Scholarships/Grants For A Disabled Single Mother Wanting To Continue Education?

I am a single disabled mother living in a small town. I have just returned to college here and plan to graduate in spring of 08 and transfer to the University of Bakersfield. Are there any scholarships that I could apply for and is there something that would help me catch up on my heating bill and get me a good computer? My email address is K~. Just in case you needed to know my major is social science. Thank you.

I will address your first question. Time and time again I have noted on both pages about grants and grant-related information about the availability of grants/scholarships and funding for those that are disabled, single working mothers and or those wanting to continue their education. The answer to your question is "Yes" there are scholarships and funding that you can apply for. As a matter of fact the number of funding programs that you are eligible to apply for increases because of your disability and the major that you have chosen. I know for a fact that there is an organization devoted to helping single mothers and will even help in them paying back their student loan. I found out about this organization when I was finding grant programs for a client who is also a single mother. And this is just one of many programs.

You have to understand that these funding programs (including the scholarship programs) were put in place to help fill a need. In your specific case the fact that you want to continue your education in the field that you mentioned above is one of the reasons why there are scholarship programs at all.

Student Loan Forgiveness Program For PA Teachers.....

There is a Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program in my state (PA): Eligible applicants are permanent classroom K-12 school teachers.  Applicants must spend the major portion of the school day during the school year teaching in a classroom at an eligible urban or rural school district. The program offers up to $2,500 in forgiveness for each year that the teaching commitment is fulfilled and up to $10,000 will be forgiven for any participant.

 

If you're not a teacher in PA you should still check and see if there is a similar program available in your state.

Paying Back A Teacher's Student Loan - Speaking of....

"Are there any grant programs that will help a teacher pay back their student loan(s)?"

When you start to find these programs you are going to find that you are going to have to be more specific about your information. There is not a program for all teachers however there are programs for teachers that meet a certain criteria. For instance there is one program that pays $2500 a year towards the teacher's student loan - up to $10,000. However not every teacher qualifies for this program.

"12 Jobs That Will Never Disappear"

Ever wonder what jobs (and what job markets) are stable? Here is an article from AOL

12 Jobs That Will Never Disappear

Here are a few excerpts:

"

• Teacher - Why it's everlasting: There will always be a need for education, and there will always be a need for people to do the educating.
  What it pays: The median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary school teachers ranged from $41,400 to $45,920.
  

• Barber - Why it's everlasting: People will always need to have their hair cut and groomed. What it pays: The median annual salary is $21,200.
  

• Farmer - Why it's everlasting: One of the basic human needs is food and, even though farming is increasingly consolidated, there will still be a need for someone to grow it.

What Does A Grantwriter/Researcher Eat For Breakfast?

This is usually when I'm in a hurry and need something fast! Sometimes I don't even eat breakfast at all which is something that I really should be doing. See the coffemaker in the background? THAT comes in handy too!

Do You Have A Paypal Account?

If you do you are going to have to be very careful! This has nothing to do with Paypal itself (I don't want to scare you). This has to do with getting email from someone (or something) claiming to be Paypal. You'll get this email saying that it is a very important matter or something like "someone" was trying to use your paypal account or a dire sounding message which is similar. The email supplies a link that you can click to "go to your Paypal account and verify its usuage". DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK! Run your cursor (but do not click the link) over the link to see if the link's web address shows up. If it does take a very good look at it. You might notice that the link doesn't go directly to Paypal - it goes to somewhere else and that is when you should feel a "red flag" warning. I repeat - DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK! If you do and you go to a webpage that asks for your account information and you enter that information then you will be giving someone else your account information and they can use that information to get into your paypal account! Here are some good (and relevant) links:

How can I protect myself from PayPal fraud or scams? - PayPal - PayPal is dedicated to fighting fraud and scams. ... A PayPal scam email may include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member" ...

PayPal Email Scam - Web Site Version - Prevent and detect identity fraud at Fight Identity Theft.

About Scams, Urban Legends and other False Information PayPal Scam - PayPal account holders have been receiving an email that says someone has paid them money. The name usually used is......

"I Need A Grant ASAP"

i found your page looking for grants or loans -i need a grant asap-the applications where does a person obtain them. thank you.

                                                                    sincerely,
                                                                         Y~

The answer is not as simple as you think. The most important aspect of your comment is that you have not mentioned what you need a grant for. There are personal grants - like for "financial" emergencies as well as business-related grants.

There is no "one place fits all" when looking for grant programs

Coupons

One work at home business idea that I often suggest is starting a "Coupon" club. How many times have you bypassed a coupon either because you don't clip coupons or it was a coupon for something you don't use? Just because YOU can't use it doesn't mean that somebody else can't. So why not take advantage of that fact and start a little business of your own where people can trade coupons. Where does the income come from? Well you can start a newsletter both online and off and charge for advertising. You can allow comments from others on the coupons they use, what products they use and most importantly how they feel about the products they use - all information that would be very appealing to potential advertisers!

You can start locally by designing an attention grabbing flyer about your coupon club to get people interested. And then those that are interested can sign up or contact you for more information. Your going to have to decide on the general way that your club will operate - meaning will there be gatherings, how will the coupons be traded and what coupons will you be dealing with?

Remember that you will be trying to attract advertisers and don't limit yourself into thinking that the advertisers that you seek will be the products on the coupons. How about one of your club members that is going to have a garage sale? What about a member that does babysitting? Your advertiser base can also include those that are not members but are local businesses and others that know about your club and want to advertise. You can also take advertising from those that want to buy something who are having a hard time locating what they want. I remember reading a story where a guy wrote that he was selling his boat. He got a buyer but what was more interesting to him was the fact that he got so many calls from people who wanted to buy the boat. So what he did was buy more boats and then sold them to the people that wanted to buy them.

You can even expand your business by including Ebay where you can find either buyers or sellers who are interested in Ebay. You can act as their middleman (or woman or person). Ebay has a name for this and it is called "Trading Assistants" which is what you would be.

Even though I had often recommended this as a good business to start I was re-reminded of it when I was reading a blog. The blog is called:

Frugal Money Saving Ideas

and I just love the posts. The post that re-reminded me of the "Coupon Club" Idea is linked below:

10 Ways to Save Money - it is so EASY!!!

Just in case you're wondering - yes, I do clip coupons-LOL!

There are still some grant programs available for New Orleans Businesses

Despite the lack of government grant programs to help the small businesses in New Orleans get back on their feet, efforts to help save the area has resulted in a few grant programs being offered by other organizations.

 

While the government does have funding programs in place it seems that the bulk of the grant programs are being used for housing-related programs.  That doesn't mean that there are no grant programs to help assist the businesses.  There are.  But either due to lack of awareness or for whatever other reason, the businesses owners do not want to take advantage of the government loan programs being offered to them because they do not want to take on the added burden of having another loan that they will have to pay back.

 

Just in case you're wondering, New York received much more money for grants to help the small businesses in that area.

A Recent News Story About Grants

A Recent Local News Story About Grants

I didn't even know about this in advance. I was just watching my local news and they had a story about a grants "scam". A couple received a phone call saying that if they paid around $300 they would get a grant for $5,000. Well the couple sent them the information (and the money) that they wanted and they haven't heard from them yet. Then the story continues with an interview with the district attorney and what he said was that the government WILL NOT call a person saying that they are eligible for a grant.

I just wanted to add my own 2 cents here.

Number one - A grant can't be guarenteed. You apply for a grant and you submit it along with anyone else that has applied for the grant. Theoretically speaking the application(s) that best meet the requirements and objectives of the grant program will be the ones that will be awarded the grant money.

So a good warning sign is when someone guarentees that you will get a grant.

Do You Want To Start Your Own Business? Work from Home?

There are stories and examples galore of those who started their own businesses at home. But when I see people posting about finding "work at home" jobs I get the feeling that they want the "security" of working for an employer who lets them work at
home. And I was quite surprised to find some examples of legitimate work at home jobs like the examples I noted before such as the disable woman that works from her home answering telephone calls from stranded motorists that belong to her                               employer which is an auto club. So there are legitmate jobs out there that allows one to work from their home but the problem seems to be in them finding those companies that are legitmate.                              They are out there however.  I'd also like to point out that people have started "unusual" businesses as well! I like the story of the two guys that like to mooch off of other people. However they ran out of people to mooch off of. So guess what they did? They wrote a book about how to mooch off of people and they each now have their own beach house!

There are many examples of businesses that people can start and I listed on one of my pages how one could take one of their programs that they have on their computer and start a business of their own. A woman actually started a answering machine                                message service using the programs that she already had installed on her computer. Another woman took an astrology program and started a business doing astrology readings - but guess what - she added a twist - the astrology readings were for                                people's pets! And we know how big the pet industry is - people love doing things for their pets.

So I don't know what it is. Maybe people are afraid to start their own business or they don't think that they can do it. Just look at all the people who have managed to start a successful business on Ebay! I know of a guy who does yard work in my area and he says that he has more business than he can handle! Starting a day/childcare is always a good business to start because there is always a need for it.

I think the main concern for people is the money and how fast they will be able to make it - of course of which the answer is that it will depend on them.  I think that the most encouraging piece of advice that I can give is that no matter what kind of business you want to start there is already someone out there who is actually doing it or something similar to it - and doing it successfully!

Grants - A Note From Rose

I have seen the responses to some of my posts but I couldn't reply to them since the board now has a new format so I decided to post here.Here are some of my comments:First let's set aside the fact that I do this for a living.Of all the people/posts that have replied in a negative way, I haven't seen one mention anything about the grant information provided by the Idea Cafe itself. They have information on grant programs for those that want to start their own for-profit business. They even have a grant program of their own. Their most recent grant winner was a business in New Orleans. Why I have found these grant programs (besides it being my job to do so) and you haven't - I can't answer that. 90% of all grant information I have found online without having to join anything or pay a "membership" fee.I used to think that calling myself a "Dream Job" Consultant was kind of hokey but I have been convinced that this is EXACTLY what I do. It all comes down to desire and how badly one wants it. I'm not talking about wanting it badly enough to lie, cheat or steal. But I am talking about wanting it badly enough to take the time and effort that is necessary in order to achieve what you want. Not everyone that started their own business started with a lot (if any) of money but they did use what they did have which is their blood, sweat and tears.Unfortunately I can't agree with the statement that investors aren't interested in "small" mom/pop operations because I am dealing with one right now - again - a part of my job.You have people who are coming to these boards because they want to start a business of their own or they want to expand on the business that they already have and that can be done. When one doesn't have the money to accomplish that they work with what they do have which is theirselves. Just because someone has a "dream" about starting their own business doesn't mean that it has to remain a dream.And in closing my main comment to those that want to start their own business but think its impossible is to say that no matter what kind of "dream" job you want to pursue there is already someone who is doing it (or something close to it) who is making a living at it.Asking me to provide you with SPECIFIC grant programs is like asking me to prepare your tax return without paying me for the work and that is something that I will not do.So if you want to continue to tell people that there are no grant programs for starting a business or for for-profit businesses then you go right ahead and continue to tell them that.

What if you can't afford to the fee to apply for tax-exempt non-profit status?

Then you have a decision to make and that decision is how badly do you want it?  The most simple solution is to save up enough money to be able to pay the fee.  IT DOES NOT COST A MILLION DOLLARS to apply for tax-exempt non-profit status!

You can set up a website and ask for  donations.  There is more than one free webhosting site on the Internet.  Use your website to its full advantage.  There's nothing that says that you can't let more people know about your organization WHILE you are applying for tax exempt and non-profit status.

You can sell some things on Ebay.  I am an Ebay member and I have been able to sell on Ebay.

Just because you can't afford the fee now doesn't mean that you won't have the money in the future.  Plan to have the money in the future and in the meantime build up more interest in your organization and bring it to the public's attention WHILE you're applying for the tax exempt status.  Who is to say that you don't get an anonymous donor or two?

The One Thing That You Are Going To Have To Understand About Grants Is....

that there is no one grant program for all needs.  For instance there is no one daycare grant program that is available for those looking for daycare-related grants.  There are many factors that are going to be involved.  For instance is your daycare a non-profit, a for-profit or a combination of both?  Is your daycare in the home or outside the home?  What do you need the grant money for?  Will it be for equipment, starting a specific kind of program or do you want the grant to pay for your daycare building?  Where will your daycare be located?  In some areas the need for daycare is so great that they have programs where both non-profits and for-profits can apply.  Are you in one of these areas?  Who will your daycare be for?  Will it be for toddlers, older children, special needs children?  What kind of programs will you be offering?  Some daycare-related grant programs provide grants for providing certain types of programs.  What hours will you be operating your daycare?  Some daycares have received grant awards because they operate during non-traditional hours.  One daycare got a grant because they operate 24 hours a day!

So you see its not a simple case of applying for a grant because you want to start a daycare.  It is a case of what kind of daycare you will be operating.

I Have A Lot Of Email To Catch Up On.......

But don't worry because I do try and answer ALL the email that comes my way.  Sometimes the same questions get asked over and over again but I still do try and answer all the email that comes my way.  This particular week I have had a lot of work to do and my email box is piling up.

Is It Worth It?

Someone emailed me and asked me was it worth their time (and effort) to look for any grant funding.  Of course my answer to them way yes.  Actually I was quite surprised by the question.  But I do understand that there is a lot of information about grants out there.  Some of it is good and some of it is bad.  Of course there are individuals and businesses out there that want to make a profit from it but what no one seems to realize is that these kinds of individuals and businesses exist in every kind of area there is.

As a matter of fact I encourage people to find this kind of information on their own because there is no better a way to know that these kinds of funding programs exist than to find out for yourself that they do indeed exist.

The only reason that I know that these kinds of programs exist is because I took the time and effort to find the information.  I have used this information to help both myself and others.  And while finding these kinds of funding programs I have found some very surprising ones as well!  There is a grant program to help people fulfill their dreams!  There are numerous grant programs to help people who are having problems paying their mortage, their utility bills and there is even a program in my area that helps with low-cost loans to those who need to get a car for work.  There is another grant program in my area that provides a $25,000 grant for home repairs!  I didn't find this grant program - it came to me in the mail!  I did check it out though and it is very, very legitimate. 

Don't get me wrong you should investigate every program that you find to make sure that it is legitimate but I have been doing this long enough to know that there are legitimate grant programs out there and they are awarding both individuals and businesses and organizations a LOT of money.  One of my pages talks about how "Planned Parenthood" gets sooooo much grant money.  You should read it!  It might just surprise you!

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

Grant(s) To Help Sex Workers?

I got an email from someone who was seeking help with this.  They wanted to start a tax-exempt, non-profit organization to help those in the sex industry.

My first thought was that I didn't think that there would be a grant program for this kind of thing.  But I did a little further investigation and found out that there are grant programs in place to help those that want to help sex workers.  They all have different and varied requirements.  For instance one requires that you be a member of a university and this is a research grant.  It does provide up to $10,000 in grant money and you can use part of that money for travel relating to your research.

Another grant was received to publish a publication to help better understand those that work in the sex industry.  Although the recipient of this grant was in Thailand, those in the U.S. are also eligible to apply for this grant program.

An artist (in collaboration with a non-profit organization) in California received a grant for her project which involved her using her computer to provide documentation, materials and images and stories about those that work in the sex industry.

Organizations that are "by and for" those in the sex worker industries have received small operational grant funding as well.

There are even grant programs to help provide sex workers with more education and to help strengthen their rights.

So I was wrong.  There are such grants available - both in the US and globally.  And there are many of them out there!

There Are Those That Have Received Grant Money When They Shouldn't Have

A news article has come from Africa about the investigation of individuals who have worked for the government there who have received grant monies when they weren't supposed to.  Here is a link to the article:

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A241710

Over 400,000 individuals received grant money even though they were not eligible for it!  The investigation into this fraudenlent activity will take 2 years to investigate but already criminal action against some of the individuals has already taken place.  Some are expected to pay back the grant money that they received and others will face criminal prosecution.  Some of the grant programs themselves have been cancelled with more on their way to being cancelled.

The names of those individuals who have committed the fraud(s) are going to be released from the government - in their words - "the public has a right to know who has been stealing their money"

Its hard for me to calculate how the stolen amounts can be converted into American dollars but with over 400,000 people committing the fraud that still comes out to a LOT of money!

Starting An Organization To Help Musicians?

There are organizations like this that already exist in the US - that offer help to struggling musicians.  They do have their requirements though - but since you're talking about starting one of your own - I'll address that.

First, since you are talking about starting up this kind of organization does that mean that you haven't started it yet?  In other words what I'm trying to find out is whether or not you have your non-profit status?

Organizations such as these will solicit donations and have fundraisers in order to raise the money that they in turn use in grant programs to help others.  There is also one very important piece of stragedy that these organizations do to help with the maintaining these funds which I will not mention here - but I will say that when you do start a non-profit organization and especially when you are working with funding(s) it would be best if you treat it like a business and do the "business-like" things to maintain it.

Now as for programs that offer grant awards to music-related organizations there are such programs available - every thing from children and music to seniors in music and mostly everything in-between.  However if you are going to apply for these fundings - unless they state otherwise - you will have to get your non-profit status in order. Some grant programs allow you to apply while you are seeking non-profit status but they have to have proof that you are doing so.

As for grant programs that award grants to those that are for-profit there are programs available that you will have to look into further because it will all depend on how you submit your application.

Business Idea #072006 - Single Mom? - How About Starting A Single Mom Newsletter

What is something that you have experience with?  Raising your children.  It may be something that is so close to you that you might not have even thought of it as something that you could turn into a business.

One of the pieces of advice that I strongly agree wtih is that if you can find a need you can turn that need into a business.  As a single mother I'm sure you're acquainted with other single mothers right?  What do you talk about?  What do you complain about?  Do you know that you can start a blog about being a single mother and your experiences with it?  Allow comments from other single mothers.  I suggest a blog because you can start one for free and with your blog being on the Internet people from all over the world will be able to read it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Now you may ask how your blog could bring you an income and there are ways to do that.  However I'd like to say that you should go into your blog with a specific goal in mind and that is the most honest reason which is you're relaying your experiences about being a mother.  People read blogs all the time and of course that brings up the question of getting traffic to your blog which is something that you can do with the least amount of expense (at the beginning).

I'm only assuming here but I'm thinking that you want to be able to work at home to be with your children and if you can do that using your computer that would be something that you want.  You could start a single mothers' newsletter type of thing.  And since one of your main concerns will be earning an income from it that is where your main concern will lie.  How does one earn an income from a newsletter?  Advertising and subscriptions.  In order to get advertisers interested your newsletter should draw interest.  For instance single mothers are always concerned with needing a babysitter or childcare so who in your area offers that or who would like to advertise that they offer that.  To make your newsletter even more of interest to potential advertisers you could start a review section.  You have to shop right?  Where are the best places?  Where can you get more bargains?  Etc.,  You can also provide an offline version of your newsletter to those that don't have a computer.  And in order to gain a subscription base you can offer a free version of your newsletter - of course included with the information of how they can become subscribers.  You can include a "Question & Answer" section - like being a "Dear Abby" for single mothers!  People will read it and people may see a reason to want to advertise in it.  What about Ebay?  Do you have something that you could sell on Ebay?  What about others that may have something to sell and you can act as their seller?  You can add this information to your newsletter?  People oft-times have things they may want to sell and if they see how well others are doing on Ebay they may want to sell their stuff more!

Now you may say that you don't know anything about Ebay and my answer to you would be to LEARN!  It isn't rocket science and it is a way to earn an income from your home - meaning you being home with your kids.  And if you sell for others you will increase your income more.  As a matter of fact you don't even have to use Ebay you could start "selling" from your newsletter.  Say someone has something they want to sell and they advertise in your newsletter.

Having a newsletter online may seem scary.  So how do you make it less scary?  You create it offline first.  Decide on a layout and make that layout a constant in every subsequent newsletter.  Then you can put it online.  What do you do next?  You build up your reputation - or I should say your newsletter's reputation.  Give a free printed version to your friends - build by word of mouth - which is the best kind of advertising.

This is something that you can do at home, something that you have experience with and something that you can have fun with.  And I won't even go into what you and/or your newsletter can evolve into - like publishing for others and on and on.....

By the way you mentioned catering, as a matter of fact you mentioned other hobbies like crafts - how about including receipes in your newsletter (yours as well as others) - you can even do a contest - people are always interested in that.  You could build your denim ideas into your newsletter - that's what Martha Stewart does - she "hawks" her wares on her TV show - so why not do the same in your newsletter? 

Starting a newsletter is a very good example of a business that you can start at home so that you can be with your children.

Work for someone else versus Starting Your Own Business?

There are stories and examples galore of those who started their own businesses at home.  But when I see people posting here about finding "work at home" jobs I get the feeling that they want the "security" of working for an employer who lets them work at home.  And I was quite surprised to find some examples of legitimate work at home jobs like the examples I noted before such as the disable woman that works from her home answering telephone calls from stranded motorists that belong to her employer which is an auto club.  So there are legitmate jobs out there that allows one to work from their home but the problem seems to be in them finding those companies that are legitmate.  They are out there however.

Like I posted in the subject line I agree with everything you said and I'd also like to point out that people have started "unusual" businesses as well!  I like the story of the two guys that like to mooch off of other people.  However they ran out of people to mooch off of.  So guess what they did?  They wrote a book about how to mooch off of people and they each now have their own beach house!

You cited examples of businesses that people can start and I listed on one of my pages how one could take one of their programs that they have on their computer and start a business of their own.  A woman actually started a answering machine message service using the programs that she already had installed on her computer.  Another woman took an astrology program and started a business doing astrology readings - but guess what - she added a twist - the astrology readings were for people's pets!  And we know how big the pet industry is - people love doing things for their pets.

So I don't know what it is.  Maybe people are afraid to start their own business or they don't think that they can do it.  Just look at all the people who have managed to start a successful business on ebay!  I know of a guy who does yard work in my area and he says that he has more business than he can handle!  Starting a day/childcare is always a good business to start because there is always a need for it.

I think the main concern for people is the money and how fast they will be able to make it - of course of which the answer is is that it will depend on them.

I think that the most encouraging piece of advice that I can give is that no matter what kind of business you want to start there is already someone out there who is actually doing it or something similar to it - and doing it successfully!

Grants & Starting A Daycare - Another question about starting......

Hi,
         My name is A~, and I live in San Antonio Texas. I am a single mother with a 1 year old son. I have been picking my brain about what I want to do. I have 3 years of college completed with about 5 thousand in student loans...I am very interested in opening my own daycare facility. Where do I start? Do you know a web-site that I can go to to look for grants! Thanks A~

Thank you for your email.

One of the clients that I did have was a single mother who was just looking to earn some money while she went to school.  Did you know that there is at least one organization that helps single mothers financially in many ways?  And if there's one organization then there maybe another one and another one and on and on........

As I have mentioned many times before there are programs that help pay at least part of a person's student loan(s) but each program is different in their requirements and you have to find out if you are eligible to apply. 

The whole "grant" process involves a lot of work and research and once you have found the grant programs you still have to read them thoroughly to make sure that you are eligible to apply.  You also have to understand the fact that there is no one kind of "daycare" grant program.  Each and every grant program has different requirements and guideline - there is no "one stop" grant program for daycare.  Which brings up the point of you having to additionally know that the grant programs that you do qualify to apply for will depend on the TYPE of daycare that you want to open.  You have many questions to answer - including whether your daycare will be a for-profit, non-profit or both.  Which also brings up the fact that you may be eligible for other types of grant programs including those for entrepreneurs/for-profit businesses.  There is even a grant program that awards a $500,000.00 grant (over a period of time) to people to help pursue their dreams.  So don't just look for "daycare" grants - find the grant programs that you are eligible to apply for!

Regarding your question about daycare.  Basically speaking almost any one can start a daycare.  It's being a LEGITIMATE daycare that is going to require finding out more about.  Every state may have different requirements and there is no getting around the fact that you will have to find out what the requirements are for your area.  This is not a too hard thing to do as I have found out - you just have to do the work to find the information.

As there is no "one" grant program for daycare there is no "one" grant website.  (And you're not including the grant programs that don't yet have a website but they do have a phone number and a mailing address).  Grant programs are offered by the government, foundations, organizations, businesses and even individuals - which means that there is no "one" site that could possible have all grant programs listed.  (This doesn't even include the fact that you're counting out new grant programs and whether or not the current grant programs are still - well - current).

Grant Program(s) To Open a Hair Salon?

First you have to realize that for-profit startups have received grant monies and I note some of them on my page (I will put a link to my page at the bottom).

Number 2 realize that you are going to have to go in this with some information - meaning you have to have more than just the idea/dream!  There have been for-profit startups that have received grant funding because the program itself was for entrepreneurs and they submitted a businessplan - outlining costs, profit projections and just general overall information about the business they wanted to start and most importantly WHY they wanted to start their business.

I know of one grant program that awards a $500,000.00 grant (payable over a period of time) to help people pursue their dreams and as you can imagine there are a lot of people applying for it but you have to know the RIGHT way to apply for it.  I'm not talking about cheating or lying but just telling the truth.  If it has been a dream of yours to open your salon - say so.  Include the fact that you will be hiring people - and by the way there are grant programs for THAT as well!  All grant programs have requirements and guidelines that you have to follow in order to apply for them and the most cited reason that people don't get these grants (or aren't even considered for them) is the fact that they didn't fill out the application and/or didn't submit the right materials.  So you HAVE to know what you are doing.

Grantwriting is sometimes a misunderstood term because before you can write a grant you have to FIND the grant program offering the grant.  These grant programs are not alike and each have their different guidelines and requirements which means that you have to go over them with a fine tooth comb which means that there is going to be some effort and work involved.  People have applied for these grants on their own without having to use a grantwriter so that means that you would be able to do it on your own - its not impossible but it WILL require time and effort.  As the research I FIND the grant programs that you are eligible to apply for - there is the standard questionaire that has questions that are asked and have to be answered before I begin finding the programs because finding them can't be done blindly I have to have specific information so that I will know what kind of grant programs I will be looking for.  It is a (my) business and as such when you become a client a file is opened in your name.  You get ALL the information about the grant programs that you are eligible to apply for and that includes what requirements and guidelines have to be met before you can apply for them.  You get their contact information, their website and if I do not have or can not get a copy of their application then I give you the information as to where you can get it yourself.  It takes 30 days (for the basic one-time research)and I have given clients their own online site (if they request it) to chart the progress of the work.  After the 30 days you receive all the information in a .zip file that is emailed to you.  Once you receive the information you can then decide if you want to apply yourself, hire me as the grantwriter or hire another grantwriter.

Finding the programs comes first - then comes applying for them.

Also I want you to take a good look at the kind of business you want to start.  Did it occur to you that if you TRAIN people as well as provide the service you are eligible for more grant programs.  If you provide a community or educational aspect to your program you are eligible for yet more programs.  If you are a woman and/or minority you are eligible for yet still more grant programs.  Do not limit yourself.  Remember this is a business that YOU want to start and the more passionate that you are about it the more opportunities and resources you will have to make your business more.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.

Fan Mail - Help Becoming A GrantWriter

Hi Rose,

I have been reading your posts on Teacher.net and I went to your webpage for a browse. From what I see you are really good. Can you be my mentor???

I have always wanted to learn to be a grant writer. I have a BA in English and I am working on my MA in English right now. I am working as a technical writer but it is not very fulfilling. My unofficial job with family and friends is the researcher. I can find anything and I love it. I have been to several grant writing classes and seminars but I haven't actually written a grant. I am really chomping at the bit to do it. I have called and e-mailed a couple of local people through the volunteer center that need a grant writer so I will see what becomes of it.

I hope that we can at least talk back and forth about the basics, especially about the research part of it.

I look forward to your reply.

Thanks,
S~

Thank you for your email.

Actually you have "hit the nail on the head" when you mention the word "research".  I believe that half of the work itself is the actually finding of the applicable grant programs.  This seems to be the problem that most people seem to be having.  They often get frustrated and angered to the point that they convince themselves that there aren't any programs that do exist.  Of course they are wrong and there is a lot of research that goes into finding these funding programs.

It is often suggested that grantwriters - when they first want to start out - do some volunteer work for some of their local non-profit organizations (although you could include individuals and for-profits as well).  You could find the funding programs that your local organizations are eligible for and notify them of your findings.  I don't know what results you have gotten so far with those you have written to but it is a very good place to start.  Another very good place to start would be with your family and friends.  Don't forget that grant programs (and funding) is not just limited to non-profit organizations.  There are programs to help individuals and families as well as for those that want to start their own (for-profit) business.  Your family, etc., are probably eligible for grant programs themselves and all it would take is for you to put your research skills in action and let them know of these funding programs.  So this would also be a very good place for you to start.

In fact you could turn this into a business of your own.  Have business cards and networking skills to help your business along.  Even having a website will be beneficial. 

It looks as though you are off to a very good start.