What Attract People's Attention

Well the number one thing that really attracts people is sex. The 2nd other thing that also attract people is MONEY! Basically if you know how to market money, you don’t have to chase it, it will come to you. And not many people are able to do that online or offline. In fact 90% of the population chooses not be their own boss and are still w[...]



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Dream Job Consultant

That is exactly what I do! At first I thought that the title sounded so "hokey" but when I actually think about it it is exactly what I do!

How did this "career" come about? It started with the fact that I work from home and when other people found that out about me they wanted to know how they could work from home. I also got the occassional snicker or grin because a lot of people still think that working from home involves things like licking envelopes or something that is so mysterious that they don't understand anything about it.

So what does a "Dream Job Consultant" do? In my case its showing people how they can achieve their dream job. Some people just want to be able to work at home but they don't have any idea what they could do. I try to dig deeper and find out what it is that they want (or would like) to do. Recently I was listening to a program where the guest said that one way to find your purpose was to find out what it is that you love to do. Dr. Wayne Dyer has said to find something that will be a service to others regardless of whether its selling hot dogs on the street or becoming a doctor.

I know a lot of people are finding it hard to believe that they could actually earn an income from working from home. But lots of people are doing it and that number of people is growing every year!

Maybe you are reading this entry right now because you want to work from home. The first thing that you should know is that it can be done. The second thing that you should know is that it IS being done. You should also know that basically whatever it is that you want to do from home someone else is already do it or something close to it right now!

Is it possible to earn a livable income from just having a website? The answer is yes. One very good example is with affiliate marketing. In a word it is just putting advertising on your website. When people click on the ads that is when you make your money and people are making a lot of money just using this one method. But remember it simply isn't a case of build it and they will come because you have to put some work into your website and you can't just leave it at that. You have to constantly work on your website but wouldn't it be fun to actually earn a living just by working on your website? If you don't think that people are making a lot of money using just this method then I suggest that you do a little online digging to find and read the stories of those who are making money using this one method. I know of a student that made $1 Million Dollars just by offering advertisng on his webpage. That's right I said $1 Million Dollars!

A lot of people want to be able to work for a company from their home and again there are legitmate opportunities there. There are a few companies that I know of that hire people to work from their homes answering customer calls - so there are legitmate work at home companies out there. You have to be careful though because not all of the companies that say they are work from home companies are legitimate. Unfortunately this is where you will have to do your homework and check out these companies before you decide to work for them

So I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you can really work from home and you can really make a livable income working at home.

Cyber Begging?

I happened upon a very interesting list of websites where people were asking (dare I say begging) for money. I believe this whole thing got started with the "Save Karyn" website. A woman put up a website asking for money to help pay off her debts. She actually got donations of money from her website! I remember reading about a man who also got donations from his website but he was in trouble because he was also receiving financial assistance and the money that he got from his website was considered income. In actuality there was nothing that they could do because the money that he got from his website was considered as donations. Another woman put up a website asking for money so that she could get breast implants and guess what - she got enough money to get them!

It might seem hard to believe but there are some people that have put up websites asking for money and have actually gotten money! Of course there are a number of these kinds of websites on the Internet and not all of them are making money. I even saw one website by a guy who offers to put advertising on his chest for a donation/fee. Others have done the same thing in that they offer advertising on their page for a donation or fee.

It really doesn't take too much to put up a website and do the same thing although I can not vouch for how much money you would actually get. You can get a free website and put your information on it, figure out how you will have your money sent to you (a lot of people have used Paypal). I guess one of the harder parts would be coding your website itself. If you have never done it before it can get pretty frustrating figuring out the right html coding to make your website look just the way you want it.

Do I condone this kind of thing? It's really hard to say. I believe that everyone should work for their money. But having a lack of money has caused people to come up with some very unique ideas for getting money.

Paying For Grant Information

A lot of the emails that I receive mention the fact that the emailer could only find websites where they would have to pay to get the grant information. Although I find this surprising since I don't get the same results when I am researching for grant information I thought I'd address this kind of thing.

First you have to understand that when you are looking for information about grants it is sort of comparable to finding a needle in a haystack. This is especially true when you are looking for grant programs that you are specifically qualified to apply for. In your search and research for finding grant programs and information about grant programs you may find many grant programs but they won't be the ones that you specifically qualify to apply for. So what do you do? You dig deeper! I think almost everybody qualifies for at least one funding program that isn't one of those loan programs where you have to pay the money back. And it might make you angry to find out that lots of people with a bigger income have been the recipient of grant programs - Ross Perot and Donald Trump come immediately to mind.

Another thing that has been bothering me is the whinning and complaining about having to pay for the information. You really don't have to pay for the information if you find it yourself. Another option for not paying for grant information is for one to go to a social service agency. Part of their job is to know of programs to help other people including funding and grant programs. As far as government grant programs go that information has to made publically accessible to the public and it is via the government's website. Information about the government's grant programs is also available in the public libraries. I have even got information about government grant programs from my local newspaper and from listening to the radio.

Why shouldn't businesses and individuals charge you for finding this kind of information for you? I have some words on my grants page that addresses this. In short it says that once you start looking for this kind of information you will see the time and effort that is required and hopefully it will help you better appreciate the work that has to be done to get this kind of information. Now being taken or getting scammed from one of these companies or individuals is a different thing altogether! One of the warning signs is if you are "guarenteed" a grant. No one can guarentee you a grant. You have to apply for the grant and theoretically speaking the application that best fits the objectives of the entity awarding the grant will be the one that will be awarded the grant. So you have to apply for the grant just like everyone else. If you get scammed by one of these companies there are steps that you can take to report them. I have seen many articles of "grant companies" being investigated after so many complaints were received about them. You too can find out about these companies by doing a simple search online.

Grant research and grant writing require a lot of work and are very time consuming things to do. When you start looking for grant information you will find out how true that is.

Answering Some Myths About Grants

You have to have good credit to get grants

No you don't. If you are a US citizen or resident and pay taxes then you are eligible for some of the government grant programs. You could even have filed for bankruptcy - you would still be eligible for some of these grant programs! If you have bad credit then you could still apply for some of these programs.

You have to understand that you don't automatically get a grant. You have to apply for it. I have heard the whole grant process as being compared to entering a contest in that your application has to be reveiwed and assessed to see if you grant request fits in with the objectives of the organization that is awarding the grant.

The government is not the only entity that has grant programs - This is true though the government grant programs seem to award the most in grant monies (but that is not always the case). Organizations, foundations and even big businesses have grant programs.
There is a lot of red tape and paperwork involved in getting a grant - Sometimes yes and sometimes no. A number of the government grant programs require a lot of information and certain specific forms to be filled out but like I said above its not only the government that has grant programs. I have actual copies of grant requests that involve no more than a single sheet of paper that has the grant request on it where you fill in what you need the grant money for and why. The non-governmental grant programs seem to have an easier application process than the government grant programs.

Why do I have to pay to get grant information?

You don't. You have to remember that the government has to make their grant program information accessible to the public. Remember its the government we are talking about and they are using taxpayer money. The government has its own website where you can find out the details of there government grant programs. That includes all the information you need including how to apply for the individual programs. I use this site many, many times and I don't have to pay to use it and neither do you. Now the grant programs by entities other than the government are a little harder to find. You have to seek them out but the majority of them do have websites where you can find more information about their individual grant programs. Even those organizations that don't have a website have an address and a phone number and you can contact them using those.

There are no grant programs for for-profits

Again this is a myth. Big businesses receive grant money all the time. There are even grant programs outside the United States that have grant programs to help people that want to start or grow their own business. Even in the United States I have listed a number of people who have received grant money. Click on this link to go to my grants page to see a list of people who have received grant money.

There are so many myths about the grant process. The only way to show that the myths are wrong are with the actual facts.

How Do You Make Money Online?

One of the things that "really" works is......Google's Adsense. This is where you have a website or blog and you add ads to it via Google's Adsense program. Now if you don't think this works then you should go to their messaga forum and read some of the posts from people who are receiving payments every month. I can attest to the fact that it does make you some money but here is the bad news - you have to work at it! One example of someone who is making enough money for it to be full-time income is a guy that has a handyman website.

Some of the most popular ways that people are making money online is with adult sites, gambling and I know of one student who started a bulletin board and made enough money to put himself through college.

The fastest way to make money is to find out how others are making a lot of money and then do the same thing. The best way to make money is to take something you love and turn it into a business.

Google's Adsense seems to be a promising thing to do if you want to make money online. If you want to know more about Google Adsense you should read their message board - full of posts of people who have asked the question of can you really make money over the Internet. Google also has some examples of "success" stories about people who make a lot of money using adsense.

Tarot?

First I should preface this by saying that I have my own tarot page. Juct click here to visit my Tarot Page.

Now the question is "Can You Take Your Tarot Talents and turn them into a business of your own that you can work from home?" and the answer (of course) is Yes!

The most obvious way is to offer tarot readings over the Internet. What you would need is a website to show off your tarot talents. You should also includ on your website what your rates will be. Are there people who are doing this now? Of course they are. Are they making money at it? The answer (again) is of course they are.

Don't get me wrong because it will involve work. Once you have your website up you will have to let people know that your website is up and you're open and ready for business. You might even want to give away a few free readings just to get started and get your feet wet.

Now I know that there are a lot of tarot readings websites and you might be wondering how yours could make a difference. The answer comes from comparing this to the soda aisle at the supermarket. Of course you have your name brand sodas but you will also see sodas from brand names that are smaller and/or you have never heard of them but there they are just the same. Either they got there by popular demand or the brand makers got them on the shelves themself.

You should also consider that you can generate income from related things to your tarot reading. You could offer a tarot reading course, you can start a tarot reading newsletter or you might even be asked to write a tarot-related article. Since one of the things that I do is grant research I can tell you that I know of a case where a woman got a grant to do the astrology charts of serial killers! So you just don't know where a potential source of income could come from!

Working With What You Have!

I got an email from someone that wanted to exchange services with me. They wanted to provide me with a "bigger and better" website in exchange for me doing some grant research work for them. While "exchanging services" has always been recommended as a beneficial thing to do you should not do it all the time! Remember you're in business and you want to continue to be a business and you won't stay that way for long if you except an exchange of services in lieu of excepting payment for the service (or product) that you provide. If you have a talent or skill then you should not feel guilty about being (and wanting to be) paid for it.

With that being said I want you to take a look at the website that this person was talking about. It is my Grant Basics 101 page.

If you have ever thought of or wanted to have a webpage for your business then you should keep my page in mind. First off it is a page about the grant research that I provide. As you will notice the page has a LOT of information on it. Why? Because there are a lot of misconceptions and myths about the whole grant process and this page seeks to clear at least some of that up. On the page you will find information about the grant process in general, examples of grant programs and examples of people that have received grants - all the kind of general and basic information that one should know about the whole grant process. Now the page doesn't have a lot of pictures on it because the grant process is not pictures it is content, text, paperwork and research and people have to realize this if they want to go through the grant process and come out the other end with most of their sanity left intact. Research is work, work and more work and you are not going to get the information that you seek by just browsing a few pages. You are going to have to dig deeper if you want to find any grant programs that you may be eligible to apply for.

With that being said this same page serves another purpose and that purpose is that it is a webpage! It is a webpage that is seen. It is a webpage that ranks very high on the search engines and it will always be a "work in progress" webpage. But the main point is that it is a webpage that is up on the internet and viewed. Now if you want to have a business online then this is what you have to have - a webpage! If you don't have enough money to buy a domain name and webspace then use one of the free webpage websites - there are more than a few out there. I have even seen people with a business webpage on MySpace.com and that is a very popular website. If you don't know how to design a webpage then you can use one of the gazillion freely available templates that are all over the internet.

Instead of complaining about what you don't have, start working with what you DO have!

The Pursuit of Happyness

I haven't seen this movie yet but I did see the news story about the man that this movie was based on. He was so down and out but he kept on!

I posted a link in my forum about a truly inspiring story about a woman who started an online business - the link is here:

Inspirational Story

My forum is located here

I have always said that the one thing you need to start your own business or even pursue your dreams is desire. The two examples above show that I am right. If you have a dream you should go after it otherwise it might nag away at you until it has eaten you up! People can begin acting or singing careers at 50, 60 even 70 years of age and the same thing applies to being an artist or a writer or almost anything else that you can think of.

If you're feeling down about yourself then I suggest that you see the movie mentioned above and read that inspirational story! They should both make you feel better about yourself and about what it is you want to do.

MySpace

If you haven't heard of Myspace.com just think of it as a big networking and social site. Basically Myspace gives you your own space on the web. You can have a MySpace website as well as a blog on MySpace.

Now the reason that I am writing about them here is that I notice that a lot of bands have Myspace sites where they post their music, post about their latest CD releases and post about where their bands will be playing. It's a great site to get noticed! So if you have a band or are a lone singer and you don't have a MySpace page you should seriously consider getting one. You don't have to pay anything - registering for your own MySpace page is free. Now if you're new to Myspace then you might have some problems starting to configure your page as you would like it but there is helpful information there.

And just in case you're wondering - Yes I do have a Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/Roseb44170

Now even if you're not a band you should consider having a Myspace page simply because of its networking possibilities. Myspace isn't only for bands. You will see that all types of people have a MySpace page - teenagers, older people and just regular people - they all have a MySpace page. And as time goes on people will ask to be added as your "friends" and you can ask to added as a "friend" when you find a Myspace member that you would like to be friends with. MySpace has over a million members now so that means that the site is very popular. You can build up a network of social friends, professional friends and so on. Lots of people advertise about their business on MySpace and you can use the site to advertise and talk about your own business. You can post bulletins about your business, add pictures of your products and/or talk about your services - all to a site that has over a million members!

You can even get famous having a MySpace page! There was a woman on Dr. Phil's show who has a very popular MySpace page.

But the point is that having a MySpace page increases your visibility and shows you (and your business) to a whole new set of people. The more resources you use to show your business the more your business will be seen!

Adsense Consultant?

Just in case you don't know what Adsense is let me give you a little basic info.

Adsense is a part of Google (and I'm sure you know who/what Google is). Adsense puts advertising on your webpage or blog and you earn revenue/money when people click on the advertisements. Basically speaking what you do is sign up for an Adsense account and then you are given coding to put on your website or blog. Now how much you will make will depend on a lot of things like how popular your website or blog is but the bottom line is that you can actually get paid (via check or deposited into your bank account) by having a website or blog.

Now what I find interesting is that people want to join adsense but they are having so much difficulty with it. That is where YOU can come in. If you are fairly proficient with html and adding codes then this is a career that you should consider and believe me a lot of people are having problems with their adsense. You can even show them how to get more traffic to their sites and help show them how to better optimize their sites.

It's not as farfetched as you might think!

Search Engine Optimizer?

Not "Search Engine Optimization" but "optimizer!

What is that? It is a person that knows about how to make your website(s) show higher on the search engine rankings.

This is definitely a career/job that one can do from home but only if one knows what they are doing! I actually just saw a post from someone that is willing to pay someone to optimize their website. Of course they weren't offering a lot in the way of acutal payment amounts but you should know that people that do this kind of work are quite (rightly so) well paid! For example I know of one company that will charge $200 per page as far as to optimizing that page for the search engines. This is a skill that I myself can do as well and if you know about how to make a webpage rank higher in the search engines then this is a skill that you too have.

Basically speaking this is a business that you can start from home. Although it may sound complicated you only need to use your own webpage as your marketing tool. If you know how to get people to your website then you know how to get people/visitors to another person's website!

Have You Ever Wondered What Happens When Government Grants Go Unclaimed?

The government allocates a certain amount of grant monies to the individual states. If that grant money is not used then it is sent back to the government. If the money is sent back too many times then the grant programs that this money is for are re-assessed - meaning that the grant programs could be cancelled altogether!

The Fastest Way To Make Money.......

Untapped Potential

The Fastest Way To Make Money
The Best Way To Make Money

(Subtitled: Inventors, Inventions and Funding)

Part Two

The best way to getting funding is to take what you love to do and find funding for it. Chances are what you love someone else loves it too!

I think that this is the harder of the two routes to take but I also think that it is the most worthwhile of the two routes. When you are working on something that you love, that “love” will show through. There are countless real-life stories about inventors inventing something that meant something close to them, not being able to find the funding, funding it themselves and THEN receiving funding for it!

What if you don’t have the money to fund it yourself? Then you will have to seek the funding from somewhere else. That “somewhere else” will depend on your invention itself. Who would benefit most from your invention? Would it be the government, the private sector or a specific industry? Then that is where you should be seeking your funding.

There is NO way around it – YOU HAVE TO DO SOME LEGWORK!. In its most simplest process compile a list of those who would benefit the most from your invention. Then you have to contact them. The internet makes this a much more simpler and faster process – USE IT! Contact them and find out what is their procedure that you will have to go through to make a presentation. If they are not interested then fine (it’s their loss), go on to the next name on your list!

It is a bother but it is a necessity that you have a presentation plan. You have to have something on paper to present to them! You have to show them why (and how) your invention will benefit them and why they should invest their money in it.

As far as grant-funding programs are concerned, the process is a little bit different. Each program has its own set of rules for applying for funding and you will have to comply with each and every one of them INDIVIDUALLY! You can’t fill out an application for one funding program and then submit it everywhere BECAUSE YOU WILL GET REJECTED!

*As a side note I should also mention that the funding is not just limited to the actual production of the invention. Funding is also provided for RESEARCH! That means that there are funding programs that actually exist to research the viability of a product (or invention)

Singer Wanted!

Did you know that there are contests out there that don't require you to be a professional singer? Indeed some of these contests specifically state in their rules that you can't be a professional singer!

There was one contest going on where the grand prize was $75,000! The deadline was this month and you could send your submissions via email or regular snail mail.

Contests like these go on all the time. Why? Sometimes its a publicity kind of thing and some companies are looking for that next great talent! And you could be one of them. One of the good things about these kinds of contests is that you don't have to be a professional singer!

Inventors And Getting Grants For Your Inventions!

Untapped Potential

The Fastest Way To Make Money


The Best Way To Make Money

(Subtitled: Inventors, Inventions and Funding)

Part One

The fastest way to make money is to find a need and fill it. So how does this apply to inventors seeking funding? The same principle applies. The fastest way to getting funding is to find a need and fill it. The more the need, the more (and faster) the funding!

Where is the “need” today? One is military! With the current war going on and the President’s strong stance in continuing the war, almost anything that will help to win the war or make the efforts to win the war go more smoother is wanted and is needed! That can mean anything from designing better (and/or more effective) weapons to designing better provisions for soldiers (ie food preservation/storage, products to help “in the field”). There are countless examples of big companies getting government contracts relating to the war “effort”.

Where does this leave the individual inventor? It leaves him (or her) to fill in the needed “gaps”. Moreover, there are always gaps. How do I know this? Because I read the newspaper, I listen to the radio and TV. I also research the government’s website on a regular basis. Packed with government grant programs, these websites list what “gaps” need to be filled.

Another “need” is finding an alternative resource of energy! Did you know that there is a government grant program in place that awards $40,000 in grant funding to U.S. citizens. There is special consideration given to individual inventors and small businesses that are U.S. owned for inventions that show promise in the energy-related field? That is just ONE government grant program! Another awards $200,000 for the development of the product!

Flying!

One of the most basic tools that you should have as part of your own/home business itenerary is a flyer!

I'm currently reviewing a flyer now. Although it has many bad points, the one good thing going for it is that there is a flyer! Every business should have a flyer and that includes the business that you want to start.

Getting back to the flyer that I am currently evaluating it is not very professionally done. It is a flyer for a computer-repair business. It is a black and white flyer with a picture of the kinds of work and services that the business does. My most major complaint about the flyer itself is that the content is too crowded together. There are a lot of things that this flyer is trying to say and the only problem is that there is not enough space to say it.

So when you are designing a flyer for your business take into consideration the amount of space that you will have to work with. It is always best to design your flyer first by designing it by hand. Then you can make additions, corrections or take content out.

Your first flyer should be as simple and basic as possible. You can see some of my flyer designs by going to my designs page. Basically speaking your flyer shoud have 3 basic sections. The top, the middle and the bottom. The content should be your basic business information, a picture of some kind and then the content that talks about what your business does.

Now you can design your own flyer or get someone else to design it for you. If you can't afford to have a flyer designed for you then just take the time to sit down at your table and design a simple flyer for your business. If you don't know how you want to design your flyer there are things that you can do that will help to give you ideas on how you want your flyer to look. Using your computer you can design a flyer using the most basic of programs that already have come with your computer. I can design a very professional-looking flyer using the "write" program that came with my PC and you can do that too!

Pictures that you put on your flyer can be as simple or as complicated as you want them to be. I can design a professional-looking picture using the simple "paint" program that came with my computer. Here's a word of advice! Try to use an original picture! You don't want to face being sued because you used someone's picture without their permission!.

Designing your own flyer is one of the things that you can do when starting your own business!

If You Don't Want To Believe Me.......

Here is a quote from The Small Business Informer

Several grants from the government actually go unclaimed each and every year for different reasons. The main reason is that most just don't know the government grants are accessible. Some people are discouraged about the application process for free grants primarily because they've been given incorrect information about the process. Other people don't apply for grants because they are frightened about the unknown.

Of Course Grants Are Not Just For Individuals.....

Government grant programs are not just for individuals of course. Remember what I said about grant programs being put in place to help fill a need or raise the awareness of something? The following is just an example of a grant program for just that reason:

The most recent $3 trillion budget includes $175 million for what Peters called a “congestion relief strategy” that would target congestion in cities, ports, borders, airports, and interstates. Beginning this spring the federal government plans to dole out $230 million in grants for localities to build electronic toll systems to help ease congestion and steer traffic into using “peak-pricing” tolls to spread out traffic.

Basically what this means is that localities can apply for this grant money to help ease the burden of congestion as far as traffic is concerned.

This information came from:

Logistics Management

Grant Programs For The Individual Artist?

Please do not let people convince you that there are no grant programs for the individual artist! There is one grant program that is open to artists in one of the major cities. These grant awards range from $1000 to $5000 and they go to the individual artist. Some of the requirements are that you be at least 18 years of age and you must be a resident of the city. For this particular grant program the deadline is March 15th but you can find out more information about this grant program by calling the phone number that is specified or by going to their website.

One of the interesting things about this particular grant program is that the city itself is providing free grantwriting workshops to help the artists that want to apply for this grant program. The website provides a phone number and the applications are provided online.

So don't let anyone tell you that there are no grant programs for individual artists because they are wrong.