Thinking About Selling On Ebay?

Here is some advice that I tried to post on one of the Ebay message boards but it wouldn't go through so I decided to post it here. If you're thinking about selling on Ebay, I hope this advice will help you.

... i havent started selling yet.. mostly im
trying to learn.......> here is some of my story - im a 24 yr old (almost 25)disabled person(woman)...> . - ive tried going to work, and going back to work and looking for work, finding work and getting fired from work.... in between college, hospital visits, and other things..... ive come to the conclusion recently that i am unable to hold a "normal" job - possibly forever.... but i really got interested in starting a home business - especially when i started talking to an online buddy of mine... we want to start an online store together. i have tons of ideas for our store.. (my part is gonna be mostly homemade soaps and gift baskets) and she has some items to sell as well.... but my only form of income is my disability checks.... and i have barely 50 a month left over to buy supplies... it is taking me forever to buy stuff... and im still not able to start...anyways.....here is my problem....im trying to find an
organization that gives grants to disabled people to help them start a home based business.. i could also use classes that teach all about running a business..anyone know of any such place???? (any one interested in donating to my business?? anyone have any ideas??????

Well its ironic that I saw your post because I do grant research for a living.

There are grant programs for people that want to start their own business and you are at a double plus because you are female.

Like the others have posted it would be a good idea for you to see what kind of benefits, disability and otherwise that you qualify for - the reason being the more benefits you qualify for the more money you will have for your business.

Getting a grant for an online store is not impossible because there have been quite a few grant recipients who have gotten grant monies for online ventures however its the specifics of the kind of online business that you want to start that has to be considered when looking for grant programs to help you start your online business.

You mentioned that you want to sell homemade soaps so you should look into grant programs relating to that such as the fact that you may be using certain ingredients in your soap that there may be a grant program to support that. There are grant programs for research which is something that you may be involved with while making your soaps, perhaps you could tie your soapmaking products with something where there is a grant program for it.

The same thing applies to your mention about adding additional gift basket products. Could they be tied in with a certain customer market like it being a product for disabled persons - something along the lines of that?

It might also behoove you to start a blog and the reason why I say that is because you would be able to put Google's Adsense on that blog and start earning income from that as well.

A "regular" job is a job that you earn money from even if other people don't consider it a "regular" job. I have a Working From Home Blog and you would be amazed at the many and different types of jobs that people have created for themselves!

Looking at your post I see just so many possibilities for you. When you become more familiar with Ebay and have had more experience with it you could start selling for others. As a matter of fact I remember watching a program where a woman with disabilities started selling on Ebay and she became so popular that she started selling for others and even started classes on teaching others with disabilities about how to sell on Ebay.

You have more possibilities and opportunities than you know!

Grants For Starting A Daycare? Is It Just A Myth?

Unfortunately no it is not and the reason why I say "unfortunately" is because finding the answer doesn't seem to come to easily to those that want to start a daycare and are looking for funding for it. I get a very good idea of just how many people are looking for information about funding to start their own daycare business. I also get a very good idea of just how many people are looking for this type of information from the number of emails that I get! Most of them ask the same questions "Where can I get grant money for my daycare" or "How do I start my own daycare?"

Where can I get grant money for my daycare? - First of all let's make one thing perfectly clear - you don't automatically get a grant! You have to apply for it. The next thing that has to made clear is that you just can't apply for a grant just because you want to start a daycare. It will depend on the kind of daycare it is you want to start. Do you want to start a daycare in your home? First you should see if your state has any daycare-related grant programs that you can apply for. I have seen many home daycares get grant money just because they were providing daycare in an area that needed it so badly.

How Do I Start My Own Daycare? - Well that is going to depend on you. If you're wanting to start your daycare at home and want it to be a licensed daycare then you should check your state's webpage to find out the requirements that have to be met in order for you to operate as a licensed daycare. With that being said what do you think you will need to start your own daycare? Getting the license part out of the way you are going to need a plan. Where will you look after the children, what kind of activities are you going to provide, what kind of food are you going to serve them, what kind of plans do you have for a medical emergency. There is also the question of getting the children and how you do that is the same as how any other business operates and that is to let them know that you are open for business.

Even if you want to start your daycare in a separate facility the above advice still applies but you have the added pressures of paying for your overhead which will include rent/lease, utilities and paying for staff.

Almost everything that you need to know about starting a daycare can be found online and that's including everything from having a daycare-related business plan all the way to different forums and websites from others that operate their own daycare.

While you can't be prepared for everything you will have at least enough to get you started going in the right direction.

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.

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)

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!

"I'm Looking For A Grant..................."

"I'am looking fro a grant for personal reasons, paying off bills, and starting a business!!!!"

You say you're looking for a grant for "personal reasons" but you don't say what those reasons are. You say the same thing about paying off bills but you don't say what kind of bills. You say the same thing about starting a business but you don't say what type of business..............................................................


I suggest that you go to my page that has basic grant information on it. I have answered questions similar to the one you have asked above and have posted my answers there. These same answers apply to you as well. You can not apply for a "general" grant. It will depend on what you are specifically seeking a grant for. Go to my page at http://members.aol.com/Roseb441702/payinfo.htm and answer those questions for yourself. Only then will you know exactly what type of grant programs you can start looking for.