How Would You Like To Work From Home?

http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/10-more-jobs-you-can-have-at-home/20050808184809990053

This article has the same opening line that I have in my blog's description and its about jobs/careers that one can do from their own home.

The number of people that are working from home is increasing and you might be surprised to know that a lot of people are working for an employer but they are doing the work from their own home.

Many times I have said that there are legitimate "work at home" opportunities and by legitimate I mean actual employers who run legitimate businesses who hire people to work from their homes. In most cases you will need a computer but they all don't require it.

The link to the article above just proves my point more and that point is that you can work legitimately from home!

FEMA has denied yet another request for aid

In Colorado, farmers have been hard-hit by the snowstorms. There cattle have suffered and they need aid to help sustain their farms and ranches.

However FEMA has denied their requests for aid.

There are some low-cost loan programs that the farmers can apply for but the problem with this is that it is financial assistance that they need and not more debt - because even though it is a loan program the loan has to be paid back. Plus there is the added problem of not knowing whether or not those loan programs are in place or when and if they can apply for them.

It has been my experience that when people are seeking information about government grant programs it is the grant program information that they are seeking and not information about the loan programs - the main reason being that you have to pay back the loan and with grant programs you don't have to pay that money back.

There are still grant programs that exist for farmers even if it doesn't seem that way!

Are Grant Programs "Fading" Away?

~~~~~~~~~~in reply to a message that was posted ~~~~~~~~~~

I don't think that it has "faded away" in the overall sense because there are many sources of grant programs besides the government . It is always difficult after the funding source that you have been using has itself dried up but that just means that that particular source has dried up. There have been new funding programs that have been created during the time that you were using your funding source so there really wasn't a need to seek others when you had the ones that you were using. There are also grant programs that go begging for applications because none were received - so either the funding money is rolled over into the next year's program or the whole program is scrapped!

Providing funding for educational services has always been a top priority for the government and other entities such as foundations and organizations and there will always be grant programs for it!

The Money Is There!

Here is a quote that I would like you to remember everytime you feel that there is no money out there to help finance and support your non-profit organization:

Every year more than $200 billion is given to nonprofits in the US alone.

Grants and Daycare - Let's Try This Again......

Unfortunately there is just no one place that has a grant program for someone that wants to start a daycare. It depends on the TYPE of daycare that you want to start.

There are grant programs for non-profit daycares just as there are grant programs for for-profit daycares and there are some grant programs that may be open to both. The government grant programs website lists grant programs that are open to everyone to apply - that means non-profit, for-profit and even individuals. You may also be eligible for one of the "entrepreneurial" grant programs that are out there if you want to start a business.

It is just not as simple as "I want to start a daycare so where can I get grant money". It will depend on the type of daycare it is that you want to open.

So before you start looking for grant programs answer a few more questions about the type of daycare it is that you want to open.

Inspirational Quote

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Confucius, 551-479 B.C., Chinese Thinker and Social Philosopher

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!