Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fed downgrades economic forecast for this year
Just off the press: Title says it all. This is the reason you need to take advantage of all you have with your home business. People are looking- the jobs they once counted on are no longer available and everyone needs an additional income stream!
Do not count on the government to save you- remember the gov't is actually broke- they are just borrowing billions of dollars that YOU will have to pay back with your tax dollars!
This article found on Yahoo.com is further proof that YOU need to be taking control of your own financial future!
Copy of article here:
WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday sharply downgraded its projections for the country's economic performance this year, predicting the economy will actually shrink and unemployment will rise higher. Under the new projections, the unemployment rate will rise to between 8.5 and 8.8 percent this year. The old forecasts, issued in mid-November, predicted the jobless rate would rise to between 7.1 and 7.6 percent.
The Fed also believes the economy will contract this year between 0.5 and 1.3 percent. The old forecast said the economy could shrink by 0.2 percent or expand by 1.1 percent.
The last time the economy registered a contraction for a full year was in 1991, by 0.2 percent. If the Fed's new predictions prove correct, it would mark the weakest showing since a 1.9 percent drop in 1982, when the country had suffered through a severe recession.
The bleaker outlook represents the growing toll of the worst housing, credit and financial crises since the 1930s. All of those negative forces have plunged the nation into a recession, now in its second year.
"Given the strength of the forces currently weighing on the economy," Fed officials "generally expected that the recovery would be unusually gradual and prolonged," according to documents on the Fed's updated economic outlook.
Against that backdrop, unemployment — now at 7.6 percent, the highest in more than 16 years — will keep climbing and stay elevated for quite some time, the Fed predicted.
Fed officials anticipated that unemployment would remain "substantially" higher than normal at the end of 2011 "even absent further economic shocks."
The Fed forecast calls for the jobless rate to dip to between 8 and 8.3 percent next year, and to between 7.5 and 6.7 percent in 2011. All those projections are worse than the Fed's previous estimates and would put unemployment higher than the normal range around 5 percent.
Employment is usually the last piece of the economy to heal once the country is out of recession and in recovery mode. Businesses are usually reluctant to ramp up hiring until they feel confident that any recovery has staying power.
Under the Fed's new projections, the economy should grow between 2.5 and 3.3 percent next year. Fed officials "generally expected that strains in financial markets would ebb only slowly and hence that the pace of recovery in 2010 would be damped," according to the Fed documents.
Fed officials, however, predicted the economy would pick up speed in 2011, growing by as much as 5 percent, which would be considered robust.
Still, given all the economy's problems, there are risks that the Fed's forecasts could turn out to be too optimistic.
And a few Fed officials — none are identified — feared that it could take five or six years for the economy and employment to get back into a sustainable mode of health.
On the inflation front, the weak economy should mean that companies will keep a lid on price increases this year as they try to lure skittish consumers.
The Fed expects prices to rise between 0.3 and 1 percent this year, down from a projection of between 1.3 and 2 percent in the fall. Prices will pick up slightly in 2010 and 2011 as the economy strengthens.
For now, Fed officials are more worried about falling prices, than rising ones.
The Fed didn't use the word "deflation," which is a dangerous bout of falling prices, but officials noted "some risk of a protracted period of excessively low inflation."
Falling prices sound like a gift at first — at least to consumers. But a widespread and prolonged decline can wreak more havoc on the economy, dragging down Americans' wages, and clobbering already-stricken home and stock prices. Dropping prices already are hurting businesses' profits, forcing them to slice capital investments and lay off workers.
America's last serious case of deflation was during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Japan was gripped with a period of deflation during the 1990s, and it took a decade for that country to overcome those problems.
If you are not in a home business or at least looking at one- YOU NEED TO BE!
www.josephdemasi.com
Check out a cool video about creating real wealth today:
www.josephdemasi.com/Pipeline
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Joseph Demasi puts Mack Michaels' 'Maverick Money Makers Club' To The Test
With all the online scams and junk for sale, you need to be very careful where you put your money and your trust.
United States of America (Press Release) February 17, 2009 --
Mack Michaels is a self proclaimed nobody who earns well over $ 1 mil annually marketing affiliate products. He has been woring under the radar for well over 5 years perfecting his methods to earn this kind of income. This is what intrigued me about the program. this is not some one sale deal where you get outdated information and you are left to your own devices to try and figure out what is working now. This is an actual Club where Mack shares his knowledge and lets you in on his many 'secrets' that he has discovered over the years.
The videos on the main page are very well done and that is what gets people to take a closer look. "I was very impressed with the quality of the videos, but not just the quality- they have so much information that it is hard not to see the value" Joseph said.
source: FPR
Maverick Money Makers Club is just that. Whether you are a newbie or seasoned veteran you will appreciate the simple step by step process that Mack takes you through in the video tutorials. As long as one follows the steps and really takes what Mack says to heart, profit will be achieved rather quickly and the cost of the Club will be made back 100 times over. you can truly set this up to run on auto pilot- it will take a little while to go through the steps, but definitely worth the effort.
For more information: http://www.josephdemasi.com/Mack
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Twitter Community Welcomes Joseph Demasi As Member
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200902/1233875752.html
Twitter is the social networking site that is sweeping the net and it allows people to commumnicate with each other through what they call tweets..
The power of the internet is in the ability to quickly communicate with friends and business associates. Twitter has exploded onto the scene as the next generation in social networking. Joseph Demasi joins notables such as Mike Dillard, Franco Gonzales, Dave Dubbs, Britney Spears (yes that one)- the list goes on, as a 'tweeter'.
Joseph Demasi invites you to follow him on twitter by going here:
http://twitter.com/jdemasi
Keep up on the latest happenings and get news before it breaks!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Joseph Demasi & Blog Talk radio - Push Button Extreme, Just The Facts- No Hype...
this was a latest press release you can find the link here:
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200902/1233597107.html
Push Button extreme is sweeping the net right now as the latest 'get in and get paid' program promising up to $1980 per month for just joining and doing nothing. Is it too good to be true...
Joseph Demasi recently discussed Push button Extreme on his radio show at http://blogtalkradio.com/josephdemasi , before joining the program you may want to check out what it is all about and not get caught up in all the hype. Blog talk radio is a great format giving everyone a voice to be heard about anything they want to talk about.
Joseph demasi uses this medium to discuss Push Button Extreme and what it really takes to make money with that program and what you can realistically expect if you actually intend to get in and do nothing.Joseph Demasi is NOT part of the program and does not participate in nor promote Push Button Extreme.
Check it out at: http://blogtalkradio.com/josephdemasi
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Joseph Demasi And Ariana Reed Putting Team Beach Body on the Map!
It is being billed as the network marketing company for the "little guy". When CEO Carl Daikeler decided to expand his infomercial company into the network marketing arena, he knew who to contact. You may know Beach Body by the products they are promoting; P90X, power 90 - with Tony Horton, Hip Hop Abs with Shawn T., Slim in 6, et al.
The key to success in a network marketing company has to do with 3 things, in no particular order: 1. Products being promoted; Are they products that are in demand and developed for use by the masses. 2. managment team- what kind of experience do they have in the industry they have chosen- what is their track record? and 3. What is the compensation plan: Is there enough money to go around for the "average Joe" AND for the full time networker who expects a 5 figure monthly income.
Joseph Demasi realized that Carl Daikeler has hit a Home Run with Team Beach Body. Starting out as a direct to consumer company in the infomercial industry, Beach Body was very successful with attracting and keeping loyal customers. This loyal customer base is what is lacking in most network marketing companies. What you have in most companies is a customer that started out as a business associate who needed to buy the products in order to qualify for commissions- when they don't see commissions- they no longer buy.
With Beach Body, there are customers who have no idea that there is even a business that they can participate in. They are actually buying the product with no hope of profiting. Where Beach Body excels over other companies in the networking industry is that they are willing to put up their own money, over $90,000,000 annually, to promote and brand the products AND assign those customers to independent Coaches, at no cost to the coach.
Joseph Demasi knows that this model is unprecendented in the industry and is allowing average people with absolutely no experience in home buisness to actually succeed in one. Finally there is a company with real customers that gives the average person a chance to succeed.For more information on Joseph Demasi go to www.josephdemasi.com, and for Beach Body info; www.josephdemasi.com/coach
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Bad economy helping Web scammers recruit `mules' (AP)
Joseph Demasi
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081209/ap_on_hi_te/tec_money_mules
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The worsening economy appears to be helping computer crooks with one of their toughest tasks: tricking people into opening their homes and bank accounts and becoming "mules" for laundering money or stolen goods.
The scams themselves aren't new. They're pitched in spam e-mails as "work-at-home" jobs that promise excellent part-time money for helping companies pay clients in other countries. The victims are asked to open new bank accounts in their names, agree to accept anonymous payments into those accounts, and forward those payments by way of money transfer, usually to locations in Eastern Europe.
The scam is classic money laundering with an Internet twist. The money is generally real, and the middle man is promised a cut. What those middle men may not know is they're trafficking in ill-gotten gains and helping criminals pay each other while disguising the source. And the mules are often the ones at the greatest risk of arrest.
Savvy computer users usually identify this as a scam. But security researchers say more people are willing to take a risk on the come-ons as unemployment rises and the volume of the mule e-mails increases.
"When people are scared of a job going away, or they're worried about having money to pay bills, they might look at something like this in a different light than when things are rosy and great," said David Marcus, McAfee Inc.'s director of security research and communications.
The ads for these jobs are getting more convincing, but part of their allure is they are light enough on details that someone who wants to believe badly enough in easy money can convince themselves the messages are legitimate. The job titles offered in the spam generally include variants of "international sales representatives" or "shipping managers."
McAfee's annual "Virtual Criminology Report," which is set to be released Tuesday by the Internet security company, says 873 money-mule recruitment Web pages were detected in Britain in the first half of 2008, a 33 percent increase over the first half of 2007. That data was compiled by APACS, the United Kingdom's payment-industry trade group.
More evidence emerged from a recent study by Panda Security, a Spanish software vendor that found that job-related messages hit a new record of 0.31 percent of all spam in October, nearly triple the proportion from August. And the success rate in recruiting money mules rose to 1.8 percent in October, from 0.5 percent in August.
The company tracked those figures by partnering with another large security firm, which wasn't identified in its report, that was monitoring active mule networks. Panda Security looked at seven large money-mule operations in North America.
Computer attacks in general have sharply increased in the past few months.
IBM Corp. says the number of daily attacks it spotted against Web servers and computer networks increased 30 percent over the past four months, to more than 2.5 billion attempted incursions worldwide.
"Those are very scary numbers," said Gunter Ollmann, chief security researcher for IBM's X-Force security services team.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Joseph Demasi Joins Forces With Blog Talk Radio
Joseph Demasi has joined with the likes of Michelangelo Lopez, Barrack Obama, Robert Kiyosaki among others, and started hosting his own radio show on Blog Talk Radio. Joseph Demasi has long been interested in bringing his message to the masses through this medium. Blog Talk Radio has made it possible for him to do just that.
Joseph Demasi and Barrack Obama feel that the better communication is kept open to the public the better it will be. Michelangelo Lopez believes that as well. Joseph Demasi and his show will stay focused on how a person can help their business grow and what steps should be taken to solidify a person’s home business in the marketplace.
Joseph Demasi has been a home business entrepreneur for the past 10 years and has experienced the ups and downs and hopes to help people make it a smoother transition with a no holds barred show about the facts of the industry and what it really takes to succeed. His show can be found on http://josephdemasi.com/radio .
To find out more about Joseph Demasi you can check out his blog at http://homeonlinebusinessopportunity.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Joseph Demasi & Paul Birdsall - Free Leads 4 Life Program
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200811/1227120030.html
Joseph Demasi and Paul Birdsall had always wanted to find a way to meet the needs of the millions of Home Business Owners throughout the world. Paul Birdsall said “One of the challenges Home Business Owners Face is generating leads for their business and products.” Joseph Demasi agreed “ It is the backbone of your business, if you don’t have leads you don’t have a business.”
Free Leads 4 Life was born. It provides Home Business Owners a realistic way to generate leads on their own without having to pay for high priced leads from lead vendors. “The greatest thing about this program is we teach you how to get your prospects to pay you before they even see your business or products”, Joseph Demasi said. Paul Birdsall added, “it’s powerful when you can generate hundreds of leads a month and get paid to do it!” It truly streamlines your business building process. In fact Joseph Demasi refers to it as the Ultimate Streamline.
When he is not helping Home Business owners grow their businesses, Joseph Demasi is growing his own, actually 3 very lucrative home businesses. “The concepts in the Free Leads 4 Life program are the very concepts that have helped me and many others generate a nice income from home” he said. The program and training is not limited to any geographical region, in fact it is worldwide and knows no limits. Joseph Demasi
Truly believes that anyone can follow this and be successful generating their own leads online!
Find out more about Joseph Demasi visit his blog Home Based Online Business at http://homeonlinebusinessopportunity.blogspot.com/ and the Free Leads 4 Life program at http://www.ultimatestreamline.com/
Check out the Hub for this post:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Free-Leads-4-Life
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Why Most People Fail In Business...
The fact is that 90-95% of businesses in general will fail in their first 24 months. That is a staggering number considering that many people aspire to control their own financial future and view business ownership as one way to get there- the others being winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune from a distant relative!
But why is it that the odds are so stacked against the average person? There are a few key factors that I have seen that contribute to the non-success of the home business entrepreneur. I use Home Business as a model due to the usual low start up and easy of entry. Which I feel contributes to the high failure rate. Let's face it if the cost to start up a home business were similar to Franchises - see my article on this blog entitled "Truth About Franchising", 95% of people looking now would not be candidates for a business.
There are a few key reasons people find little success in the Home Business they choose:
1. Most people don't know how to run a business. Most people are employees, that is what they do now. They are working for someone else. They are used to being told what to do and when to do it. Being in charge of their own entity is foreign to them.
2. They expect to be paid for activity- not performance- Most people are employees. They punch a clock and get paid. In most cases unless you are in sales, there is no performance based income plan. They show up, put the time in and get paid. Running a business is completely different- unless you produce results, ie. making a sale, sponsoring others- there is no income.
This is the biggest issue I run into in talking to people about business. A common complaint I hear is- "I have been in this thing for 2 months and haven't made anything." When asked what they have done, all they can tell me is they have listened to all the conference calls, studied the compensation plan gotten to know the product line and ordered products. People are concentrating on activity not on results. I liken this to someone that opens a store of some kind, his shelves are full, he knows everything about the products, he has studied business management. he is ready to make money- the only problem- He keeps the doors locked so no-one can get in to buy his products.
3. People Do Not Know How To Market: this is by far a death sentence for any business. You must know how to promote and market your business. Every successful business has 1 thing in common- they get people to their stores(online or offline) - the one with the most customers wins. If you are weak in this area you better get help. One thing I do with team is help them in this area with an intensive training program that allows them to develop their marketing skills.
4. People are expecting too much too soon: Unfortunately the internet is getting more and more hyped with over the top claims of instant wealth. There is no-one who just joins a business- with no experience online and makes $40,000 their first month. It just does not happen. If you are not willing to invest at least 90-120 days of work in a business then don't do it. Things do not happen immediately.
5. People Think It Will Be Easy: Unfortunately the online claims of easy money has perpetuated this myth. Let's get real. If it is so easy to make $100,000 a year online, why isn't everyone making 100K online? Are people earning that much money online? Yes and more!
The bottom line here is that you need to go into this with realistic expectations. If you are expecting to earn 6 figures within your first 30 days you will be very dissapointed. Go into this with your eyes wide opened and don't buy into the claims of easy money. I tell people right up front that are looking at my business- it will take time to get to your desired income and it all depends on how much time and effort you want to put in and the results that you can generate.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Do You Have A Plan B?
Time to act is NOW! Do not wait- that could be the worst thing you do!
http://josephdemasi.com/EMC - A great plan B for US residents!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
What Is This About Craigslist?
The bottom line: if you are not posting on Craigslist on a consistent basis, you are literally letting money fly by. I speak to people everyday that make 95% of their income from craigslist. What is craigslist : it is a free classified site that you can post almost anything in: Jobs, Biz ops items for sale etc. Think E-bay, but without the bidding and fees!
Craigslist was incorporated in 1999, and to this day consistently generates billions of page views per month. There are approx. 30 million users per month that use Craigslist. This is very targeted traffic. I consistenly get 10-20 opt-ins per day from ads I place on Craigslist. I do not place just 1 or 2 ads, I place a few hundred ads daily on Craigslist. This is about expanding your focus and driving traffic to your website.
Craigslist is a FREE service for the most part. They do charge a fee to post in Jobs in selected cities: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Orance County, San Diego, Chicago and Sacramento. Imagine being able to get 10-20 targeted leads per day to your business. How would you be doing? Beware, however, just posting blindly with leave you frustrated. You still need to have the skills and consistency to drive that traffic. Ads and headlines have to create enough interest to the viewer that will make them go to your site.
With an ad on craiglist: less is more. I have seen many ads that are a page long with all kinds of info. Your goal is to create as much curiosity to have that viewer want to go to the web site to see what it is all about. The other thing is people don't want to read a lot in an ad. If it is too long, they will skip it. There is a great site that gives you all kinds of info and great training on craigslist and other classified sites. There is a link to it on the side labeled: Post 1000's Of Ads On Craigslist .
As with anything you must be consistent, I try to post everyday. Some are better than others, but you always need to test to find your niche.
Have a Great and Prosperous Day.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
So Why Do You Do What You Do?
So let’s dive in…
In today's society we often put a lot of emphasis on HOW things are done. Present a plan with lofty goals to the board of directors of any company and surely they will ask you how you suppose those goals will be met. Apply for a mortgage and you will be asked to demonstrate how you plan to pay it off. Give a professor the correct answer to a complex question and chances are you'll be asked how you arrived at your conclusion.
The HOW is often so predominant that the WHY is sometimes completely forgotten, as if the WHY is of less importance. Nothing could be further from the truth. WHY you want something is infinitely more important than HOW you think you're going to achieve it.
Phew. That was tiring just to write. Did you get all that?
If you’re reading this newsletter today, chances are you’re a Home Business Owner and Entrepreneur and there is a reason WHY? But do you know the reason WHY??
I hope you do…
But if you don’t (and most don’t), then it’s time you found out. If you’re not achieving the results you would like to be achieving in your Home Business enterprise, chances are very good that this is why (no pun intended).
Stay with me now. It’s gut check time…
To find out what you’re WHY is may just be as simple as identifying what it is that you want, right? Everyone knows what they want, right?
Wrong…
It's a bit more challenging than one would think. Ask an adult to write down everything they want on a list with a minimum of 10 items and you will find that for most it turns out to be quite difficult.
Stating that you want a certain amount of money, want to quit working or just want a bigger car than your neighbor can cause people to experience discomfort. After all, it may make them appear greedy or lazy and that's not generally considered positive. So they try to come up with something that's socially acceptable and in doing so, make what they want subject to the opinions of others. Not good.
Here’s the interesting part…
Kids on the other hand have no problem here. They'll come up with 10 items and more in no time, listing things you didn't even know exist. They don't worry about what others may think of it, whether it makes them look greedy, lazy or whatever. All they know is that they want it. Fascinating when you think about.
You see, kids have not yet been brainwashed or conditioned into thinking that they can’t have certain things. They just assume they can have anything they want, right?
And so can you. You just may not realize it yet.
Here’s a very effective exercise for you that will really bring to light exactly what it is that you want in life so you can pin point your WHY.
Chances are you've never done this...
Figure out what it is that you DON’T want first and what you do want will become crystal clear. This is a technique called “clarity through contrast” and it basically states that when you observe what it is that you don’t want in life it then it delivers clarity which makes it clear what you do want.
Easy enough right? Here comes the hard part…
Write it down now. Make a list of the things you DON’T want in life. It will only take you a few minutes and it’s actually a pretty fun exercise because when you actually come to terms with what you DON’T want it becomes clear what you DO want. The peace of mind you will experience by being clear is just, well…you’ll see.
After you’ve identified what it is you want, then you get to your all important WHY.
So why would you want all those things? Again, kids have the upper hand here. They'll be quick to point out why they want it all: mostly the fun they will have and the popularity it will give them. Ask an adult why they want something and you'll enjoy watching the expression on their face. You'll see them searching for an answer.
Why would you want to be rich? Why would you want to quit working to have your own business? What would you do if you no longer had to go to a job every day? You may decide you want a bigger house than anyone in your family before you ever had.
But what does that do for you? Would you sleep better? Would it make your life better? Would it make you happier? Whatever it is, it's critical that you know.
Exactly HOW you plan to achieve your success is far less important, especially early on. Too much focus on the HOW early in the process can have a devastating effect. It could paralyze you. I call it "analysis paralysis."
If your financial situation is so bad that you're actually below broke then achieving financial independence can seem so far fetched that reaching it appears impossible. You might sell yourself on the idea that it's so far out of reach that you couldn't possibly make it happen in this lifetime. As much as that may seem true at the time, it doesn't have to become your reality. Don’t be sold.
However, in order to get there you will probably have to overcome some serious hurdles. And for that to happen, you need a reason to get up and take the necessary action. That reason needs to be strong enough to pull you through the tough times that inevitably will come. That reason is your WHY.
History is packed with unbelievable stories of accomplishment. People facing seemingly insurmountable odds who overcame obstacles you wouldn't believe. Individuals with relentless determination who decided to push on in situations where most people would give up.
Why is that so many people throw in the towel when things don't go their way and only a small number of people seem to persevere?
It's not because they are genetically stronger and it's not because they have been dealt a better hand in life. What sets them apart is their WHY. That's what keeps them in the game. Their WHY is so strong that whatever gets in their way, they will find a way to deal with it. They don't have all the answers, but what they do have is an inner conviction that they can and will find the answers.
...And they are crystal clear about what they want.
Nailing down your WHY is one of the most powerful ways to improve your chances of success with your home business. So make sure that you know what your WHY is. Find it and refine it over and over again. Make it so strong that achieving it becomes an absolute must for you and the HOW will absolutely reveal itself to you over time. Trust me.
Take action.
P.S. Don’t forget your homework assignment. Make a list of the things you DON'T want and you will instantly see what you DO want. Your WHY will appear right before your eyes. Don’t take this assignment lightly. I’ve done this many times and it is quite dramatic what your new found clarity will bring you
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
5 Tips For Staying Razor Sharp When Starting Your Home Business Enterprise
Don't let anyone fool you into thinking its going to be easy. It can be simple but it won't be easy. If it were easy everyone would be rich working from home.How are you going to fit your business project into your daily commitments? It's easy to become overwhelmed and lose focus. Losing focus will cause you to take no action. Action is essential to moving on from where you are now, to where you want to go.
Here are 5 critical tips for staying focused and razor sharp when starting your home business enterprise...
1. Break It Down:
If you have a large task to tackle, it is always easier when you break it down into smaller components. You'll find it easier to focus because you won't feel as overwhelmed. For example, 'Register a business name' can be broken down into: 'Think of five business name ideas', 'Find out how to register a business name', 'Get registration form' and so on.
2. Keep A 'To Do' List:
Once you've broken down major tasks into smaller ones, make and keep a 'to do' list. Always keep a note pad and pen with you so that you can jot down any new ideas as they arise.
3. Schedule Your Time:
Every evening, decide on three to five tasks on your 'to do' list that you wish to accomplish the following day. Stay focused on these tasks and only move on to the next tasks on your list once these have been completed.
4. Set Goals:
This is critical. There is nothing that will keep you more focused than setting goals and writing out your goals. Visualize exactly where you want to be in a month, six months and a year. In a month's time, do you want to have registered a business name and have a fully functional home office set up? In three months time, how many clients or team members do you want? How much revenue do you want to generate in a six month's time?
5. Say No:
Be assertive and carve out more time for your home business. Saying ‘no' to that extra demand by your boss every once in a while can get you home one hour earlier a couple of days a week.
How about cutting back on the amount of housework that you do? How about watching less TV? Thats a BIG time zapper. Imagine how you could channel that extra time into your home business enterprise...
If you put these 5 tips into practice, you'll definitely find it easier to focus and stay razor sharp so you can achieve your ultimate goal of working from home and putting more LifeStyle back in your life.
P.S. Pay particular attention to Tip # 3 above. As a Home Business Owner and Entrepreneur, once you gain control of your time you will eventually have all the time you will ever need...
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Truth About Franchising
Often times the general public will get the perception that a franchise is the answer to all their financial dreams. For a rare few this may be the case, but there is significant reason to be leery of this line of thinking.
For starters, I did a little research and found some of the most popular franchises. On the following page are some of their financial requirements. If that doesn’t make you think twice, there is more revealing data below, of which you should be made aware.
SCORE Volunteers.
SCORE’s 10,500 volunteer counselors have more than 600 business skills. Volunteers are working or retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders who share their wisdom and lessons learned in business.
Exploring Franchising Options: Do Your Homework
By Jerry Chautin
SCORE Counselor, Atlanta, GA; Manasota, FL; and Cyberchapter
We see franchised businesses popping up all over. Yet some of the most recognizable franchise brands are under attack in civil courts. And one of the most prolific attackers is Robert Zarco, a lawyer with offices in Miami and West Palm Beach. He goes after sellers of franchises, called franchisors, wherever and whenever they mistreat his clients. Zarco told me, “the problem with franchising is the perception of rewards is very different than reality.”
With so many franchises in the United States, you might think that these small business owners, called franchisees, are a happy lot. Not necessarily so, says Susan Kezios, president and founder of the American Franchisee Association, a trade association that represents franchisees nationwide.
She tells us that many of her members are unhappy with the franchises they purchased and would have made different choices if they knew then what they know now.
See the rest of this article here.
The Harsh Reality.
A study by Dr. Timothy Bates, a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, found that the franchise failure rate actually exceeded 30 percent and that franchises made lower profits than independent entrepreneurs. Dr. Bates’ study also found that the average capital investment of franchisees was $500,000 compared to $100,000 for independent entrepreneurs.
Bates’ Research Underscores Three Harsh Realities
Dr. Timothy Bates
Professor at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Many franchisees never make much money. Average profitability is poor, especially after taking into account the purchase price of the franchise. So take the hype used to sell franchises with a big pinch of salt!
“Studies” used to sell franchises are paid for by the franchisors. Don’t mistake the information provided for balanced consumer guide information. It’s a carefully engineered sales pitch. Getting hold of the information you need to make a rational buying decision is difficult, to say the least. So use your common sense and a healthy dose of cynical discretion.
Franchise agreements always favor the franchisor. It is very easy to be swept away in the heat of the moment and get into a binding contract that is not in your best long term interests. And it is very hard to get out of a franchise agreement without taking a big financial loss. Remember, the main purpose of franchising is to make the franchisor wealthy. So be careful.
The full report can be found here.
Franchise Financial Requirements.
The following are some of the most popular franchises and their
financial requirements.
The following franchise information can be located here.
McDonalds
Investment
-Total Investment:
$506K-1.63MMFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $45K
- On-Going Royalty: 12.5%
- Advertising Fee: 4%
Valvoline Oil Change
Investment
- Minimum Net Worth: $600K
- Cash Investment $400K
- Avg Total Investment: $706KFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $30K
- On-Going Royalty: 6%-
Advertising Fee: 2%
Quiznos Subs
Investment
- Minimum Net Worth: $125K
- Cash Investment: $70K
- Total Investment: $193-257KFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $25K
- On-Going Royalty: 7%
- Advertising Fee: 4%
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
Investment
- Minimum Net Worth: $200K
- Cash Investment: $86K+
- Total Investment: $123.5-286KFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $30K
- On-Going Royalty: 1.5%
- Advertising Fee: 4%
Baskin Robbins – 31 Flavors
Investment
- Minimum Net Worth: $400K/Unit
- Cash Investment: $145.8-527.8K
- Total Investment: $145.7-527.8KFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $40K
- Average Franchise Fee: $40K
- On-Going Royalty: 5-5.9%
-Advertising Fee: 5%
Dairy Queen
Investment
- Minimum Net Worth: $200-500K
- Cash Investment: $200-300K
- Total Investment: $200-950KFees
- Initial Franchise Fee: $20-35K
- Average Franchise Fee: $28K
- On-Going Royalty: 4-6%
- Advertising Fee: 3-6%
Still Interested In A Franchise?
Find Out Why Our System Is Better Than A Franchise!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Forget The Recession- Start Your Own Busness
For anyone who wants to earn more money than they'd ever get with a day job, then the only real answer (besides winning the lottery) is to start their own business. Of course, starting a business can be very costly, something that puts starting a traditional business out of the reach of many people.However, there is an alternative, and that's starting a business from home. There are several different alternatives a person can choose from, from coming up with a completely new idea and concept and creating their own products, to joining an existing MLM type business, to starting an online business.
Lately, a huge number of people have been lured by the idea of making their millions on the Internet, but the sad fact is, few of them ever make a decent living, let alone a fortune, online. Why is that? Many online opportunities are promoted as being very simple, and easy enough for everyone to do. If that were truly the case, there would be a lot more online success stories today than there are!One problem people have is too much choice. There are so many different opportunities and ideas, that they try and run with the lot, and end up falling quite heavily, simply because without focus a business is doomed to failure. Another problem is that many people really don't have any idea about running a business, and don't think about their home business as they would a real, traditional business.
If you really do want to start a work at home business, and aren't afraid to put in a lot of time and effort (especially in the beginning) there are a few important things you need to know to set you on the right path.
Firstly, watch your expenditure. An online business can be one of the least expensive businesses to run. Most people already have the basics they need to get started (a computer with an Internet connection). However, the problem comes when they actually start looking at online businesses and means of making money. Suddenly they're confronted with a million and one different products ALL of which are supposed to guarantee success.
Many people spend hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, very quickly when they're starting out in the world of Internet business, and soon find that most of it was money down the toilet. To avoid this, you need to work out what it is you're going to be doing online and create a plan.
There are numerous ways of making money on the Internet, including: eBay and other auction sites, affiliate marketing, Adsense (and other contextual advertising), as well as marketing your own product. Once you know what it is you want to do, then find one very good resource, and stick to it, The hint here is to do a bit of research first, and get honest reviews of any product before you purchase, rather than letting a sales letter induce you to purchase another worthless product.
The next thing you need to focus on is how you're going to build your business. Most online businesses start with a website (and although there are plenty of sites that promise you don't need a website of your own, anyone who wants to make a long term living online will need a website). You then need a step-by-step plan you can follow, and you need to be able to follow it!
One of the best things about working from home is also one of the most problematic, and that's the fact that you can work your own hours. Unfortunately, if you're not able to discipline yourself you may find that the hours actually spent in front of your computer aren't enough. It helps if you can work out a day to day plan of exactly what you want to accomplish each day, so that you know you're on the right track.
Finally, it's worth remembering that a work at home business, even an online one, will require a certain amount of dedication and effort before you'll be rewarded with results. It's not a matter of whipping up a quick website and waiting for the money to start flowing in, and if anyone tells you it is, odds are, they're lying! Be prepared for months (even years) of hard, consistent work, and you'll reap the rewards, but fall for too many get-rich-quick schemes and promises and you'll be back to your day job before you know it.
If you are looking to make real money online at home then...
This Try It Before You Buy It Concept Is Sweeping The Home Business Arena and Turning Failure Into Success
Have a Great Day
Joseph Demasi
Friday, February 08, 2008
TAX BENEFITS OF A HOME BASED BUSINESS
Tax Incentives.
Many people overlook this very important benefit but it can make a huge difference for you come Income Tax Day. Running a business out of your home can save you up to $5,000 or more on your taxes every year even if you don't have success!
Here are just some of the things you can write off:
--- Your business start-up costs
--- A portion of your house payment or rent
--- A portion of your utilities
--- Car expenses
--- Travel
--- Meals
--- Magazine subscriptions
--- Child care
--- Telephone bills
--- Postage
--- Office equipment (need a new computer?)
--- Software
--- Bank fees
--- Your Internet service
The list goes on. Many of these things you have and pay for anyway. But now that you can operate a business from home, they become a tax write off.
You can even pay your kids to work for you and write it off. Now that's a smart way to save for college.
Of course you'll want to consult your accountant as laws vary from state to state, country to country and year to year, but I can promise you this: having a home-based business will help keep more of your hard earned money in your pocket instead of The Tax Man's.
Seriously, we don't understand why everyone doesn't start a home business? It must just be a lack of education in this area.
Get educated, it's worth a GUARANTEED #3,000 to $5,000 a year in tax savings or more...
Here are the tremendous tax advantages from our business and you can instantly have them too:
http://lifetimeincome.net/assets/video/cantx2/index.html
I realize it can be a big decision to start a home business. But, please don't hesitate to email or call me if you have any questions or just want to discuss options.
Until next time.
Did you know that you can start getting all these tax advantages just by getting started for under $500.00? Click below and get started or call me and well help you get set up.
Your paying more taxes than necessary. Let's change that starting today!
You can find out more at http://www.josephdemasi.com/ or call me at 626-224-2422
Sunday, December 30, 2007
MLM - The Last Hope For The Little Guy?
I have probably spoken to over a thousand individuals over the last 2 years about various businesses and opportunities. Sadly most of them never did find a business to start. A variety of different reasons, any where from no money to no time to my favorite: zero risk tolerance.
We have all heard the following quote."if you continue do the same thing for the next 3 years as the last 3, you will be in the same place that you are today except 3 years older." You may gag when you read this, but it is absolutely true. People want something different, they want something better - they frely admit that they are looking for something better: more money, more time - a better life. The only problem is, that all they do is look.
Do you know anyone that contnues to shop for clothes, but never buys any. Of course not, people need clothes, at the very least they will buy underwear even if they wear donated clothes. The reality is, that people are shopping for HOPE! It is just like buying a lottery ticket. It is nice to dream about winning, in fact you hope you win. Deep down you know that you probably won't win, but the cost of a dream is cheap at a buck. That dollar gives them the right to dream about what they will do with that million dollar jackpot: A new home, new cars, never step foot in their workplace again. People need HOPE!
People spend their whole lives building someone else's dream. They punch a clock and spend 8-10 hours a day working to make their boss's dream a reality. Their boss controls their life- tells them when to work, when to leave and when to go on vacation. Is this a life YOU WANT! Of course not , but what can you do? The traditional business costs thousands of dollars to start and even more for a known franchise. A McDonalds franchise can cost over 1 Million dollars. Yikes! Everyday working people don't have that kind of money, nor do they know how to get it.
There is hope for the little guy. It is called Multi Level Marketing, Network Marketing, Referral Marketing, etc. I have heard it called many things, including a pyramid scheme, a scam, an illegal enterprise. I am not here to argue whether MLM is legal. That was decided by the courts in 1979. In 1975 the Federal Trade Commission accused and sued Amway Corporation for operating as an illegal pyramid. After four years of litigation the court ruled that Amway’s multi-level-marketing program was a legitimate business and not a pyramid scheme. As far as I am concerned that ship has sailed.
Let's examine what MLM does for the everyday person. People can get involved and start a business for a fraction of what a stand alone business costs. Since most people are not business savvy, training and education is provided, usually for no cost or sometimes with a nominal fee.It is true that you are a distributor of that organization and must distribute their product. That is not any different than owning a McDonalds franchise. Can you imagine going into a McDonalds and seeing a menu for Burger King?
Let's get one thing straight here. You must realize that the reason MLM exists is to give ordinary people an opportunity that they would not normally have. That is, the opportunity to participate in the profit structure of the retail sales model. No matter how you slice it, products must get into the consumer's hands. Tim Sales does a great job of explaining MLM on his site First Class MLM . The MLM companies are paying you (the distributor) to get the products into people's hands. The more product you move the more money you make- simple! This is a business after all and you are paid based on your production. This is how it should be.
After all, the company can spend millions of dollars on advertising to get the products out in the market place, but a few smart people over 40 years ago thought it would be a better model to trust word of mouth and reward the people that spread the word. You should appreciate the opportunity to make a living from this model. I do. I am thankful that I could start a business for less than $500 with the potential to make a good 6 figure income.
Next: Not all companies are created equal- what to look for when choosing a business.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Top 10 Benefits Of Owning a Home Based Business
Work at Home - No commute or rush hour traffic. Live where you want to live…your business moves with you. Spend more time with your family.
Great Income Potential - You are paid what you're worth. You decide how much you earn.
Available for Everyone - No previous experience necessary. Training is provided, allowing you to earn as you learn…regardless of age, sex, race, or education. Watch Robert Kiyosaki describe the PerfectBusiness Model
Immediate Income - Earnings can come your first week with a realistic opportunity to earn an above-average income every week.
Lasting Income - You can build a successful income-generating business that can last a lifetime.
No Franchise Fees or Royalties - No fees. Minimal overhead. No need to rent an office or buy expensive equipment.
No Employees - No employee-related hassle or paperwork.
Significant Potential Tax Benefits - Legally save thousands of dollars with home-based business deductions*. You Can't Afford Not To Have a Business
Live as You Please - Freedom at last. Travel and spend time with your family. You control your time and lifestyle.
Friday, October 19, 2007
IF SUCCESS WAS EASY...
I know you have seen it all before. The big time promises of fast money and guaranteed wealth online. It sounds so appealing, just plug in and go. Your check is in the mail! Every day there is a new program launched that "is sweeping the net". Yeah, it's sweeping alright! Sweeping all the money out of people's bank accounts with another promise of easy money! I want you to understand something: THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO WEALTH! If there was then everybody would be wealthy and driving the car of their dreams.
There is one irrefutable fact that is bandied about online all the time, and it is this: 95% of people that start a business or get involved in an opportunity with quit. That's right I said QUIT, I did not say fail. The biggest myth out there is that people are failing online. People are not failing, most of the people that say they failed, actually quit. There are those unfortunate people that get involved with actual scams and had no chance of success. I am not speaking of those people here. Yes the internet is full of people and opportunities that just want your money so they can laugh all the way to the bank. That is a fact we all need to deal with. In a moment I will show you how to safeguard yourself against those thieves.
I know for a fact that some of you reading this right now have been in at least 2-3 programs over the last 6-8 months looking for that magic bullet that will take you to easy street! I should know, when I first started online I was in the same boat- jumping from opportunity to opportunity looking for the one that would work. Let me explain something, not withstanding the scams out there, most of the opportunities out there work if you work as well. There is no free lunch, you have to put in the effort. When you go to work everyday, does your boss expect you to do something? What would happen if you came in and sat down at your desk and fell asleep for 3 hours? Would expect to get paid for that? How many employees would last at a job if they treated it like that? The answer is none! Then why do you expect the same thing from your own business?
If you expect to succeed online or in your own home business, there will be a learning curve. Do not expect to make millions overnight. All the Guru's online you see that claim to be making millions have been around for years and have taken the time and money to learn about what they are doing. Let me say that this way: If you expect to be successful in this area then you must be willing to learn about it first. Now that is not saying that you cannot earn while you learn. in fact that is the best part about a home business, you can earn some money part time while you learn about what it takes to make the big money. Unfortunately, people don't want to learn first, they want the money first and as long as that is the case they will always be looking for that get rich quick plan that looks so enticing. You know, the one that never works!
In order to be successful online you must expect the following:
1. Expect to spend at least 6-9 months with your business, doing all the activities it takes to be successful. You must be consistent and willing to learn.
2. Expect that you will have bad days. Just keep going because it will get better.
3. You will need to spend money. If you are not willing to spend money then don't start a business.
4. You will need to spend at least 10 hours a week on your business with activities designed to produce results.
5. People will say NO! That is a fact you will never change.
6. If you quit you will not be successful! The only way to fail is to quit.
I hope this helps you, my next post will be: What you should look for in a business that will maximize your success.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
FOCUS - This Means Success!
It can be difficult to juggle everything in your normal day to day life and then try and build a business online. Whether you have a full time job, or stay at home raising your kids, or even (like me) you're a full time student...... If there's one word that's vital to your success, it's this one...
FOCUS
Five letters than can make a BIG difference. If you want to be successful you need to have laser focus and follow a step by step plan to achieve your goals.
It's all too easy to get distracted online with literally hundreds of opportunitiesa week. If you try spending a little bit of time on lots of different things, you wont get anywhere.
But once you focus on one thing, and put your efforts towards that, you'll be surprised how quickly you can achieve success. It takes discipline to stay focused but the rewards are more than worth it, so stick with one thing that works for you and build on it even further.