Definition of Security: Small Business Ownership

What your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!
Yes, that IS security when nobody can downsize you because you OWN that small business of yours! But preserving that special advantage is a never-ending job. In fact, do you know what needs to be preserved more than anything else?

Well, since they hold the future of your business in their hands, I believe that an outside group of people whose behaviors can effect your business survival more than any other, deserves your rapt attention.

What Id like you to conclude from that is, what your key target audiences think about you can take you down in a New York minute!

0 customers displeased with your product or service dont come back 0 prospects who dont know about you dont buy 0 employees who believe you dont care about them lean on their oars 0 when minority folks believe you discrimminate, you have new problems 0 and if community residents believe your business is a lousy place to work, you have hiring and retention problems.

Even though help is on the way, you cant work on everything at once, so prioritize those key audiences. That is, which external audience is of immediate concern?

The good news is that problems like those above just dont happen when you closely and regularly monitor what those key publics think about you. First, you find ways to interact with them.

Then probe what they think about you and the business. In what behaviors are they engaging? What about misunderstandings? Do you see any problems brewing?

When you take the trouble to stay in touch with those folks whose behaviors affect your business the most, youve taken an important first step towards preserving your business.

Theres a real sequence here. Once you gather those facts from monitoring your key, target audience, it becomes obvious what your problem is and, thus, the public relations goal. For example, correct that misconception about your product; or reinforce a budding perception that you deliver superior service; or correct a suspicion that you dont put women in positions of responsibility.

With your goal in-hand, how are you going to achieve it? You need a strategy which, in public relations, only comes in three flavors: create opinion (perception) where none may exist; change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

So, youve set your public relations goal AND a very doable strategy. Now, what must your message have to say to implement that strategy? It must address the fix you decided upon when you set the goal. It must be clear, specific, persuasive and, above all, believable. As you write it, remain sensitive to what you are trying to do: change somebodys perception which almost always leads to the change in behavior you really want. Does your message meet this challenge?

Many would now find themselves with a great goal, a super strategy and a first class message, and nowhere to go.

But not you. Here, you select the beasts of burden you need to carry that message to the eyes and ears of those members of your key, target audience whom you need to reach and move to action.

And that means communications tactics. There are more available to you than we have time or space to list. Among them: community briefings, seminars, special events, news releases, speeches, brochures and personal contacts.

Is your work completed? Nope, because how will you track your progress? The answer is, Round 2 of the monitoring job. Interact with members of your prime outside audience all over again, carefully evaluating what you hear. If the goal was correct a misconception, are you beginning to notice signs of that correction? Do those you talk to show, however little, a better understanding of the facts of the matter as represented in your message?

Whats the bottom line? Behaviors, of course.

When your messages and communications tactics combine to alter a questionable perception held by members of your key, target audience, certain behaviors will soon follow. Among them, favorable mentions in the media and in individual speeches and lectures; increased patronage for your business; corrected perceptions by influential members of that important group of people, and many other similar signs that your message and your communications tactics have, indeed, drawn blood.

Happily, what that adds up to is a successful public relations effort.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

About the Author

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks about the fundamental premise of public relations. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit: http://www.prcommentary.com

If I Were 22 Again… A Dad Explains Real Estate Investing to His Son

My twenty-two year old son asked me a question last night. He said, “Dad, if you were just starting out, like me, and you wanted to get going in real estate, what would you do?”

What a great question, and I really had to think about it before I answered him. What I told him isn’t original with me. These ideas have been expressed much better by other authors before now, but since the essence of creativity is selective borrowing, here’s the advice I gave him.

I said that the first thing I would do is become an expert in my target market.

“How long will that take?” he asked.

Ah, youth- always in such a hurry.

“Depends on how much time each week you can devote to it,” I answered, giving him another of the vague responses he has grown so used to.

Predictably, he groaned.

I went on to explain to him that, if he really committed himself to following my advice, and if he committed to a minimum of 15 hours each week, he should become both competent and confident in about 3 months, which doesn’t seem like such a long time. The key is looking at tons of houses, and asking tons of questions of the right people.

I told him, if I were just starting out, I would also find the right Realtor to work with. The right Realtor will be able to put you in touch with a boatload of opportunity you can’t find by yourself, and provide you a list of foreclosures and vacant properties to look at every day.”

“What would you do next?” he asked.

I said that I would work on building a buyer’s list at the same time I was learning my market.

“How would you do that?”

“I would find and join my local REIA (Real Estate Investors Association) group, and attend every meeting. If my area didn’t have a REIA group, I would start one. This is the place to start finding, meeting, and networking with the people in your area who invest in property. I would also read the newspaper classifieds for “Buy Houses” or “Buy Property” ads. These people are active buyers, and should be added to your buyer’s list. Your goal is to have as long a buyer’s list as possible, at least 50-100 names depending on the size of your area.”

“Why?” he asked me

“I’ll explain that in a minute.” I said

He rolled his eyes. Talking with your son is like chatting with a nuclear physicist- every time you try to impress them with your knowledge, they make you feel like they can’t believe how long it took you to come to your childish conclusions.

I pressed on, determined to give my son the advice he was seeking.

“Next,” I said, “Armed with an in-depth knowledge of my market area, and my active buyer’s list, I would start making low offers on every foreclosure and vacant property I looked at.”

“Every one?” I could see the doubt in his eyes.

“Well, close to every one. Every house that your confidence level allows you to make an offer on.” I could see the next question coming.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked. So predictable.

“What I mean,” I continued, “is that the market knowledge you gather during your market research will give you a certain level of confidence. The more knowledge you have, the more your confidence will increase. When you first start making offers there will be a lot of properties that will appear to be beyond your skill level, and if they seem to be, they probably are. You simply won’t have enough confidence to make offers on those properties.

“As time goes on, though, and your knowledge grows, so will your confidence. Then those properties that intimidated you at first will become less frightening. Instead of seeing hazards, you will see opportunity. Don’t stress about this, because it’s a natural progression. As long as you’re putting in the time learning your trade the knowledge will come, and so will the confidence. One follows the other like the summer follows the spring.”

Next, my son asked, “But how do you determine how much to offer?”

I went on to explain to him my method for determining the right amount to offer. See my article titled "Real Estate Investing- Is There One Magic Rule?"

“I get it,” my son said, head bobbing up and down knowingly. “What comes next?”

“OK,” I said. “What happens next is, most of your offers are rejected completely, a few might be countered, and one out of every twenty to fifty will be accepted.”

“Is that all?” he asked, perplexed.

“That’s all, but that’s alright,” I said. You can’t handle a whole bunch at once right at the beginning anyway. One or two is enough to get you started. What you do next is very important.”

“What’s that?” my son asked.

“Start marketing your fool head off.” I replied. “You know that list of buyer’s you’ve been developing? You call every one of them and tell them about the great deal you’ve got, and see who’s interested. Put ads in the paper, signs on the property, and signs anywhere in the neighborhood you can get away with. Create a flyer to pass around at your REIA meeting. Sell, sell, sell is the name of the game. Whatever it takes, find a buyer for that property BEFORE you close and take possession of it.”

“What about the title work and all the legal stuff you have to do when you buy a house?” he asked. He’s smarter than I give him credit for.

“That’s just mechanics, and I can teach you mechanics as you’re going through each deal. What we’re talking about here is strategy. If you get this strategy down, you can learn the mechanics.

“OK,” he said, “how do I make money?” A very astute question.

“Simple- the same way you make money on any product you sell. You sell it for more than you paid for it. For instance, let’s say you get a house under contract for $40,000 that you determined beforehand has an After Repaired Value (ARV) of $97,000 and needs repairs of about $12,000. If it were me, I would try to find a buyer in the $48,000 to $53,000 range. That way, your buyer would still have room to make his repairs and make a tidy profit, and you would walk away with somewhere around $5,000 to $8,000 after taxes and fees.”

“Fees and taxes?” my son asked. A rude awakening.

“Yes, paid to your attorney, the Realtor, the title company and the government. Of course you could do a simultaneous closing, and there are other ways to eliminate some or all of those fees, like making your offers in the name of an LLC and then selling the LLC instead of the property, but again we’re talking about mechanics, and that’s the subject for another discussion.” (And another article)

“How much would it be reasonable to earn doing this full-time?” he asked. A light going on.

“There’s no reason a full time wholesaler (wholesaling is really what we’re talking about here) couldn’t make $5,000 to $10,000 per month, or more. Not at first, of course, but after a few months or a year of consistent effort, the sky’s the limit.”

“Wow,” my son said, “I never though about it like that before. I never understood so clearly what wholesaling is all about. I think I could do that.”

I think he could, too. For that matter, so can you. In fact, what’s stopping you?

Now, go make more offers!

Opening A Dollar Store - Rewards of Business Ownership

There are many potential rewards associated with opening a dollar store. However, with those rewards come many risks as well. It is important that the entrepreneur who is opening a dollar store carefully determine what those rewards are in their case and then compare the rewards to the many risks that will also be faced.

So what are some of the rewards associated with opening a dollar store? The rewards can include the potential for monetary profits. There is also the freedom associated with working for yourself, and the pride associated with owning your own business. Among the biggest rewards for many is getting rid of the 9-to-5 J-O-B and the boss that comes with that J-O-B.

All of these rewards and more are attainable if you are opening a dollar store. Well run dollar stores can be profitable. Owning and operating your own business does offer a degree of independence. You can definitely determine what you do and when you will do it. (However, never lose sight of the fact that mistakes can affect business performance.) There is nothing to compare to the pride as you stand in your finished and ready to open for the first time store. Say goodbye to your boss; you are now your own boss.

All of these rewards are well worth seeking. They are all very achievable when opening a dollar store. However never allow those rewards to blind you to the risks associated with business ownership. Recognize the rewards. Recognize the risks. Together they define your potential business success. It is absolutely no fun to see a business fail because the risks existed, yet they were not recognized or properly addressed because of the potential rewards.

To Your Dollar Store Success!

Real Estate Investing - Making A Profit Out Of Government Foreclosed Homes

There are many ways of making money. Some work for a living while others have decided to open a business. If there is a lot of cash lying around, some suggest investing it is the best way to go which is much better than relying on the interest rate provided by the bank.

One good example is investing in real estate. Those who can’t afford to buy lots to have condominiums or townhouses erected can get involved in the buying and selling of homes. The best place to get these properties cheap is through government foreclosed real estate investing.

These properties are foreclosed because the previous developer or owner was not able to pay the remaining monthly dues. This is then placed under the ownership of the government under the Department of Housing and Urban Development until such time that someone is able to buy it.

Those who see the potential of the property should go to the nearest Housing and Development Office to fill out the necessary forms. The most important thing the government representative will look at is how much the potential buyer is willing to offer.

If this is awarded to the person, the only thing to do now is negotiate the payment terms. Some are able to finish this off in three to five years to be able to receive the deed for the property.

The best way to make a profit out of government-foreclosed homes is to make the necessary repairs. This is because no one will want to buy a house that has cracks, leaks or any other problems.

Is government foreclosed real estate investing profitable? The answer is also yes. The entrepreneur will just have to wait a few years until the market has made the price go up so money is made when the person decides to sell this to a potential buyer.

Those who have never done this before should start small and then see how this turns out. If the first house was successful, perhaps it is time to invest in a few more.

Investing in government-foreclosed homes won’t be easy. This is because the entrepreneur will also be competing with others that are doing the same thing. It is best to be patient because there are other nice prospective out there that can be bought and sold.

Single Moms & Home Business Ownership: A Reality Or A Fantasy?

Can a single mother start a home-based business?

Can she make enough money to support her herself and her children?

How difficult is running a home-based business when no spouse is available to help with the childcare or contribute financially?

Women-Owned Home-Based Businesses

After researching and writing about home-based business issues for a while, it seemed that most women-owned home-based businesses involved a husband or significant other in the home. The significant other may help take care of the children after work so that the woman can have a chunk of uninterrupted time to work at her business. In addition, the family is not solely dependent on her business for its survival, since someone in the household has a steady income.

Of course, these women still face—and struggle with—issues facing all home-based business owners, such as financing, marketing, growing their business, customer service problems, as well as personal issues such as isolation and fear. On top of these issues, stay-at-home women with home-based businesses usually must also deal with their “mom” responsibilities, such as laundry, meals, housecleaning, transporting school-age children, baby care, grocery shopping, etc., AND still find time to bathe, sleep, eat, and take care of her business. The amazing fact is that most women home-business owners do all of these things on a daily basis.

The Single Mother

But what about the single mother? Whether divorced, widowed, or never married, she has no one to relieve her of child care for a period of time her so she can sit down and take care of her business. She is the sole source of support for her family. That fact puts her in a “Catch-22″ situation: If she works at her home-based business full-time, it must quickly bring in enough money for food, clothing, and shelter. If she works outside the home to ensure a steady income and runs her business part-time, that leaves little time for her children and for her “mom” responsibilities and an ever-increasing amount of guilt feelings.

I began searching for information about single mother home-based business ownership. My goals were to determine whether or not single mothers could and did own and operate successful home-based businesses. If they did, I wanted information about how they managed to balance children, business, and personal issues by themselves. Furthermore, I wanted to know the WHY—why they took the risk and made the leap to home business ownership.

All Around, But Never There

I expected to readily find information on the Internet about single mothers who own home-based businesses; the particular issues facing them; as well as demographics and other statistics. To my surprise, such information was not readily available.

I found much information and many Websites about work-at-home

Click Here! for opportunity 1

Click Here! for opportunity 2

Click Here! for opportunity 3

Click Here! for opportunity 4

Click Here! TO ENJOY A LUCRATIVE TAX FREE INCOME My mother was a widow and she survived with the help of the earning power of the internet

About the Author

hafiz lecky is an oracle certified associates currently running a home based internet business http://moreinfo247.com/8723322/free , http://webmillionaire.blogspot.com , http://ld.net?lecky

Real Estate investing is getting faster and easier

It takes time and effort for a real estate investor to locate a deal. There are lots of properties for sale, but finding the deals is not always easy. Fortunately, many tools and websites are available which provide valuable information and make it easier. Now, an investor can do most of their analysis on a property before they even see it.

One example is a subscription site called Real Quest (www.realquest.com), which allows subscribers to look at liens, tax records and comparable sales. Another site, www.zillow.com even shows an aerial view of some properties. In addition, many of the counties across the U.S. now have free access to tax records on-line. And, of course, if the investor is a licensed agent they have access to the MLS. Taking advantage of these and other on-line resources, an investor can calculate the retail value of a property without even seeing it.

Figuring out the offer amount is important, but most deals are won or lost in the relationship developed with the seller. When meeting or talking to a seller an investor must listen. Why are they selling? What is their financial situation? Where are they moving to? It?s most important to build a rapport. Just listen; there will be plenty of time to ask questions. If the investor can give the seller what they need, it?s much more likely a deal can be made. And, it?s not always about the price; sometimes they need something else, like a certain closing date, help with moving costs, etc.

Some investors who focus on rehabbing properties don?t have time to screen sellers and locate deals. That?s where the value of a wholesaler comes in. A wholesaler spends their time locating and negotiating deals and then selling them to investors who rehab properties. The good wholesalers know how to talk to sellers and negotiate the deals. They provide a valuable service when they buy right. Sometimes they can even provide financing for the rehabber.

Unfortunately, a problem occurs when wholesalers have to hold properties longer than they plan. When that happens, holding costs are passed on to rehabbers and prices increase.

The good news is, the Internet is just starting to change that too. Wholesalers can now use on-line real estate investor auctions, e-mail lists or other creative Internet strategies to quickly find buyers for their deals. And thanks to the Internet, the wholesaler can cut their holding costs and pass those savings to the rehabber. As a result, everyone wins.

If you?re a real estate investor and you?re not using the Internet to locate, analyze or sell your deals, you?re missing out on a great opportunity to save time and cut your costs.

Tom Wood is a real estate investor and broker in St. Louis. He operates an on-line auction site www.reiauctions.com for real estate investors all over the U.S. to buy and sell their deals.

Real Estate Investing: How Long Will It Take To Rent My House?

How many times have I heard the question ?How long will it take to rent my house?? Every investor that brings us their property wants to know the answer to this question. So, being in the property management business for five years I pull out my crystal ball and give them the answer. It isn?t always what they want to hear, but it is the answer.

I tell them that renting a house is similar to selling a house. If an investor chooses to do it themselves typically the results match the efforts that are put into it. Certainly a sign is necessary, so they pick one up at the local home improvement store, but will the homeowner covenants allow rental signs? They can put an ad in the local paper, but it is expensive. Don?t all the gurus tell you that print ads are a thing of the past and that the internet is the way to go? Well maybe you put it on a free internet site, and wait.

If they choose to use a professional property management company, the Management Company should put the property on multiple internet sites that reach agents, other property managers, as well as individuals. Individuals know to look for property managers because they remember their signs and other marketing and the tenants know they have a wide variety of properties. The better tenants also feel more comfortable renting from company because they know that they have recourse if there is a problem.

We have had investors turn properties over to us that they have had on the market for six months and they are amazed when it rents so quickly with us. The professional property manager does the marketing and also the qualifying so the resident you get is typically a better caliber of tenant, better screened and managed. They also know landlord tenant law protecting you and your asset.

There are cycles to the real estate market whether buying, selling or renting. Spring and summer are the best times to be on the market. There is a big rush to get into a house over the summer before school starts. It typically slows down in the fall, and then picks up again at the end on the year. We find that at mid month people are looking for a place for an end of month move in. Very few tenants look more than one month in advance.

Currently the Atlanta market has good rental absorption. Finally, the apartments that we compete with are no longer offer three months free rent and a flat screen television just for moving in.

For the past several years we have seen rental properties sit on the market and rental rates drop. Rents have declined for the past three years in the Atlanta area, but we are now turning the corner. Now we are able to increase rents each time there is a renewal. Every 3-5% helps.

One thing that has helped is the rise in mortgage rates. With many lenders raising rates and becoming more stringent in lending guidelines, many would be homeowners are now being priced out of the market. Less and less people are qualifying to buy, so they must rent. Everyone wants a house with their own yard. This is good for you and for us.

In reality you never know how quickly the property will rent. Curb appeal, cleanliness and livability mean a whole lot, so make your place look good. Look at what price comparable houses are renting for and then keep your price in line.

Soon you will have a qualified resident moving in and then you will have that answer to that question ?How long will it take to rent my house??

About the Author:

Mark Lackey is a real estate investor in Atlanta and works with The REI Team at Solid Source Realty, Inc. http://www.theREIteam.com. He frequently helps other investors in their pursuit of financial freedom. In addition, he is the Vice President of Solid Source Property Management, Inc. http://www.solidsourcepm.com.

Independent Distributor Business Ownership

Independent distributors should own the business. Well not in the usual sense, at least initially,but if you are told,as a worker,to do this or do that…then if things work really depends on your attitude. For example,if you are given a recommendation to ring someone up, and maybe welcome them for their sign up,then this is when psychologically owning the business will help. How are you going say your welcome?Is it a chore,are you just feeling that it has to be done? Is it going to sound or even feel heartfelt?

Never could work out why some staff just never could talk to people in a bubbly open way? But as an independent distributor I have often done the moves we were advised to,and just felt a bit used. There is the fear of insincerity.Maybe it is how I feel.This would not be the case if it were my own business. Where does the Self come from in doing the service?

Kung Fu,TaiChi,Yoga,and Aikido deal in energies.This can exist or not whether you are two or twenty two. The more people who did these for the energies the better.They are for a higher Self defence.When you have been practising, even normally grating people seem to be relating to you better, and your job is truly just a part of the universe. At the highest level physical or psychic attack may even seem like a lot of fun.

None of these will work if done even as you do your business in a down way.Even as you find out none of the moves of a porn or romantic star will impress anyone either, unless you bring to any of these some higher self.

Ownership may may just be the awakening of or activation of, the second chakra,just below the belly button.See the belly dancer trying to teach you something.However, the Heart chakra or Compassionately objective feelings for the person spoken to may also be useful.Quite possibly, when ringing,with a voice that is insincere,you probably have a zombie voodoo hollow tone.

Maybe they have no idea of your hang ups,and are just wondering why you are not open to their situation…are they busy?did they just say something that your pre-prepared script had no place for?

Therefore,even if you have joined any business, it might be because the cost of entry seems so low ,and/or it is so throw away,that you don’t really care to do something with it.

Luckily I am an independent distributor of a range of products that can do with being used more widely, otherwise experience of just doing the moves has just about seen me quit.With my type of energy they probably could say,’ about time!’

Real Estate Investing: Buy To Rent, No Money Down

The market for rental houses is as strong as the demand for new homes. Why not have your cake and eat it too through buying to rent!
With home sales at a record high, it might surprise you to know there is an equally strong market for rental properties. A constantly moving population of business professionals and financial over extension in the 1990s are the primary reasons why an ever-increasing number of people will be renting suitable properties instead of buying a home this year. This is great news for real estate investors!

The robust house rental market is allowing smart investors to have their cake and eat it too. Instead of buying a home, fixing it up and trying to flip it for a profit, real estate investors can turn the home into a rental which provides a positive monthly cash flow. And the home is always there to be sold if the need arises.

It varies by region and the typical age of houses in a particular area, but the general rule for purchasing a property thats optimum for becoming a rental is a house less the fifteen years old with easy access to major highways and shopping areas. Homes should never be out in the middle of nowhere and always less then a forty-five minute drive to major business areas. Three bedroom houses that have central air conditioning and come with all major appliances (including a washer and dryer) are likely to fetch a higher monthly rent.

Many investors shy away from rentals because theyve heard the horror stories told by landlords who chose the wrong tenants. But that has become the exception to the rule. Most people who need to rent a home have good credit, a solid record of on time rent payment and solid employment. Some are professionals whose job requires frequent relocation. Others have purchased a new home and are waiting for it to be built. In places like Phoenix where I live, a population boom has extended the waiting time to move into a new home.

Finding qualified tenants has become easier with inexpensive credit and background checks. Anyone that wants to rent a house knows a credit and background check is all but mandatory. You can avoid tenant nightmares by refusing to rent to anyone with evictions, bankruptcies or judgments against them. Ironically, people with all those things on their credit report can actually purchase a home to live in or rent out with no money down.

There are a number of ways for anyone to purchase homes, apartment buildings or other properties regardless of credit or employment history. All it takes is the right information and persistence. The lazy need not apply, but the rewards are substantial for those who try.

more at http://billknell.tripod.com/buy/money.html

About the Author

A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He’s written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of subjects. A popular Speaker, Bill Knell presents seminars on a number of topics that entertain, train and teach. A popular radio and television show Guest, you’ve heard Bill on thousands of top-rated shows in all formats and seen him on local, national and international television programs.

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