With the rate of unemployment as high as it is and the economy in the dumps, now, more than ever would be the time to get started in a home based business. While many may choose a bricks and mortar business to start, they have high capital requirements that are beyond most peoples reach. The flexibility of a home based business is just one of the reasons they are so popular. Below are some of the 10 best rated home based business ideas for online income that require little or no start-up capital.1. Call Center – Large and small companies are saving significant money by outsourcing their help-desk center jobs. This provides you an opportunity to work from home performing call center duties such as receptionist, troubleshooting client issues and answering general questions. Chat, Skype, remote desktop and webinar software allow you to support those using the call center.2. Niche Products – With your own website (or eBay auction site) you can resell products obtained at wholesale prices. The manufacturer can drop ship directly to customers, saving you handling fees and warehousing hassles. Children’s items, collectible gifts and sporting accessories are all ideas for a home based business in niche products..3. Affiliate Marketing – Often found in top 10 best home based business listings because it can be inexpensive to set up. You can have a blog for reviewing products with affiliate links that pay you when people make purchases through your site.4. Technical Support – Leverage the internet and put your technical skills to use by providing technical support to individuals or companies from home. There are low-cost and free remote management and desktop control software available for troubleshooting issues.5. Life/Business Coaching – There has been a boom recently in specialized coaching areas such as life, corporate, spiritual, business and relationships. If you have good communication and people skills and are knowledgeable in one of these areas, this can be a great career.6. Blogging – Blogs have become a great way for individuals to make income online as they rank high in the search engines. However, they need new content on a regular basis to stay current, so companies and marketers pay to have individuals post blog content for their sites.7. Freelance Writing – Similar to blogging but with a broader scope. If you can write articles, ad copy, reviews or reports, you can get hired for short-term or repeated projects by marketers and companies needing content. You may need to have good typing and writing skills to complete the amount of work some of the jobs require.8. Internet Marketing – Another of the often listed 10 best home based business opportunities. Why? Because even with the learning curve, it is simple and can be lucrative as many companies want to know how to get their websites higher in the search engine rankings.9. Online Auctions – Many people make items to sell online or fix up things found at garage sales and sell them online. Crafts, art, jewelry are all good ideas for a home based business with online auction or sale sites.10.Website Flipping – Similar to property flipping, you can buy established websites, fix them up or add value in some way, then sell it for a higher price. The choice of which website to buy from those up for sale is key to being successful in this area. Often you’ll be looking for those that have decent traffic, or will, once you make the improvements. This is one of the newer ideas for a home based business.An important point when looking at the 10 best home based business ideas is to consider going with something you are passionate about and would enjoy. Your enthusiasm will come through when selling your services. Also, don’t give up to early on your new business as it can take a little time to get it rolling. Once your site, product or service gets some exposure over the internet, you will see your business begin to blossom.
Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions
Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:
An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.
If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.
Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.
After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:
Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.
Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.
Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.
I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.
There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.
According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?
As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.
When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.
While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.
So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:
The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.
Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.
If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.
When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.
And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.
Why Insurance For Home Based Businesses is Different From Homeowner’s Insurance
Is Your Home Insurance Policy Covering Your Home Business? The number of people who run their business out of their homes is increasing all the time. Some people work from their kitchen table or home office because it saves money. Others do it because they just enjoy having a 30 second commute to work. There are lots of reasons why home offices are ideal places for people to run their businesses.But one big risk that many home business owners make is to rely upon their homeowners or renters insurance. There are quite a few reasons this may not be a prudent idea. This is especially risky if you have not reviewed your home policy since you started your business.Home Contents Insurance Most homeowners policies are a package of coverage. One part of the package is home contents insurance. When you purchased your policy, some time ago, you may have estimated a value for your personal property like your furniture, TV and jewelry. But most businesses rely on supplies, inventory, computers and accounting records. If you purchased your original policy without thinking of these things, it is very likely that you do not have enough coverage.Liability InsuranceA typical home policy may cover you in case a visitor to your home claims damage. But this may not cover you in case a customer claims your business caused damage. You may need business or professional liability insurance to be sure you are not risking your assets.Relocation One very handy feature of many modern home policies is relocation in the case your home must be vacated while it is repaired or rebuilt. This feature may help you rent a motel room or apartment. This may be fine for temporary living arrangements, but probably will not provide enough space to keep running your business.How Can You Cover Your Home Based Business?Some larger insurers may present you with a simple and affordable solution. For a very small business, an additional rider for a home based business may be all you need. You may just need to increase your personal property insurance. A chat with a good insurance agent should point you in the right direction.If your business is a bit larger, you may be able to purchase an inexpensive Business Owners Policy (BOP). These policies provide a package of commercial coverage, but can be customized to your needs. They are common choices for small business owners like store owners, dentists, and home business owners.How Can You Find A Good Deal On Home Based Business or Homeowners Insurance?You can find online quote forms for homeowners or home based business insurance. You start off by entering your zip code, a few basic details, and you can be quickly matched with the top insurers who do business in your city or town. Remember that most insurers have policies and prices that differ by location, and that is why you need to look for top insurers in the place where you live or do business.