How technology shut down one cottage industry

Modern technology is a good thing but as it progresses it shuts down many small business because those small business are no longer needed.

One case in point is the nursing and medical industry. It was not long ago that nurse uniforms and scrubs were embroidered with the clinics' or hospital's name or even the doctor's name. That is no longer done. Nowadays the medical professional wears a badge to identify themselves to their patients and others. The badge is considered to be a form of positive ID with a photo on it as well as a name.

On one hand it is a good thing that medical personal wear a better form of positive ID on them but on the other hand it must be hard for a small business that relied on the income from embroidery to be pushed aside from technology advancements.

Who's hiring and who is laying off

In this troubled time it pays to keep an eye on the types of businesses that are shutting their doors and the ones who are hiring.

I take that pulse at dailyjobcuts.com, the website that lists what companies are laying off and which ones are closing for good. They also have a section who is hiring.

The current trend in lay offs is school districts and service industries. The stores that are closing are mostly restaurants, book stores and banks.

The businesses that are hiring is surprisingly manufacturing. I don't know if industries that cater to special occasions are thriving or not. Weddings come to mind and the small businesses that design and make wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses did not appear on the lists of types of businesses closing. The types of businesses that are hiring are alternate energies and technology.

I've got writers block or is it?

The dreaded bane of all professional writers has hit me, writers block. I don't think that it is real writers block as much as procrastination. I have about 7 more articles to write for Yahoo and although I have rough drafts written for them I have been putting off finishing them.

Procrastination will be the great undoing of many people. I know the feeling all too well. I do manage to complete all what I need to do before it is due and that includes paying bills, filing documents and buying ink for my printer before it runs out but damn, it bugs me that I tend to put things off until almost the last minute.

I have known 2 people that started businesses only to fail because they were terrible procrastinators. One guy tried to run a printing business and just could not keep up with the customers deadlines. Thankfully he did not invest in any large printers but leased them instead. Instead of going out of business entirely he sold the business to his son who made it a success.

Tip for the day:   If you are a procrastinator either don't have a business with deadlines or have someone help you keep on track with demands.

Happy Halloween

Are you enjoying this rare Halloween Sunday? I know I have been watching all of the shows on TV that told how Halloween came about and how "trick or treating" became a necessity to cut down on vandalism. I also found out that adult Halloween parties and costume balls are what is fueling the big money making for Halloween sales. Costumes sure have changed in style and quality since I was a kid.

I think that Halloween masks have seen the greatest change in the last 15-20 years. You hardly ever see those old plastic masks with the elastic band to keep it on your face anymore. Now it is either face make-up or latex masks.

Costumes are now made from regular material rather than those thin flimsy nylon things you bought in the box, along with those old style plastic masks. People will often hunt down Parada accessories, Rebecca Minkoff handbags, wedding dresses and pinstriped suits in second hand stores for that unique looking costume.

My daughter will be busy volunteering at a local haunted house this night. She gets to dress up and scare people to death. No parties are planned but I might make a big batch of Halloween cupcakes.

Happy Halloween.

I just got slapped up side the head

Why didn't I think of this LAST YEAR??? I just got a taste of true reality. I am talking about why this blog and 2 of my other blogs really don't make much money at all.....because they don't solve people's problems.

Yes, I know that there are a hand full of money making blogs out there that entertain, are news worthy or just plain fun, but they are the exception. They have a loyal following and big companies buy advertising on those blogs. The rest of the true money making blogs actually provide a service, they solve a problem that someone is having....for a price.

I am sorry to inform you that unless you are providing a sought after solution to someone's problem, you are not going to make much money online. If you can entertain, have a huge fan base and people knocking on your email door to thrust those advertising dollars down your throat, you might have a successful blog. Me on the other hand, I am going to solve a few people's problems.

Millionare resorts to selling her stuff on eBay

This has got to be the sign of the times. Self proclaimed, self-made multimillionaire, Ali Brown (her website is at alibrown.com) is now selling her stuff on eBay. Her eBay "store" is at http://stores.ebay.com/alibrowncloset and as of today only sold one item as seen in her feedback score. All of the proceeds are going to "Step Up" a non-profit, but if she is as rich as she pretends to be then why not just write the organization a check?

Why in the world would a multimillionaire being selling stuff on eBay? It just does not make sense. Her Twitter account may be the clue to it all (twitter account is http://twitter.com/alibrownla ) in that almost every tweet is a tweet to sell something. She has little or no interaction with her followers at all. So I did a bit more digging.......oh how I love to dig up stuff on people.

First up I could not find anything about this woman other then on her own websites. I did find lots of people that could not get their money back after joining one of her "programs."Of course there is lots of praise about her coaching (no doubt written by people who paid lots of money for it and hate to admit they were taken). But I could still not find out the following:

1. Is she really a multimillionaire?
2. Is she even mentioned on the BIG name websites like CNN or Forbes? Sorry Inc 500 does not count since I have never heard of that organization before today.
3. Other than her "coaching" what is her real business? I mean where does she make her money? Surely not off the backs off all of those people that pay to hear her speak? All talk and no evidence!
4. I did find a video of her on ABC promoting her book, yet another one on coaching.

The bottom line is that people can claim to be anything online and if they claim to be rich enough, then people want some of that action and then that person gets richer. Talk about a pyramid scheme based on ego! Ali's book, website and everything about her is just her reeking of positive outlook on life and that is it, nothing else just online therapy for those that want to dish out the money to read what she has to say.......even though she herself has only herself to sell.

I now wonder if people are finding out that she in reality has no track record of being successful herself and is just good at marketing her own self. If that is the case then her income would dry up as people wise up. Maybe she really can't afford to write that check after all.

Backyard money making ideas

If you are as old as me then you would have come across those home spun money making businesses that used to be advertised in the small ads in the back of magazines. I am talking about worm farming, raising fish in a backyard pool, repairing lawnmowers and a few other assorted "brilliant" ideas.

I actually got involved in the fish farming idea when I was in my early 20's. The fish were Koi and we installed one of those pond kits in the backyard. Yes we were successful and the fish bred like crazy. All was well until early one morning a heron visited our suburban backyard and took our large breeding fish. We were devastated and never got over the loss. We gave up on raising the Koi after that.

I am tempted to try the worm farming now that I live in an area that has a seasonal recreational fishing industry. Have you ever tried one of those money making ideas? What was the outcome?

Signs of the economy coming back to life

I was talking to a few friends of mine about the economy and both of them have a pulse on things that point to a brighter future. One of them has a small horse tack shop. When the economy started to go down hill, her business suffered. She had to resort to making money with an online blog, about horses of course. She still kept her shop going but moved it to the internet and shut up the brick and mortar store. She made the remark to me that her online sales have started to pick up. My other friend works in the electronic chip industry. The company she works for is reporting a huge jump in sales.

I have also had an increase of writing assignments, so many that I have had to turn some away. I had one just yesterday that wanted me to write a 600 word article about websites that had tretinoin reviews on them. Heck I don't even know what tretinoin is! They wanted to pay me $4.00 for that one so I passed. I like the ones that offer me $25.00 for a 400 word article about anything I want to write about. The only stipulation is that it is about a unique subject matter that is not readily available online. Most of the time those articles are very easy for me. I can churn those ones out in about 30 minutes or less.

Let's hope that the signs of the economy improving are not a false start.

It's a man's world

Have you noticed that TV advertising has started to change? I have noticed a decrease in gadget advertising and an increase of medication and Mesothelioma lawyers ads in the past month. Of course the company that made Viagra made the announcement yesterday that if someone lost their job and didn't have health insurance they would supply their medication for up to one year. Normally I would think of that as a great idea but come on, when is Viagra a necessity?

So if more men have access to that drug does that mean there will be an increase in babies born in 9 months time? Since birth control has been considered to be not a covered drug under many insurance plans but Viagra is ...........who writes those guidelines? Single men no doubt.

Lawyers and advertising

Have you seen the latest TV commercials for cerebral palsy lawyers? The commercials encourage parents with children born with a birth defect to contact one of their lawyers. I wonder what they would do if the mother was a meth addict or an alcoholic? Who would they sue? That makes me wonder what is the next set of commercials that law offices will be advertising about. Too bad they don’t go after companies that rip off people like those paycheck loan companies that charge people 30% just to get an advance on their next paycheck. They use to call that loan sharking but it is now legal.

Extra help with your website

So you have a website up and running. You also have lots of emails asking questions about your products. Emails you can answer but what about people that are visiting your website and want to be able to ask a question on the phone - at midnight? You don't want to turn away a customer, so what do you do? You could always hire a few people just to answer your 800 number (what no 800 number?!) or you could hire a company that offers website support for your company. Yes there is a professional Answering Service that can assist you with manning the phones when customers have questions about products on your website. That same company also offers 800 numbers for you business. You don't have to be a large company to get this type of service anymore.

The same answering service is a great idea for service based companies like landscaping, after hours doctor's offices and pet sitting. Don't tie up you time with answering the phone yourself when you could hire an outside company to do it for you.

Managing your work force

So you have your business in full swing. You have even managed to hire a few workers. Now what do you do about labor expenses? Have you figured out how much it costs you you have extra workers? Did you figure those extra costs into your product or service? How about payroll, do you have the time to sit down and manage payroll and deductions? Don't worry if you can't answer those questions right away, but they are something to keep in mind as your business grows.

Not hiring people or should I say the fear of hiring people to help you with your business should not be a deterrent to expanding your business. There are websites and software companies that help by offering Online Time and Expense solutions. Don't let fear of not knowing how to handle payroll hold your company back from growing.

Business advice for the woman

Finally some business advice geared for the woman, but is it that good?. Why is it that really good business advice for women business owners is very much lacking. I for once would like to see how to react and handle family situations when your business is based in the home. I know from experience that most men think that if you are home you are not working. By the same token they think they can bother you at any time to do some wifely chore regardless if you are in the middle of a sale or product development.

The benefits of having a blog

Blogging is not just a way to log your daily thoughts. A blog can be a very useful tool in your business toolbox. If you have a website the blog can be a very easy way to update your customers with up coming sales, new products or a simple way to communicate with your customers encouraging them to leave comments on your blog. Blogs have come a long way in the last few years. Did you know that search engines index a blog faster than they index website? Some are indexed and found in search engine results as fast as 5 minutes after you post a blog entry on your blog. That simple fact alone makes the blog a great tool for advertising and promoting your business.

Blogs are wonderful since you can also bypass having a regular website and sell items straight from your blog. Blogs are easier to maintain and much easier to promote than a website. You also have the added advantage of interacting with your visitors to build up a following.

In order to promote your blog even more you should add an email newsletter and the option to your blog to let people subscribe to it. One company that offers a free, yes I said free, email newsletter service and a way to maintain your email list is Zookoda. If your blog is getting a nice daily amount of visitors then you should consider adding a newsletter to your blogging toolbox.

Looking for money making ideas

Where do people come up with ideas to start a business or develop a product? Sometimes they are right in front of your face. There is a news report that was running on MSN today about a 12 year old girl that was making ans selling hair products online. Apparently the products were made from an old family recipe that was handed down from her grandmother to her mother and she thought of the idea of going public with it. She is currently making $5K a month. Maybe you have something similar in your family, an old cooking recipe, a household cleaning gizmo or something else that you might think is common but in reality is not. Look and ask around you might come up with something.

Does your business have the right equipment?

Equipment for a business can range from a cell phone, computer, car to heavy duty industrial machinery. For a small business just starting out the essentials would be some type of phone and transportation.

A car is also essential for a business, even an on-line one. Lets face it, unless you are selling ebooks or another product that can be delivered electronically you will need to ship your item. That shipping process means you will have to travel somewhere to either ship your products from or to pick up packing supplies.

A reliable car is going to be needed for your business. A used car would be a good choice as a business car. If you live in the UK here is a Used Cars website that you can find a car for your business. The site lists used cars that are available from dealers as well as private sellers. There are also helpful information sections on what to look for in a used car.

As always when buying something used, take an expert with you when looking at the car. I know that in the USA certain states have disclosure laws and if someone does not tell you everything about the car they can be sued, fined or both.

Keep your business secure

If you have a retail business you know the importance of security of you customers information. If you also transfer that information over the internet and to mobile devices you can be putting your customers and yourself at risk for hackers and others that are looking for a free ride on someone else's dime. If you have not done so already you need to look into a company that offers secure transfers of information. You need to have a company that has a good reputation too. Look into one that offers a Secure Server and other solutions for your business.

The biggest down turn a business can take

Starting a new business is never easy. Throwing a wrench into the works will almost always end your start up. That wrench is not usually business related but related at the personal level, after all we are all human. My "wrenches" in the past have been:

• Having a relative make constant fun of my business to the point of harassing jokes and me giving up on it. Looking back, the business was doing fine but I just couldn't take the ridicule anymore. That person is no longer in my life - thank God.
• Having 2 parents die within 2 years of each other. The grief I went through put all other thoughts on the back burners for quite some time. Plans for starting up a second business were delayed.
• Pressure from becoming suddenly unemployed. A business should not be started out of desperation, because to establish a good growing business takes time. Time is what you don't have when you are just trying to pay your bills, what you do have is panic mode.

If you can over come the many "wrenches" that life throws at you at the time you are just starting up a business get some counseling or a mentor to talk things out. Your future business success will thank you.