Categories
Franchise

Low Cost Franchises

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If you’ve always wanted to own a franchise, you may have mistakenly thought that franchises cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. You’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of low-cost franchises that will allow you to start your own franchise business without breaking the bank. Low-cost franchise businesses range from a few thousand dollars to just under $50,000 and provide you with the experience that only a franchise can give you.
In business since 1988, Coffee News is a low-cost franchise with a unique business model and very low start-up costs. Coffee News allows you to offer something that all businesses are looking for ? cheap advertising! The total investment for this business is between $3,000 and $5,000. As the owner of a local Coffee News distribution service, you’ll connect with local coffee shops, restaurants and cafés to provide them with a unique way to advertise in the form of a weekly newsletter. This low-cost franchise is ideally suited for people with desktop publishing backgrounds, but is easy enough to learn that anyone can do it.
Goin’ Postal is a low cost franchise business that allows you to provide a variety of shipping services in your town or city. When you become part of this low cost franchise, you’ll be able to offer UPS, FedEx and US Postal Service shipping assistance to people from the community. Getting started with Goin’ Postal can range from $4000 to $150,000, with an initial
investment of $20,000. The memorable name combined with excellent customer service, allows you to run a successful shipping business.
The Whole Child Learning Company is a low cost franchise that assists you with offering educational enrichment programs to children of all ages. The low-cost franchise owners conduct programs at preschools, childcare centers and elementary schools. Because there is no storefront to this business, start-up costs are very low and the total investment is just $7,500. The Whole Child Learning Company has four unique curriculum programs to choose
from as well as continuous curriculum updates from the training staff.
HomeTask Handyman services is a low-cost franchise that focuses on providing small repairs and routine maintenance for homeowners. HomeTask owners can even branch out to service small businesses and assist apartment property managers. This low cost franchise is ideal for an existing handyman and has a total investment of under $30,000. It offers monthly bookkeeping services and a handy online scheduler, among other tools to ensure success.
If you’ve been looking for a way to get into the home improvement industry, Closet Tailors might be right for you. This low-cost franchise business provides organizational services for home owners who want to take control of their closets, garages and other small spaces that tend to attract clutter. Closet Tailors has a total investment of just under $50,000 with ongoing support and training in various workshops to assist you with your business.
These are just a few of the dozens of low cost franchises available. Don’t let a perceived lack of funds stop you from owning a franchise. They are a lot less expensive than people think. Your most comprehensive source for low-cost franchises is www.franchisegenuis.com.
This article is contributed by:
www.FranchiseGenius.com

Categories
People & Relationships

How to Enhance Relationships, Increase Fulfillment & Empower Yourself by Being Authentic

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Article contributed by Mike Robbins
How often do you not say or do something because you’re worried about how it’ll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we’d like to admit.
We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family members, our friends, and everyone else we interact with to tell us the truth and to be themselves. Most important, we want to have the personal freedom and confidence to say, do, and be who we really are, without worrying so much about how we appear to others and what they might think or say about us.
Sadly, however, even though we may say we want to live in a way that is true to our deepest passions, beliefs, and desires; most of us don’t and it’s not that easy. We’ve been taught by our parents, teachers, spouses, friends, co-workers, politicians, the media, and others, that it’s more important to be liked and to fit in than it is to be who we truly are. In addition, many of us assume that who we are is not good enough and therefore we’re constantly trying to fix ourselves, or to act like others who we think are better than us.
However, as the famous 19th century author and poet Oscar Wilde so brilliantly stated, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”
What It Really Means to Be Authentic
Authenticity is about enjoying a new sense of freedom to be who we really are–ourselves, natural and without a mask in our relationships, our work, and our life. It takes courage, commitment, and depth to:
– Look within ourselves
– Tell the whole truth (even when we don’t want to)
– Be vulnerable
– Admit, own, and share our true thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities, passions, embarrassment, dreams, and more.
However, being open and real about all of these things (and more) is what it means to be authentic in life.
Five Principles for Being Your Authentic Self
In order to utilize the power of authenticity in your life as a way to enhance your relationships, increase your fulfillment, and empower yourself, here are five key principles:
1) Know Yourself – Make a commitment to your own personal growth. Discover more of who you are. And, seek out and allow the support, honest feedback, and guidance of others.
2) Transform Your Fear – There’s nothing wrong with having fear, it’s the resistance and denial of fear that is the real problem. When you admit, own, feel, and express your fear, you have the ability to move through it, transform it, and utilize its power in a positive way. Taking action in the face of fear is courageous and empowering.
3) Express Yourself – Have the courage to speak your truth boldly. Deal with conflicts directly. Express your emotions fully. Be vulnerable and real about what you think and how you feel. While on the surface you may worry that this will be seen as “weak,” in actuality expressing yourself completely gives you access to real freedom and power.
4) Be Bold – Live, speak, and act with courage, passion, and truth – even if it’s difficult or scary. Go for what you want in your work and in your life. And get back up when you fall down, which you will.
5) Celebrate Who You Are – Appreciate and honor who you are, what you do, and the gifts and talents that you have. Celebrating yourself is not about being arrogant. It’s an awareness of your own power and it’s the key to self-confidence, fulfillment, and authenticity.
Being your authentic self is not for the faint of heart, but once you’re willing to truly engage and do the work to become more real – your life, your work, and your relationships will be more exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling!
About the Author
Mike Robbins is a best-selling author and personal growth expert who empowers people just like you with more freedom and confidence in their work, in their relationships and in life. Now you can get a FREE Sneak Preview to his NEW book: Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken (Hardcover, Wiley) and learn how to transform your life with the power of authenticity at: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/about-book.htm

Categories
Sales & Marketing

How to Choose a Pay-Per-Click Firm That Turns Clicks into Clients

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Article Contributed by Paul Rakovich
There are two paths that you can take when it comes to managing your pay-per-click advertising campaign online. You can learn it yourself and make Google’s stock rise higher while you figure out the learning curve, then spend a lot of time keeping it running smoothly. Or, you can hire a professional pay-per-click firm to handle it for you.
I did both.
See, I know the position you’re in right now. I’ve been there. I’ve hired and fired 2 pay-per-click management companies. I was forced to learn on my own and spend tens of thousands of dollars.
My Experiences with Outsourcing My Pay-Per-Click Needs
The first pay-per-click management company that I hired kept raising my budget and jacking up my costs-per-click. Yet, I wasn’t getting any conversions!
So I decided to fire that PPC firm and manage my own pay-per-click campaigns. I studied under the top gurus like Perry Marshall. I bought all the ebooks and coaching programs. And, I spent more than $10,000.00 figuring everything out on my own until I grew a no name business into $50k per month in sales all from pay-per-click advertising.
But, I worked day and night on my pay-per-click campaigns. I spent a ton of time, money and effort on it. I couldn’t handle it anymore so I hired another pay-per-click firm to take over the accounts again. They did a nice job and are still around today, but I saw some holes in their approach.
Now, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I want to help you choose a pay-per-click management company that’s actually going to help you turn clicks into clients.
Here are 7 Questions You Need to Ask Before You Hire a Pay-Per-Click Management Company:
1. This is going to piss people off: How many accounts does an account manager handle? Just because you have a “dedicated” account manager doesn’t mean he/she isn’t dedicated to 50 other accounts. This is not uncommon in some of the larger pay-per-click firms out there. If they work 40 hours per week that’s less than 1 hour/week they are spending on your account, provided they do nothing but work on accounts every minute of the day.
2. Can I peek in and have access to my Google & Yahoo accounts? There’s a new breed of PPC management that keeps everything secret. They are basically buying a click for $1.00 then charging you an undisclosed markup on the click. That’s why their setup & management fees are low. They’re making money on marking up your clicks.
3. What constitutes an improvement? You need to put in your order with the pay-per-click firm just like you would order a steak medium rare with a side of truffle fries to a waiter. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to speak up. For example: I want to increase sales while keeping my cost-per-sale under $50.
4. Do you track phone calls? If you are doing any part of the business offline then your pay-per-click management company should offer a way to track where your calls are coming from. Tracking calls back to specific keywords helps eliminate waste and will reveal high response terms you’ll want to dominate.
5. What are your prices? Now, don’t be cheap. There is no such thing as a Mercedes Benz for Honda prices. I’ll admit some people don’t need the Mercedes, but if you are spending $2,000/month or more, chances are you at least need a certified, pre-owned BMW.
6. What is your experience? I’m all for giving the new guy a try. I was the new guy at one point. Nothing, I repeat nothing can replace experience. Experience comes from long hours of hard work. There are no magic formulas. Good solid basics and some creativity will always win in the end.
7. Will you involve me in the project? No one knows your business as well as you. Get specific on how often you’ll meet to review the results and plan next steps. A good pay-per-click firm will welcome your input. It is invaluable.
Now, it’s up to you. But, if you fail to ask the above questions, then you’re risking hiring and firing new pay-per-click management companies when things go south or spending tens of thousands of dollars learning how to do it yourself like I did. Learn from my pay-per-click outsourcing experiences.
About the Author
Pay-Per-Click Expert Paul Rakovich grew a no-named business selling Tony Robbins CDs to doing $50,000.00 per month in sales with PPC advertising. Today, he manages PPC campaigns for plastic surgeons, dermatologists, clothing companies, dentists, lawyers, Internet marketers, a famous copywriter and more! Now get his FREE 5 PPC Fixes That Could Save You Thousands at http://www.clicksandclients.com & learn how to turn your clicks into paying clients.

Categories
Newsletter

BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 83

BIZNESS! Newsletter
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Cover Story
How to Get Everything You Want in Business and in Life by Having B.A.L.L.S.
Here’s how you can step out of your comfort zone & find your BALLS. so you can get everything you want. You must have unshakeable belief in yourself and the World around you. It starts with a vision, and you have to believe that you wouldn’t have this vision if you didn’t already have everything you need to make it a reality…..
Continued in BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 83 >>>
Top Stories From CoolBusinessIdeas.com
– Homer Simpson Warning
– Got Space?
– Sleepypod
– Not Facebook but Face Watch!
– New Website to Help Save Money at the Grocery Store
– Nano Tattoo That Monitors Blood Sugar Levels
– Self Service Bars
Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>
Top Stories From GetEntrepreneurial.com
– Pros and Cons of Franchising
– 10 Ways to Stop Attracting New Clients & Kill Your Small Business in a Recession
– Less Work, More Leads
– Being Present To Your Inner Brilliance
– 10 Essential Tips For Selling A Business
– Owner’s Checklist for Starting a New Business
– How to Evaluate Your Business During a Recession
Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>

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Categories
Success Attitude

How to Achieve Your Goals with 100% Success Every Time

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Article contributed by Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman
In the movie, “A League of Their Own,” the baseball coach talked to his dispirited team, saying, “Of course it’s hard. If it wasn’t hard, everybody would do it!”
That’s the way it is with success. It can be hard. But there are four sure-fire ways to achieve success at almost anything every time without failure.
4 Ways to Achieve Your Goals & Succeed Every Time Without Failure
1. Work hard.
There’s no substitute for hard work. Simply put, there “ain’t no free lunch.”
When I look at highly successful people, I think, “It’s no wonder they’re doing so well. Look at everything they’re doing.”
Could the same thing be said about you? If someone were to follow you around for a week and painstakingly record everything you did to advance your career, would that person walk away with a long list of all the things you’re doing to get ahead? Or would that person have a long list of the excuses you gave and the time you wasted?
Sometimes people fool themselves into thinking they’re putting out a 100% effort … when in reality, they’re not. For example, many people are out of work these days, and I’ve often heard them say, “I sent out 100 resumes, and I didn’t get any response. I did everything I could.”
One hundred percent effort means that you’ve exhausted every possible opportunity for reaching your goal. If you’re looking for a job, 100 percent effort would include researching individual companies you want to work for, sending these companies personalized letters, calling to follow up, calling other people in the industry, and networking.
One hundred percent effort means telling a potential boss, “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of applicants here. But I believe so strongly in my ability to meet your needs, I’ll work for you for 30 days with no pay. Let me prove to you my ability. In 30 days, evaluate my performance. If it’s not up to par, let me go. But when I prove myself to you, I expect to be given the job and paid for the 30 days of work.”
Now that’s putting in 100% effort! And that’s what you need to do to succeed in any area of life … because success is more often the result of hard work than the result of talent.
2. Practice endurance.
To many people, “endurance” is a nasty word. They would like to come by success the “easy” way. They want it to fall into their laps.
But that’s an extremely rare occurrence. 99.99% of the time, success comes AFTER you “endure” awhile. And all the greats in every field of endeavor have learned how to “endure.”
As professional tennis player Bjorn Borg noted, “My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
Could the same be said of you?
Or do people … secretly behind your back … say you bail out when things get a little tough? Do they say you give up way too easily or throw in the towel too quickly? Do they point out the fact that you seldom finish what you start?
If you answer “yes” to any of these latter questions, remember the words of John Quincy Adams. He noted, “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” In other words, there’s power in perseverance.
3. Keep on believing.
Believe in yourself. Believe in a power bigger than yourself. Believe in success. And believe you can be successful.
That’s what Lee Iacocca, the former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation did. When the world told him to let his debt-ridden company die, Iacocca refused. He didn’t wait for the economy to change or for a government bailout to rescue him.
Iacocca kept believing in himself, in his company, in his products, and in his workers. He pronounced, “So what do we do? Anything — something. So long as we don’t just sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”
4. Stay committed.
Everything else being equal, commitment wins every time. So fight back any feelings of discouragement that might get in your way. Don’t allow yourself to hang it up when things get rough.
If you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to remember the letters M.I.H. It stands for… Make It Happen.
As you pursue your goals, as you strive towards excellence and success, follow these four points and you’re sure to win. After all, most people don’t fail. They just give up.
About the Author
Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to peak performance and incredible success to more than one million people. Now you can get a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in his life-changing “JOURNEY TO THE EXTRAORDINARY” program simply by visiting: http://www.journey-to-the-extraordinary.com