Work From Home Choices

In Wave 4, Richard Poe brings up a fact that I have never considered: the meaning of the word “job”.  He quotes economists James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg who claim, “ The twenty first century will see the death of jobs as we know them.”  The author goes on to explain that it has only been the past few generations that considered a job a permanent form of income. In days goes by, a job was a task that had a beginning and an end. For instance you may be paid to repair a wagon wheel and once that wheel was repaired, the job was over. 

Our modern view of a job came with the industrial revolution. Suddenly there were assembly lines always running, always needing manning. The task never ended, therefore the job didn’t either.

The job market today is not governed by the industrial revolution however. We are in the beginning of the Information Age. It is the Information Age that is molding the current employment situation. The Information Age is making jobs no longer permanent.  The Information Age is taking jobs back to the day when they were simply tasks that had a beginning and an end. 

The Information Age is ushering in at light speed and changing the economic landscape just as quickly. Obama and McCain cannot stand in the way of this force. No politician can change what is happening. We can only adapt.

Previous in series

My friend Alisa was tossing out some books and wanted to know if I wanted some. I love books, even when I am too busy to do anything but have someone dust them. However, when the box arrived yesterday afternoon, I set all else aside and began reading. I had read through / skimmed through two of them and then decided to start on Wave 4. I figured it would give me plenty of material for a blog or two.

I am probably the only serious network marketer on the planet who has not read it yet. After the first few pages, I understood why. It is the kind of stuff that those of us in the MLM industry revel over. The pages are filled with proof you knew what you were doing when you got involved in the industry.

My husband and I were sitting on the couch together reading this evening – He was reading the Holy Scriptures and I was devouring Wave 4. (Not sure what that says about the two of us.) I turned to him and read a quote from the book. We discussed its implications and then my dear husband said something that stunned me.

Suddenly from his mouth came the profanity, “I hate network marketing.”

Just to help you understand my dismay, let me explain that our LIVELIHOOD comes from network marketing. We are neck-deep in this business. Without MLM, we would be mighty hungry right now.

(Silence)

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do. I hate traditional network marketing.”

Traditional was an important description that he managed to leave out of his first statement. Now I understood. What he meant was that he hated the practice of marking up items seven to ten times and making them impossible to retail. (He wasn’t acting too impressed by a book that would defend this practice either.)

Fair enough. I get embarrassed to think that I once bought into it and caused others to do the same. Sure, I had all the great excuses for the outrageous prices – exclusive patent, expensive research, etc.

I wasn’t heartless however. Because of the out of reach prices, I sold product at wholesale –not a great business model. (I am sure Donald Trump would have fired me.)

Being in a hybrid MLM that doesn’t mark up their products sometimes makes me forget that the rest of the network marketing world still operates by this out-dated business model.

Wave 4 is defined in the book as an era when network marketing is a universally accepted legitimate form of business that is spreading like wildfire.

I don’t know if the author, Richard Poe, ever envisioned a day when gas was well over $4.00 a gallon and inflated fuel prices would be understandably abhorred. The traditional network marketing industry may want to swig some of their magic drinks and put on their thinking caps - America is impatient with over-inflated prices.

Right now, oil speculators and oil companies are an enemy to happiness. Overinflated traditional network marketing products – as wonderful and amazing as they are – may soon follow down the same unpopular path.

Is it my crazy fantasy that hybrid MLMs’ popularity will grow as a result of inflated product prices in a suffering economy just as hybrid car popularity has jumped suddenly with fuel prices inflating?

No, I don’t have to fantasize. It’s happening.

Maybe hybrid network marketing will usher in Wave 5????

Next in series

On Thursday, Team Everest unveiled their new Premium Free Member Benefit Plan.  (It has better coverage than I anticipated that it might be able to.)

The following slide show tells you all about it.

| View | Upload your own

Previous in series

One day, Randi and I were visiting the office of a whole food vitamin
manufacturer. He told us that he had an idea beyond vitamins that we
might interest us. It all stemmed from one of his former businesses.
Actually, as he explained the concept, we were more than interested.
We were genuinely excited.

Back in the day before internet access was common in most households,
this man had a business faxing people a notice about fantastic
closeout deals. Once a week, in the middle of the night, the fax would
go out. Individuals paid about thirty bucks a month and stayed up all
night long for the fax. It was an addiction.

This business grew and one of the employees took the idea and started
Overstock.com.

The question was did Randi and I think that Everest would be
interested in a similar online concept to his weekly fax business.

Randi and I had no doubts whatsoever. We sped over to Team Everest and
stood outside of Dave’s (Team Everest President) office until his
meeting ended. The rest is history. Within a week, Team Everest had
introduced their Extreme Buy program.

Every week, Everest offers a product or service at blow out prices.
Some deals are good ones. Others are beyond fantastic.

This makes for a great online business – especially if you have a
subscriber list. Even if you don’t, people like to be kept in the loop
and you can easily establish a list of individuals who would like
Extreme Buy email notifications.

If you want to know more about Extreme Buys, you can visit my Squidoo
lens on the subject at http://www.squidoo.com/Extreme_Buys.

Previous in series Next in series

The word “wholesale” in the network marketing community and the rest of the world mean two very different things. In the real world, wholesale represents a price close to production, warehousing, and delivery cost with a reasonable profit margin built in.

In the MLM arena, wholesale is simply the price the company sales a product to its distributors. However, traditional network marketing “wholesale” generally represents a seven to ten times mark up. This is because their wholesale price needs to pay the cost of producing and warehousing a product plus paying a gazillion distributor roll-up on that product.

The problem with traditional network marketing pricing structure is that the outrageous wholesale price means that the retail price must be astronomical. This makes a profitable retail business unrealistic at best, which means that distributors are limited to a recruiting business.

Team Everest does not need to mark up their products in order to pay commissions. Because of this, the company distributors actually buy products at true wholesale. They are also able to develop a true retail business because the prices are kept low.

Let me give you a prime example-

I once was a distributor for another network marketing company. The company had wonderful supplements, which helped me to overcome many health challenges. But one day, that company decided to reinvent itself and change its product line. A product that I desperately NEEDED was being discontinued. I purchased that product “wholesale” from my former company at $55.00 per bottle.

Team Everest was able to contact the manufacturer of that product and carry it. Team Everest’s wholesale price on that product is about $10.00. The retail is about $17.00.

Same benefits at a much lower price and realistic retail possibilities.

See what I mean?

What makes more sense to you?

 Team Everest provides their distributors with an e-commerce site to sell online. To visit my ecommerce store, click here.

Previous in series Next in series

Team Everest is a home based business opportunity headquartered in Orem, Utah. The company was founded by David Call and Eric Raymond. David cut his teeth as one of the original founders of Synergy WorldWide.  Eric also had his start at Synergy Corporate.

Straying from their Synergy roots, David and Eric have made Team Everest a totally unique home business opportunity. Explaining Team Everest is much like describing a work of modern art – everyone sees it differently.  Everest does have some classic home business opportunity elements. However, the mlm doesn’t really fit into any standard network marketing category or any cookie cutter home business opportunity explanation. 

Do they have a super juice? Sure. The super juice has an ingredient list and ORAC score that puts many others to shame. However, no one on the inside looking out would call Team Everest a juice MLM.  

Do they have a travel site? Yep. It’s a nice one too. The Everest travel packages are guaranteed to beat Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. You can save money booking your own travel or make money having others book through your personal travel site. However, Team Everest isn’t just a travel MLM either. (Although some distributors focus on the travel.)

Do they have a personal growth and development program? The company at one time was a personal growth and development MLM. However, it has grown to the extent that Team Everest no longer fits neatly into that category either.

Are you beginning to get the picture? 

Team Everest provides so many products and services in so many areas that it is a customizable home business that doesn’t fit the traditional network marketing company mold.

The following series looks at what Team Everest is and isn’t. We examine where the business opportunity is now and where it is going in the future. We will also offer suggestions on building and making money with a Team Everest powered home business.  

For more information, you can also visit my Team Everest Squidoo lens http://www.squidoo.com/team_everest.

Next in series

When you work from your home, your home can ujplift you or pull you down. You should strive to keep your home as nice as possible. Below are some inexpensive improvements that you can make to your home.

Fast And Inexpensive Home Makeover Tips
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Guru_Bhakt]Guru Bhakt

Does your living room look dull and the kitchen uninspiring ? Does the bathroom look like it has seen better days ? If so, you might already be considering giving your home a makeover …

But if you are on a budget and short on time, then a home makeover may be a daunting project to take on. Here are a few tips that can help you give your home a makeover fast and with relatively little money …

Before you start refurbishing, you might want to take stock of every room and see if there is any clutter that might need to be disposed. Would you have to include additional storage space or buy more furniture ? Also, you might want to decide what should be the focal point of every room and then plan accordingly …

And it helps to browse through a home design catalogue for ideas that might appeal to you. By the time you look at a few dozen pictures, you might get a fairly good idea what you want your own home to look and feel like.

Also, it helps if you are a do-it-yourselfer with fairly good skills at using tools, or at least are willing to do a lot of what needs to be done yourself.

Living Room Refurbishing Tips …

. Think you need a new sofa ? See if you can get your current one reupholstered instead. Or just make loose slip covers to cover it up.

. Paint one of the walls in a contrasting color.

. Add a few new cushions and some small area rugs as well.

. Change curtains if you feel that would be a good idea.

. Adding a few paintings, lampshades, a good sized mirror, potted plants, a bean bag or a well framed wall hanging could be a good idea too.

. You might want to spray paint the furniture in case it looks a bit run down.

Bedroom Refurbishing Tips

. You might want to add a headboard and drape it with pretty lace.

. Change the lampshades.

. Change the curtains.

. Change the floor rug, and in case you are not using one then you might want to buy a new one.

. You might also want to consider painting the walls of the bedroom.

. Adding a couple of potted plants might be a good idea too.

Which would you rather live in - [http://www.trulylovelyhome.com/Home/home-improvement/small-log-cabins-Includes.htm] Small Log Cabins or [http://www.trulylovelyhome.com/Home/home-improvement/Victorian-house-designs-Includes.htm] Victorian Style Houses Or Would You Prefer To Live In A [http://www.trulylovelyhome.com/Home/home-improvement/wood-cabins-Includes.htm]wood cabin

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Guru_Bhakt http://EzineArticles.com/?Fast-And-Inexpensive-Home-Makeover-Tips&id=482560

Get Organized for Business Success
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Laurie_Bornstein]Laurie Bornstein

Get Organized for Business Success!

Ever wonder why some businesses are more successful than others? There are several reasons, some are; focus, dedication, talent, marketing and organization. Why organization? Without organization you cannot stay focused, implement marketing strategies, have time to work on your business-not just in it and without organizational strategies you are quickly overwhelmed. When you get overwhelmed all you have time to do is to put out fires, you don’t have time to develop or grow your business. And if you don’t have time to develop and grow your business, you will never experience the level of success you desire.

OK, that’s the bad news. Ready for the good news?

Getting organized isn’t as hard as you think. The first place to start is in how you organize your day, your use of time.

Step 1- Master Your Time

Take an hour and in that time review how you spend a typical workday.

•    What’s the first thing you do when you get into work?
•    How much time does that take?
•    What’s the second thing you do?
•    How much time does that take and so on, until you’ve accounted for a typical day.

Now that you know how you spend your day, what part of the day is your most energetic? Your most creative? For me, my most creative, energetic time of day is in the morning. Once you know what time of day you are most energetic, schedule your day so that your energetic time is spent on your big projects-development, client proposals, customer service and those items that directly are in your first category. (See step 2 below for category information). DO NOT spend this time answering email, doing small projects or running errands.

In fact, I recommend reducing the time you spend answering and writing email to 1 to 2 times a day. For me, this means that I do not answer or read email until after I’ve worked for about 1 1/2 hours. I check email twice a day, the first after my productive
1 1/2 hours and the second before I leave the office. I spend 30-60 minutes on email each time. If this is the only organizational step you incorporate, I guarantee you’ll save several hours each day. Imagine how much you can accomplish with an extra 2-3 hours everyday?

Step 2- Build a Team

Begin by separating your daily tasks into a series of 3 categories.

•    Category 1-This category consists of tasks that generate revenue. Some examples are: customer service, follow-up, product development

•    Category 2- This category consists of tasks that directly support the generation of revenue. Some examples are: networking, client proposals, and education/training that support your ability and skills.

•    Category 3- This category consists of tasks that do not generate revenue, they support the business but they do not add to the bottom line. Some examples are: bookkeeping, paperwork, responding to every email message you receive throughout the day and the creation of your marketing materials.

Once you’ve separated your daily tasks into these 3 categories, review which of the items you can release to someone else, an assistant, a virtual assistant, a bookkeeper, etc. The items you should consider outsourcing are those items that are in the 3rd category, these items do not generate revenue. To spend your time on these tasks will not improve or grow your business. Almost all of your time should be spent on those items that generate revenue.

The mistake many entrepreneurs make is trying to do everything themselves. Why? Because they don’t think they can afford help. As long as you spend time doing tasks that don’t generate revenue, you take money away from your business. When you hire someone else to do those items, you have gained time, and this is time that should be spent generating revenue. When you spend the majority of your time generating revenue, you make more money. And when you make more money, you can afford to hire help! See how easy that is?

Step 3- Update Your Office

•    Update your computer programs for the New Year.  To grow your business you need the best tools available. Not necessarily all the tools available, but the tools you use should be up-to-date and as effective as possible.

•    Purchase and use office organizing tools, but before you buy any new organizing items, spend sometime thinking about how you work, what areas are most natural for you to use for files, for projects, etc. Once you know how you use your space it’s easier to purchase the right organizing items.

•    Clear all clutter from your desktop

•    Clear all clutter from your computer desktop (this means old email messages, files on your desktop, old files, old programs, etc.)

•    Clean any windows in your office

•    Consider a fresh coat of paint in a new and inspiring color

•    Purchase or improve your task lighting

•    Position your desk so that you have a solid wall behind and have a full view of your entire office when seated

•    Outsource those aspects of your business that do not require you

When determining your organizational strategy, you’ll need to know who you are, what you do, why you do it, and where you can utilize help. While each of these steps seems simple enough, spending time evaluating each step and laying it out in relationship to each of the other steps ensures that you’ll have an organizational strategy that supports growth and opportunity.

Copyright © 2008 Harmony Life, LLC. All rights reserved.

Feng Shui Teacher and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, “The Feng Shui Marketing Queen” is the author and creator of ‘Simple Feng Shui Series’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with articles and tips on how to live and work in balance, visit http://www.fengshuimarketingqueen.com to learn more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_Bornstein http://EzineArticles.com/?Get-Organized-for-Business-Success&id=1004878

After months of trying so that you don’t waste your time on online survey scams, we finally found a company that pays. Now, I am not saying that they will make you rich or anything like that. However, Greenfield Online has done the best at sending out surveys and compensate you for filling them out.

If we find any other survey sites that actually pay, you will be the first to know.

Previous in series

AW finally sent me another survey. It was about a 5 minute survey worth $3.00, which means that I am still nowhere close to the $75.00 payout minimum.

Greenfield has an enormous amount of sweepstakes entries. When they offer cash it is around 25 CENTS to a buck for a survey that takes 25 minutes to complete.

I am now trying a survey company with a $35.00 membership fee. So far the surveys have all been sweepstakes. Basically, I am being charged $35.00 to gamble.

Previous in series Next in series