Monday, October 30, 2006

Beware of Home Business Scams

Copyright © Vincent Murphy
http://www.HomeGrail.com
We all would love to have the freedom to work for ourselves from the privacy of our own homes. Some of us, want it so badly, that we are easy prey for many of the home business scams that pop up on the internet and in your email inbox on a daily basis.

They make professional looking websites, including testimonials from people talking about all of the money they have made and how great the business is. They try to pull you in by talking about how much they enjoy the flexibility of being able to set their own schedule, work from their own home, and be their own boss.

All the things that we would all like to have, but have yet to find. The question is how do you know if these offers are legitimate? Should we automatically hit delete, assume that they are all scams, and possibly miss the one that might, just might be a true business opportunity, the one that you have been so desperately seeking? This article will tell you about some of the known home business scams that are out there, so that hopefully, you won't be the next victim taken for a ride by them.

We have all seen the advertisements on television and online that offers you the business of your dreams, financial freedom, and unlimited success, and then tells you that all you have to do is call this 1-900 number for more information.

These phone numbers are by no means toll free, and will cost you quite a bit of money just for making the call for more information. Oftentimes, the promised information is just a bunch of garbage that is thrown together in an attempt to keep you on the phone longer, making them more money in the end, money that will come out of your pocket when you have to pay your next telephone bill.

The most well-known home business scam is the envelope stuffing business. You send in a nominal amount of money to a company that promises that in return, they will send you a certain number of envelopes that they need you to stuff and return.

They go on to tell you that they will pay you a certain amount of money for each envelope you do, but what actually happens, is that you send the money in, and never hear from the company again, or you do get the envelopes, stuff them, and send them back in, only to never see any money in return. Not to mention the fact that you are also out the original fee that you sent in for the information to start with. So, this is a total scam, and a total waste of your time and hard earned money. You are just making some scammer's pockets that much fatter!

Much like the envelope stuffing scam, there is a similar scam that involves your email. You get a message in your inbox telling you that you can make a ton of money by sending out emails for this company, and to send them a certain amount of money upfront for more information. They send you back a list that tells you to forward the original email they sent you to someone else, and get them to pay you the fee, and so on. You never really gain anything from this, other than turning yourself into a scam artist, victimizing others.

If you see an ad for a home based business, and it looks as though you can make a ton of money for literally doing nothing, then chances are it is a scam. If you are lucky, you will realize this prior to sending them any of your hard earned money, but if you do, don't be surprised if you never get the money back, or never even hear from the company again.

If you receive a solicitation in your email that you did not sign up for, then delete it right away. Chances are pretty high that it is a scam invented to make someone else rich, certainly not you.

Legitimate companies are not going to expect you to send them money for more information about the job they are offering, so if you get something that looks like it would be the best thing for you, and you get to the bottom and it says all you have to do is send us $20 by check, money order, PayPal, credit or debit card, then chances are it is a scam, and you should leave the site and don't look back.

When looking for a work at home job or home based business, remember that you are looking for ways that you can make money, not ways to lose it. Don't pay someone for information, and don't fall into the spam trap.

Vincent Murphy is the Webmaster/Owner of the http://www.HomeGrail.com Website. To Join His Newsletter All About Making Money Online Send A Blank Email To: homegrail@getresponse.com

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Ways to Earn Money Online

Copyright © Vincent Murphy
http://www.HomeGrail.com

When it comes to the world wide Web, you may know there are hundreds of thousands of people utilizing it each and every day to make a full time income right from the comfort of their own home.

There are various different paths you can take when it comes to making money online. Some are more interesting than others. You can choose to join up with companies that can assist you in making money from the internet or if you prefer, you can choose to do the work all yourself.

If you are contemplating a career on the web, think about these unique ways to earn money from your computer. You may need to start out your Web business as a supplement to your regular full time job in the beginning. However, after your business starts to grow, you might be able to rely completely on your online income and enjoy the freedom of working for yourself!

Various Consultations

One of the easiest ways you can make money online is by supplying a consultation service. You can set up a business that really takes very little financial assets and use your skills to consult others, for example you may be someone who is competent at astrology. If this is the case, you might want to start your own horoscope site and offer a "Free Sample Personal reading” before your Visitors purchase your full-length Personal Astrology package.

If you are more corporate minded, you will probably be able to start a consulting newsletter and charge people for your ideas and information. Whatever it is you are good at, you can certainly capitalize on it and create your own online business by only using your website and advertising.

Craft Products

You may be the type of person who loves to do crafts. In fact, you may spend the year making various crafts to take to craft fairs or shows. When you have access to the Web, you can sell your crafts right online, without ever having to haul your products to the shows and sit there for hours to sell them. If you can create unique enough products, you will be able to create a highly effective business for yourself doing something you absolutely love.

Online Garage Sales

Just like the online auctions, you can create your own garage sale site online. You can use only your digital camera and a website to sell your used items right online. With this approach, there is no hassle of setting everything up in your yard or garage and you can deal with the money you accumulate much easier than you could when doing it the “traditional way”.

As you can see, you can take almost anything and create a great and unique way to make money online. Use your skills and talents to brainstorm an idea that will provide you with a creative outlet as well as a way to earn extra income. You can build yourself quite a successful business this way with very little start-up costs.

Vincent Murphy is the Webmaster/Owner of the http://www.HomeGrail.com Website. To Join His Newsletter All About Making Money Online Send A Blank Email To: homegrail@getresponse.com

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Successful Internet Business Tips

Copyright © Vincent Murphy
http://www.HomeGrail.com

Maybe you are thinking of starting your own online business. The idea of running your own business on the Net could be the right decision for you. It will bring you a sense of independence and accomplishment and you will be the boss this time.

Running an internet business is not a difficult undertaking,but running a successful internet business can be a bit more demanding. There are of thousands of entrepreneurs that have their own online business, but most of them are not having any success at all. If you want to be successful while running your internet business, there are a couple of tips you can follow on the path to profit.

You must have an idea on how search engines work. Over 85% of your business will likely come directly from search engine results. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to optimize your site for the search engines. You could have the best deals on the entire planet, but if no one can find them then your time and money are wasted.

Do a search on yahoo or google for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You will find a mountain of excellent information on how to create a website that is both user and search engine friendly. There are also an infinite numbers of freelancers and companies out there who offer SEO services. Remember, no one can guarantee you top placement in the major search engines, no matter what they say just be cautious of their offers and do your research first.

1. Before you can run a successful internet business, you are going to need the necessary information. In other words, if you are looking to start an internet business, choose an enterprise that you are familiar with. By doing this you will ensure yourself of knowing where to start, and how to handle problems as they arise. Of course, it is possible to run a successful internet business even if you do not have past experience. You will just have to make sure that you do your homework before starting. This way you will have some background information on the industry instead of simply going into the venture with eyes closed.

2. Make sure that you are organized from the very beginning. The most successful internet businesses are ones that have a quality business and marketing plan in place from the start. This will allow you to follow your plan as the months go by so that you do not get discombobulated. It is hard to be successful in anything if you do not know what your objectives are. A business plan will give you an idea on how you want your company to progress, where as a marketing plan will direct you on how to grow your company. These are two things that are synonymous with every successful internet business.

3. Never be afraid to ask for help if you are having a difficult time. A lot of business owners do not like to ask other professional people for help because they do not want to damage their pride. This is something that you should come to terms with before you even get started. It is impossible to know everything about your industry, so there are times when you will have to ask questions. Instead of thinking of this as a negative thing, why not look at it as a way of making new business contacts? If you are having a technical problem that you cannot figure out, you should get in touch with an IT company right away. There is nothing wrong with doing this. In fact, if you do not ask questions of other people you will only be holding your business back.

Starting an internet business is just like any other business. It takes a lot of hard work. You can not just sit around doing a little bit of work here and there and expect to make a decent income. It will take much of your time getting to understand the world of ecommerce at first as well as finding your niche.
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Vincent Murphy can help you to find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.HomeGrail.com
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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Starting your own Affiliate Program

Copyright © Vincent Murphy
http://www.HomeGrail.com

If you own an internet business you know how demanding it can be to drive traffic to your website in the early stages of its development.You probably feel at some point that you have no chance of succeeding because you are not getting enough customers to visit you online. If this sounds like a familiar problem , there is a solution that you may find beneficial to your situation. Starting an affiliate program may be just what you need to increase the level of traffic that your website is currently obtaining. Even though these programs can be a little difficult to set up, it will be well worth it in the long run.

First of all, what is an affiliate program? Affiliate programs are what website owners use to pay you for sending customers to their site.

When starting your own affiliate program there are a couple of steps that you must begin with.

The first thing that you must do is decide the goals of your affiliate program. In other words, you want to determine what kind of results you are pursuing. By having an inkling of what you wish to accomplish, you will be able to to begin your
journey down the road to success.

Once you have your goals established, you must set forth the details of your program. Every affiliate program works in different ways, and you are going to have to do some research in order to figure out which method will be most effective for you. The next decision that you will have to make is whether you are going to compensate your affiliates on a pay per sale or pay per click basis. Then you will also have to make a decision on how much commission you are going to disburse. In most cases this is what people will look at when deciding whether or not your affiliate program is worth joining. After all, everybody wants to make some profit.

When you have all the general details ironed out, you will then need to set up the actual program. If you do not have expertise in this sector you will may wish to hire a professional to help you out a little. In order to have a successful affiliate program you will need to have a reliable tracking system in place. This is a way of tracking the number of visitors that your affiliates send you. Without a tracking system you will never know who to pay or where your traffic is coming from,this is an essential part of your business.

In conclusion. One of the best ways to market your company is by starting your own affiliate program. even though this method of promotion can be a little bit more difficult to set up than others, the results that you can obtain will make everything worth while. If you have never set up one of these programs before now is the time to consider it, and if you don’t know where to start,do a search on google or yahoo and find out all you need to know about affiliate programs,but remember to seek out the help of a professional for expert advice.

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Vincent Murphy can help you to find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home/Starting your own Affiliate Program. visit:
http://www.HomeGrail.com
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Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Promotional plan for your home business

Copyright © Vincent Murphy
http://www.HomeGrail.com

If you own a home based business you know just how important it is to have a good promotional plan. After all, you will never be successful if people do not even know that you exist. The good thing is that there are various ways to promote it to all your potential customers.

The first thing that you will want to do when you are promoting your home business is to write up a plan; this is sometimes referred to as a marketing plan. In this plan you will want to outline everything you intend to do as far as promotion is concerned. By doing this before you even get started, you will ensure yourself of having a guide to help you through the different stages of marketing. Many people overlook this step because they think that they can simply promote as they go along. This is true, but by having a promotional plan in place you will more likely be successful.

One of the best ways of promoting your home business is through the use of a website. By having a website, you will be able to promote your business to people from all over the world. There was a time when this option was not available, but those days have come and gone. If you want your home business to be successful, you will need to have a top notch website that you can rely on.

In addition to promoting your home business with a website, there are other ways that you can do this online as well. Placing ads in ezines has been proven to be one of the most successful promotion methods online. The main advantage of doing this is that you can reach a target audience that is interested in what you have to offer. This is much better than simply placing an ad in a publication that does not even correspond with your business.

Exchanging links with other similar websites as your own, is very effective, but you should also be aware of who your direct competition is and avoid promoting products and services that are exactly the same as yours.
Reciprocal linking is one major way that webmasters help each other to advertise their products, services and business opportunities.

Of course, promoting your home business can also be done in more traditional ways as well. Many people feel that direct mail is still a great way to promote their business. This can be done by obtaining a mailing list, and then sending out some materials that will intrigue people to contact you. Even though this method is a bit outdated, it can still be very successful if done correctly.

Promoting your home business is the only way that you are going to be able to grow. By starting out with a plan you will be able to ensure yourself of guidance along the way. Remember, there are hundreds of promotional tactics available. Find a couple that work for you and stick with them. You will be seeing results in no time at all!

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Vincent Murphy can help you to find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.HomeGrail.com
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