Start Archives - Page 2 of 6

Effective Suggestions For Marketing Small Business Start Ups

If you are the owner or manager of a new business, it is important to make potential customers aware of your products or services. There are various strategies and techniques you can use for marketing small business start-ups, it is essential to analyze various factors in full before drawing up a final plan. There are two basic avenues you can go down when it comes to raising the profile of your business. There are traditional offline methods that are useful dependent upon the exact sector and location of your company, and online concepts that can reach a wider audience.

You will need to set yourself a strict budget when it comes to marketing. As a general rule, online techniques are a lot more affordable than any other methods. In many situations you can even advertise and promote your business online without spending any money.

It is of the utmost importance, that a new business has an easy to navigate and professional website. Whatever the sector or industry you are involved with, a portal can offer a platform through which the market can come to learn about your business and services. As almost every home in the country now features a PC and a broadband connection, if you did not have a website you would be leaving a huge pot of gold untapped.

Consider how most of us use the net. There are three types of websites that consistently receive the highest number of visitors. If you can place information in these portals, you can boost your profile dramatically. Social networks, video sites, and the search engines are the most popular.

To receive a high placement in all the major search engines, you will need to familiarize yourself with the concept of search engine optimization. This is a technique whereby you integrate various keywords in to the content used on your web pages, which may be queried for by visitors to a search engine.

Do not underestimate the benefits of adding information about your business to a social networking site. If you could create a fan page or group page, soon you can have interest from a wide range of geographic locations.

Many people now use the net to check out videos. If you put together a handful of interesting and informative how to guides, and then add back links from the pages they are hosted on, you can increase the traffic to your own portal dramatically.

When comparing traditional marketing strategies, it is important to think carefully about the audience. Television ads are often too costly for a new business. Newspaper and radio advertisements can be cheap, though may not be seen or heard by the right demographic.

It is of great value to constantly up date you marketing plan to be more effective. Over time you will come to understand which strategies are the most rewarding, and which are a waste of time and energy.

Entrepreneurs Getting Free Government Start Up Business Grants – What is the Truth?

It can be incredibly stressful to start your own business; particularly if your budget is running low as you get ready to launch. The last thing you want is to get information which raises your hopes, only to dash them upon discovering that this information was inaccurate.

There are a lot of young entrepreneurs who are under the impression that they can get money from the government to start up their business. This is a misconception; no one (except maybe your parents) will give you money no strings attached – so don’t be taken in by anyone who promises you this. There are a lot of people out there who will tell you that they can do this, but be careful – you’re starting a business to make money, not pay it out to these unscrupulous operators.

If you’re an entrepreneur trying to get your business off the ground and your hope is that the government will help finance your venture, you need to know the facts:

1 – Small business other than non-profits are rarely able to get government financing; these funds are generally set aside for non-profits and other businesses which provide jobs in economically disadvantaged areas.

2 – Businesses which are engaged in new technology research and development can often get financing. However, if you are opening a Laundromat, you will not be getting a government grant to do so. These funds are typically reserved for the best and brightest in the scientific and engineering fields -research projects can receive grants of up to $100,000 and an additional $1 million for production

stemming from this research.

3 – Even businesses which are qualified to receive these grants cannot get them simply for the asking at any time. There are specific application processes for these grants which are time sensitive. If you miss the application deadline, you may have to wait until the next year or until a call for applications is announced.

4 – There is some hope of receiving government funding, but keep in mind that not all of this money is in the form of grants. There are small business loans which can be either a traditional interest bearing loan or matching grants with 25% of the cost being granted – the other 75% must be raised by your business. You will generally have to submit detailed reports of your business operations for tracking purposes when receiving these grants.

There are business grants on the local, state and federal levels – a good business plan can help your business to secure one of these loans. Your business plan should include a detailed description of how you will produce your product; provide your service as well as how you will market your business, among other things.

Your business plan will also give you a clearer picture of the viability of your business. After looking it over, you can decide if your plan needs some revamping – or if it’s time to go back to the drawing board altogether. This can save you a lot of time when you start up your business.

With the right information, your business will have a much better chance of securing financing – and of course, being successful overall.

How to Start a House Cleaning Business on a Tight Budget

“If you use Emotion and Love to drive your sales and your business, you will create Loyalty Beyond Reason. And I promise you, you will build relationships and enjoy a business that exceeds beyond your wildest expectations”

First of all, before you decide to start your cleaning business, make sure this kind of work is right for you. You will need to be in good physical condition. Cleaning is very hard strenuous work. You will need to have good customer relation skills. You will need to have basic office skills and some accounting skills.

If you are planning on leaving your full time position to start a cleaning business, make sure you have at least six months of savings. Or keep your full time job and start out part time.

Research all the aspects of the cleaning service business. From customer service to advertising, taxes, employees, insurance and bonding, what to charge and how to clean a home professionally. Cleaning your own home and cleaning professionally is totally different. Learning how to clean professionally takes a lot of time. When a client pays for your services they expect to come home and find their home spotless.

Getting those first clients takes time, persistence and patience. You will not get a hundred clients overnight.

Obtaining Those First Clients The hardest part of starting your own cleaning service is obtaining those first clients. Most clients want to know how long you have been in business and want references. The best thing to do is let clients know that, yes, you are new to the business but that you have thoroughly researched all aspects of the cleaning business and assure them that you know what you are doing and that you are quit capable of cleaning their home to their specifications. Be confident. I can’t stress this enough. Clients love to see confidence. It relieves their worries and lets them know that their home is in good hands.

References: To get a few good references when starting out, ask some friends or family members if you can clean their home for free or at a discounted rate. The sound of working for free may not be appealing but it will be worth it to get some good testimonials.

When cleaning those first homes, go for quality, not how fast you can clean the home. Cleaning efficiently takes a long time, but you will get to the point where you can do a thorough cleaning in a short time. After cleaning make sure you go back and double check all rooms to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Impress those first clients and word of mouth will spread soon.

Advertising Your company image is everything. Before you start advertising, decide what image you want to portray on your advertising material. Your image is very important. Be consistent with all your advertising. If you have a logo be sure to use it on all your advertising materials. I think it is best to have a website developed before you start advertising. When advertising, stick with the same logo and colors.

Advertise in Local Paper: Start by running a text ad in your local newspaper. Try to come up with an eye catching ad. Do not sell your services on low rates, sell your services on your quality of work and what you can do for the client that other companies don’t. There is a lot of competition in the cleaning service. You have to stand out from the rest.

Magnetic Signs or Lettering for your Vehicle: Having your business name and contact information on your vehicle is a great way to advertise. We use the vinyl lettering. The lettering looks much more professional than the magnetic signs.

Flyers: You can print nice flyers on your home computer, but I would suggest investing in some professional flyers. Hang flyers at Hair Dressers, Laundromats, Restaurants, Bakeries, Grocery Stores, etc. Put flyers on car windows at local groceries stores and businesses. You can even go door to door in neighborhoods you would like to work in. You cannot put them in mailboxes. but you can put them in the front door.

Door Hangers: Door hangers are a great way to get new clients. Pick the neighborhood you would like to work in and hang the door hangers on the doors. When people get flyers or ads in their mailbox they usually throw them away with the junk mail. But if there is a door hanger on the door they will take the time to look at it.

Business Cards: Start passing out your business cards to friends and family members. You can also ask your local businesses if you can leave some cards on their counters.

Referral Program: A great way to obtain new clients is through a referral program. Offer existing clients a discount when they refer a friend. You can give your existing clients a discount when the friend uses your services three times.

Website: These days people live very busy lives so they use the convenience of the internet to shop for the services they need. A lot of working women will shop for services while at work. Everyone that has a business should have a website. It shows clients that you are serious about your business and allows them research your business in their own time.

Cleaning Products: By using all natrual products, you can offer your clients a healthy cleaning experience and protect ourselves against harsh chemicals. Clients love the natural cleaning products with essential oils. They come home to a healthy clean home filled with the wonderful scents of aromatherapy essential oils.

Tip: Always carry hand sanitizer and wash your hands often while cleaning homes. Wear gloves when cleaning bathrooms. You will be exposed to a lot of different germs in clients homes.

Remember most customers prefer that you bring your own cleaning supplies. That way they do not have to worry about going to the store for cleaning supplies before you clean. Some customers have special cleaners for certain appliances or floors in their houses. These customers usually will have these cleaners on hand for you to use. We almost always use the customers vacuum cleaner. That way you do not have to carry a heavy vacuum from house to house.

What to Charge I mentioned earlier that you should sell your services on your quality of work and not your low rates. If your rates are too low, clients will think that your work is sub-standard and that you are not experienced. Also you want to attract the clients that can afford your services. I made the mistake of pricing my work too low when I first started out. Cleaning is hard work, charge what you are worth. As the old saying goes “You get what you pay for.”

Some companies charge by the hour, some charge by the room, some charge a flat rate per home and some charge by the square foot. I think it is better to charge by the home, not by the hour. If a client knows they have to pay one set fee, they don’t care if you take 2 hours or 5 hours. Also your clients will know what they are paying up front and won’t have to worry about added expenses.

No two houses are the same. And there is no set charge for all homes. You have to clean for awhile yourself to get some experience and to work out a system to clean efficiently. Only you know what you want and need to make. Decide what you need to make hourly to cover all expenses and still make a good profit.

A word of advise: Make sure when you start your company that you charge what you would charge if you had employees. Some people make the mistake of under charging when they start out just to get customers and then later on when they grow and need to hire help they aren’t making enough money on their houses to pay help. Don’t under price your work. Cleaning homes is very hard physical work and you didn’t get into this business to work for nothing.

New Construction Cleaning If you decide to do this type of work you will need more equipment. You will need ladders, window cleaning kits with long extensions, a shop vac, etc. These types of jobs are usually 2 to 3 person jobs. New construction cleaning requires a lot more cleaning. You may have to remove stickers and labels from windows and bathroom showers, sinks and toilets. Some require that you clean the vents to remove dust from construction work. There will be ceiling fans to clean, scrubbing floors, and cleaning woodwork to remove dust. New construction cleaning rates depend on the area you live in.

Insurance and Bonding. You need to be an honest person and somewhat personable. People will need to trust you to be in their homes. Most clients are concerned about having someone new in their house, with good reason. You should be bonded and fully insured. Liability insurance rates depend on your insurance carrier and where you are located. Each person you hire will increase your liability insurance. It’s well worth the cost. You can pay quarterly or yearly. You can purchase your bond through your local insurance company. You will need to renew the bond every year. *Note: if you hire employees and cover them under your insurance, they must be an employee on payroll and not a sub-contractor. If you employ them as a sub-contractor your insurance will not cover them. If they are a sub-contractor they are required to carry their own insurance. You

Hiring Help If you start out cleaning the homes by yourself, you will eventually get to the point where you need to expand your business. Start out with one part time employee. Train her and let her take your place one day a week. Then have her take your place 2 days a week and so on. This will give you the free time that you need to market your business and obtain more clients. After you get more clients you will be able to hire more part time help. Eventually you will be able to stop doing the cleaning yourself and just run the business end, which is the only way you will be able to grow your business. When training new employees, always, either train them yourself or have a lead person train them. Make sure there is a lead person on each and every cleaning job. Employees have a tendency to slack off when they are on their own.

Growing Your Business You will eventually get to the point where you have enough employees and lead people and you will be able to stop working in your business and start running your business. You will find that after awhile it will get to be too much trying to clean everyday and at the same time giving estimates, answering calls, scheduling, doing book work, obtaining new clients, etc.

Remember one of the most important qualifications for a cleaning service is TRUST. A client has to know they can trust you alone in their home. After you acquire a few cleaning positions ask the clients if you can use them for a reference. Most of the time they are more than willing to let you use them for a reference. This is how you build your business and acquire new clients is through referrals. Be dependable. Most clients will want to be set up on an every week or every other week schedule on the same day of the week. Try to always keep this same schedule unless the client asks you to switch to another day. If you have to cancel a cleaning date, make sure you try to reschedule at the earliest possible date to make up the cleaning.

How to Start A House Cleaning Business In 7 Simple Steps

One of the main reasons people start businesses is to make money. For some it’s a blessing to make money doing something they love. I’m not saying that you have to love house cleaning in order to have a successful house cleaning business; however it would be a good idea if you didn’t hate it.

How much money you make depends on how big you want your business to be. It could be a one person operation where you set up at home and service areas close to home, or you could set up a commercial office and hire people to work for you.

Here are 7 simple steps to get you started on your own house cleaning business.

1) Decide exactly what kind of house cleaning services you will offer.

Here you decided what cleaning you will do, like making beds, vacuuming, mopping and waxing floors, dusting and so on. Also note what you won’t do, e.g. laundry. You can also decide to specialize, e.g. by cleaning carpets only, or cleaning suspended ceilings only.

2) Pricing your housecleaning service.

To have an idea of how to charge for your housecleaning service, use your competition. Check your telephone directory and the classified ads section in your local newspapers for cleaning businesses, call them up (pretend to be a prospective client) and find out exactly what cleaning services they offer and how much they charge. With this information gathered decide the best price to charge for your cleaning service.

3) Workout startup costs.

For this you need to consider, tools, material, transport, advertising, insurance etc. Write down a list all the tools and material you need, like cleaners, sponges, mops, carpet cleaning equipment etc. Next find out the cost of each item on the list and write it down next to the item.

Transport: you will have to estimate your costs here. You see it depends on where your client is located and your means of transportation to get to your client. (Having your own vehicle would be to your advantage).

Advertising: You can use free advertising (word of mouth) and paid advertising (classifieds, telephone directory ads etc). Phone calls to your local newspaper and the telephone company who publish your telephone directory will tell you the cost of placing ads.

Once you’ve gathered all this information, calculate your total startup costs.

4) Name your business.

Choosing an appropriate name for your house cleaning business is important. Here are a few examples I got of the internet, ‘Maid Brigade’, ‘All Shine Cleaning’, ‘White Glove Cleaning Service’. Please avoid using ‘Your Name Cleaning Services’. Using your own name as part of your business name is over done by many house cleaning businesses. Brainstorm and come up with a name that helps you stand out of the crowd.

5) Learn the zoning regulations of your community.

Check the city clerk’s Office or your local library for a copy for a copy of the zoning laws governing your community. Your reason for doing this is that some zoning regulations prohibit home businesses in a community.

6) Do a few free cleaning jobs.

Well you’re not actually doing them for free. You’re doing them in exchange for references (these add to your credibility for future paying clients and are invaluable). You can offer these free cleaning jobs to friends, non profit organizations in your communities etc.

7) Get your first paying client then get another and another and another and so on.

Tell everyone you know that you’ve started a cleaning business and place ads in the local newspapers. In the beginning you need to spend most of your time and money getting paying clients. However, the more clients you get the less time and money you spend on marketing and more time you spend on cleaning and making your clients happy.

This is just the beginning. Once you start making money take a house cleaning business course to help you better manage your business in terms of growth, accounting, taxes, insurance better marketing strategies and more.

—

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. fayolap@yahoo.com

20 Rainy Season Businesses You Can Start Now

Let’s take advantage of these seasonal needs and offer the appropriate business services. You will find below a list of 20 profitable rainy season business ideas.

Cold Weather Apparels and Accessories: Starting a cold-weather apparel store can be a great option for those looking for a seasonal business. You can buy products in large quantities and start selling to retail fashion shops and corporate offices. You can even hire sales canvassers and pay them on a commission basis.
Lawn care business: Contrary to popular beliefs, the rainy season is a great time to start a lawn care business. Lots of individuals and large companies seek for services of lawn care maintainers to help them take care and beautify their environment. You will need to advertise your services in local newspapers, or write an introductory letter to the ministry of environment either at local or state level. You can also write to property managers. Who says you can’t go out and knock on doors of commercial businesses and property managements? They have a long list of clients that will need the services of lawn care service providers. You can start with two or three staff.
Roadside snacks: In this rainy season, snacks like roasted corn, cooked corn and cooked groundnuts are in demand. Passersby, pedestrians and drivers alike would always want to buy hot snacks to heat up their body and quell their hunger. Your target market should be in densely populated areas of streets with big pot holes that could delay traffic. As drivers slow down, they notice you and buy your snacks. Herbs and Flower Farming/Gardening: Flowers survive better during the rainy season. Plants are the basis for all landscapes, homes, gardens and even for brightening offices. You will pay small amounts for packets of seeds and make way more when selling starter plants. The more space you have, the better you will be at it. If you have the space in your landscape and outdoor garden, you can create gardens where you will grow the plants and dry them out after. This will add much to your inventory and you can make lots of money selling dried flowers to retailers, wholesalers, and even flower shops.
Make Mosquito Nets: Mosquito nets are simple to make and easy to use. They eliminate the need for repeated use of dangerous chemicals. Mosquito nets can be institutional and attractive. By using pretty flowing fabric and a few household objects, it is possible to make a beautiful yet functional mosquito net. Things you will for construction of a mosquito net are; stud finger, 4-inch metal “O” ring, cup hook, 2-feet diameter embroidery hoop, 20 yards of tight weave chiffon fabric, 4 feet of stain cord or ribbon, hot melt glue and clear hot melt glue sticks.
Tea Café: This market is not likely to be saturated if you decide to start this business. What innovations do you need to do this business? Simply make your tea joint look neat and attractive. Guys will park their cars, jeeps; roll up their sleeves and squat for a cup of steaming tea. You can entertain them with music. Your major target will include bachelors and spinsters, and also from the married groups and workers in general. Most of these people leave their homes early enough for work without having breakfast. Make sure your shop is situated where there is high concentration of people. Also make sure your customers have varieties of beverages to choose from e.g. beverages like bournvita, Milo, ovaltine, top tea etc. Other add-on for your tea café can include bread, canned fish, sardine, noodles, soft drinks and water. As a starter you require fire heating gadgets, tables and chairs, cups, plates, spoons, knives, forks and so on. You may require a small accommodation or a table space in a busy area, which wont be difficult to get if you meet the right authorities. You just need to part with a few cash to get this space. As you start operation, set aside some specified amount that the government may require as levies. Never mind the levies because you can record over 40 clients per day especially when you start very early in the morning and evenings. If you are innovative, entrepreneurial and exceptional, you will discover that there is no limit to what you can earn.
Catch and Sell Snail Meat: Snail meat has been severally affirmed as a safe and nutritious delicacy. If you place a blanched piece of romaine lettuce, zucchini or cucumber into a small tank, in no time snails will gather around it. You have to be patient though, because it will take a while to catch a whole bunch of them. The best period to commence snail farming is the raining season. You can start with about 50 – 60 snails to have a good knowledge of how snail breeding works. Snails are sold in bunches of 20 pieces each and the price depends on the size. The bigger sizes are sold between N2, 500 and N3, 000 per bunch. It is better to buy the big ones so you can expect to produce more after about 35 days on location. As a starter, you can start with as low as N10, 000 in this business. You can sell your products to hotels, restaurants, individuals and market women. You can even export them if you have large quantities in stock.
Umbrella Stocks and Sales: Since there is no notable umbrella manufacturer in Nigeria, prospective investors are advised to buy in wholesale and start selling branded umbrellas to corporate organizations. Don’t forget companies will like choose the colors that match their company. Modern rain umbrellas are made with fabrics (commonly nylon) that can withstand a drenching rain and one that can dry quickly and fold easily. They are available in varieties of colors and designs. You can get it in large quantities for retail at Idumota in Lagos and the prices ranges from N150 to N250 depending on the size.
Tarpaulin Hire Business: Many people organizing outdoor parties are most likely to hire tarpaulin to shield them from the rain. You can make money by engaging in the tarpaulin hire business. If you don’t have enough money to buy a brand new one, you can lease it from sellers and hire out to those who need it, taking the commission as your gain.
Pest Control: A pest control home based business can provide you an healthy income. There are various types of pest controls such as insect or rodent control, or the business can specialize in providing all pest control services. There are also various methods now being used to control pests, such as chemical-based sprays and organic-based sprays. This will also have to be a consideration in terms of the types of methods your business will utilize. Overall, a pest control service can be very profitable business venture during the rainy season and can generate profits of N5million per year. You can write a proposal to big corporate organizations stressing the advantage of pest control and healthy living can have for them.
Yam planting and Sales: Turning yam into an exportable product is considered a remarkable achievement in Nigeria. Although the country is rated as the largest producer of yams in the world, it didn’t find the means to take advantage of this huge potential for export until the formal launch of the Nigerian Yam Export to U.K in July 2009. You can take advantage of the rainy season, which is best for yam planting and sales. You can buy yam in large quantities and sell to exporters, and you can also sell to local manufacturers who process yam to pounded yam and flour.
Maize Cultivation and Processing: Investors have the opportunity to capitalize on the current high demand for staple foods by investing in the cultivation and processing of maize and corn. Maize is commonly grown in the middle and southern part of the country where heavier rainfall permits two corn crop seasons per year. A well drained loamy soil can be used for maize plantation.
Gutter Cleaning: A lot of gutters are blocked during the rainy season preventing the free flow of water. You can start making money by offering the service of Cleaning Gutters. Don’t shy away from this business because it’s a money earner in the rainy season. You can employ two to three people to leverage on. You will need to assemble items such as large wooden spoon, a simple garden trowel, and a sturdy pair of garden gloves. You can find work with landlords or landlords associations. Some will prefer you clear it for them weekly while some will want their gutters to be cleared once or twice in a month. You can charge between N5, 000 to N20, 000 depending on the clients and the intensity of the work to be done.
Hire Water Pumping Machines: A lot of houses will get flooded during the rainy season. This will create a business opportunity for you to own a water pumping machine and hire out to these houses to clear the flooded area and pour the water to the gutters. Some water pumping machine owners charge as much as N5, 000 per day. During emergencies when there is no entrance to a whole street a water pumping machine owner can charge more. All you need to do is to identify such flooded areas, move in with your pumping machines and charge appropriately.
Sell Rain Coats: Modern raincoats are often constructed of breathable, waterproof fabrics such as gore-tex and coated nylons. These fabrics allow some air to pass through, thereby allowing the garment to “breathe” so that sweat vapor can escape. You can commission a tailor to sew in different sizes and designs to meet the demand of different customers; you can also buy in some retail stores and sell directly to individual and corporate organizations. Or you can recruit sales canvassers who can help you get it to the markets, especially when it rains.
Start a Car Wash Business: A lot of cars will get dirty in the rainy season because of splashes by mud. You are going to make cool money in the rainy season with this business. There is some equipment you need to start this business. Most importantly you need a pressure washer, if you want a proper washing to make your customer appreciate your service and always come back. The pressure washer brings out the water with pressure. It removes all the dirt and makes the cars to glitter. The pressure washer is also used to wash the car radiators, no matter the amount of dirt that blocks the vent of your radiator, the pressure washer removes all and opens up the vent again. The pressure washer consumes less water. The amount you can charge to wash cars and trucks will vary with location and to how dirty the car or truck is. Normal car wash costs N300, but for interior wash, it can cost up to N800. Washing of engines cost up to N1, 000 which is also the cost for normal washing of Jeep. The cost for washing a truck can be around N3, 000 and a very dirty trucked can be charged N5, 000. If the engine is extremely dirty, you will have to apply chemicals which are a mixture of diesel, detergent, kerosene, petrol and acid, which should be mixed very well. Sprinkle on the engine and leave for about five minutes. Now when you use a pressure washer to rinse, the engine would look as clean as new. You can get to major car parks, negotiate with car owners and get their cars washed before they get back to the car park
Repair Pot-holes: You can start a mini-road-construction business repairing pot holes. A lot of pot holes will continue to increase in size during the rainy season. Some products make potholes repair easier than others. Asphalt makes the process significantly easier. No special equipment is needed with asphalt. You can start making money with the local government area in your locality. You can even negotiate with the unit or National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in your area or discuss with the landlords association or the local government chairman. You can charge as much as N20, 000 to N100, 000 or more, depending on the intensity of the project.
Own a Warehouse: A lot of retailers have been keeping goods in shops before now but during the rainy season, most of them will be forced to take their goods to warehouses to protect their goods from unexpected rainfall. Prior to opening a warehouse business in your area, it is paramount to find out how many competitors you have. Gain knowledge of how existing firms have positioned themselves in the market place and then design your business in a way that sets you apart from others. You can charge daily, weekly or monthly. However, make sure you inform your retailers in your areas that don’t have a shop before now that you can provide them a secured place for their goods in your warehouse. They would be ready to pay for your services
Produce Shower Caps for Women: This business can be started with very low capital. Purchase some yards of plastic materials which are clear, opaque or semi-transparent or can have pretty designs on them. Measure the distance around the head where the shower cap is expected to end. Add one inch to this figure for overlapping purposes. This will be the shower cap circumference. Purchase elastic, less than one inch wide, and cut to the shower cap circumference. The elastic can be sewn on the outside or inside of the shower cap edge, or the elastic can be pinned down, sewn, and then one or two folds (or rolls) made, then sewn again to “case in” the elastic inside the edge of the plastic cap. You can sell for N50 or more depending on the quality of the nylon you are using.
Set Up an NGO for Climate Change Disaster and Relief Services: This type of NGO is going to be busy in the rainy season, providing supportive services for Nigerians who live in flood prone areas. The NGOs in this sector will be responsible for educating Nigerians in these areas on how to avoid flood disasters and also provide weather report and analysis so that they will prevent flood occurrences in their regions. Such an NGO will receive regular funds from foreign donors. You can make money from this by affiliating with already existing NGOs abroad. They have regular source of funding and they will be happy to have an affiliate agency here in Nigeria or Africa.
Make Mosquito Repellant Lotions: Earlier on we talked about Making Mosquito nets for sale. But you can also produce mosquito repellant lotions so repell mosquitoes which are in abundance in the rainy season. There a couple of different formulations you can make for your natural mosquito repellant. In general, what you are doing is diluting an essential oil that the mosquitoes find distasteful or which confuses them so they can’t bite you. The oil doesn’t mix with water, so you need to add them to other oils or to alcohol. It is important to use an oil or alcohol that is safe for your skin. You can sell in a small bottle after production for N100 to N300 depending on the size.
Produce Agro Products for Local and Foreign Consumption: Local products like cocoa, kola nut, banana, chili pepper, shea nut, okro, melon are products that you can start selling during this rainy season. All you need to do is to locate the exporters and start earning finders fee. If you have a small farmland, you can sell to retailers and start making money that exceeds your imagination.

The rainy season is an all year round event, so if you have the time and some money to invest in a business idea then check above the one that best describes your dream business or starting point. Discover the money making possibilities of each one and use them as your keys to success.

Learn How To Start Making Money Online In 10 Steps

In this article I will describe the basic steps how to start your online business. First of all I would like to say that there are many ways to make money online but in order to be successful, you have to follow certain steps. So here we go.

Step 1.

In order to make money online, you have to sell or promote something. So the first thing to do is to decide what to promote or sell. Here you have two options.

a. Promote your own product

b. Promote an Affiliate product

If you don’t have your own product, you can create one, but it will take you some time and also an investment is involved to create the product. If you decide to promote an affiliate product, there is no investment involved and also you save a lot of time. After you decide what to promote, you can go to the next step.

Step 2.

If you have decided to promote your own product, you have two options.

a. Create your own website and promote the product exclusively from there

b. Open a ClickBank account and list your product there, so other internet marketers will promote it for you, and you will pay them commission for every piece sold.

If you have decided to promote an affiliate product, again you have to open a ClickBank account, but here you do not list a product but you have to choose from the market place other people’s products to sell and get commission.

Step 3.

If you are promoting your own product, start creating your website. It is better to hire a professional for this job, because you don’t want other people to think that you are not an expert. The website should look professional.

If you are promoting an affiliate product, now is the time to choose the right product that will make money for you.

Step 4.

This step may be skipped by those promoting their own products.

How to choose product to promote from ClickBank?

In order to choose the best and most profitable affiliate product for you, look for the following things:

a. Your affiliate product must be related to topic that you like or to your hobbies or passions

b. To offer high commission in matter of cash and not percentage from the price

c. To have high Gravity (gravity above 80 and bellow 200 is perfect for beginners)

d. To have high quality Sales Page

e. To have high conversion rate (anything above 2.5% is good)

f. To have support by the vendor

Step 5.

This step may be skipped by those promoting their own products.

After selecting your affiliate product, you have to generate your Hop Link from Click Bank and then purchase your first domain name. I personally recommend Go Daddy for your domain. After purchasing your domain name, set up the forwarding option so when somebody visits your domain name, will be forwarded to the sales page of the product.

Step 6.

Generate your keywords related to your product. Start with the single keywords and then go to the long tail keywords.

Example for keywords related to Money Making Products: money, money making, make money, win money, earn money, easy money, etc.

Example for long tail keywords related to Money Making Products: make money online, make money online from home, how to make money online, home based business making easy money, how to make my online business profitable, etc.

You have to make a list of at least 50 keywords related to your product. Try to find keywords that have big number of searches in the search engine, but relatively low results.

The best tool to start is Google Keyword Tool

Step 7.

Start You Promotion

Here you have many options to choose from.

No matter if you promote your own product & services or an affiliate product those methods will bring you customers.

In order to get customers, you need traffic to your website or your domain and then forwarded to the sales page.

More traffic means more money in your bank account.

There are two options.

Option 1 – pay to get traffic

Option 2 – get traffic for free

The first method will bring you traffic relatively fast, but if you are beginner there is a risk of losing money.

The second method may take some time to bring you traffic but it is free of any risk and it is also totally free of charge. You have to spend some time working however

Step 8

Free Methods of Getting Traffic

a. Article Writing – write different articles about your product and publish them to the net. The best article publishing website is Ezine Articles

b. Social Networking – create accounts in Facebook and Twitter and start making friends and then inform them about your product.

c. Video Posting – create You Tube account and upload funny videos, then include your website or domain name in the video.

d. Free Classified Ads – USFreeAds is the best to start

e. Create your own blog and invite people to visit and tell you their opinion

f. Yahoo Answers – create an account and start answering questions related to your product and send the people to your articles and from there to the product.

There are hundreds of free methods to generate traffic but those are the most popular and effective. It is better if you focus on one or two of those methods at a time and not get involved with all simultaneously.

Step 9

Paid Methods of Getting Traffic

a. Google Ad Words – open an account and start you first advertising campaign. Be very careful with the keywords you use because there is a possibility of losing money

b. Press Release – create an account with PR Web and start publishing your press release. It is an expensive and more advanced technique however the results are great.

c. Hire a professional from Elance to write articles for you and publish them to the different websites.

Step 10

Make your first Online Dollar

If you follow the previous steps one by one and be consistent with your work, definitely you will make money online

The foundation of being a successful internet marketer is the knowledge you have in order to be able to implement all those steps. If you don’t have the knowledge or someone to help you and teach you, unfortunately you may be trying to make money online for years without any success.

If you want to be couched by the best internet marketer and have 24/7 live phone support and access to more than 450 hours of DVD quality tutorials, detailed blueprints how to use the hundreds of methods to make money online and more than 75 turnkey products for you to sell, and many more…

Visit the website bellow and join the club

Make Money From Home – Start a Business Directory

One way to make money from home that many people do not consider is starting a business directory. You could fill it up with work at home job opportunities and target that specific niche. Here are a few good reasons why this is a great way to make money at home.

1. You will never run out of prospects. Millions of people come online every day and Google search the “words work from home, make money from home, work at home jobs, home business”, and so on.

These are all prospects that could benefit from you developing a top rated work at home business directory. The key is to get enough traffic to your directory that you can can compete with all of the other online opportunities out there.

2. Your business directory should contain enough information that people view it as an authority site. This would include links to products you sell. It would also include links to your own business opportunities or affiliate sites you are promoting.

3. Money making opportunities are many in business directories. Many companies will pay you just to drive leads to their websites.

One example of this would be Cash Crate which as an online survey site. You can make much more money referring new people to this program than you can actually taking surveys yourself.

4. Many people are looking for legitimate jobs that they can do. This can be another source of income for you. Driving people to online job sites and getting paid when they fill out their contact information is a great way to make money from your business directory.

5. Have a top rated section that can include your top picks in your directory. This is a good way to use your credibility as a driving force to encourage someone to purchase a product or role in a program.

This is more effective if you have a blog or are doing online marketing where you are branding yourself as an Internet expert.

6. Another good thing to do with your business directory is build a mailing list from it. This is a good way to remind people to come back and visit your site. If you have a blog you can encourage them to subscribe to your RSS feed which will notify them every time you make an update to your blog.

There is no doubt you can make a lot of money from home with a top rated home business directory. Targeting the work and home niche can be a tremendous way to earn income from home.

Start A Woodworking Business In Your Home

It is possible to start a woodworking business in your home and make good living. However if you are new to this type business you will a plan. This plan will show you to get you woodworking business up and running in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The plan you choose to use should consider a number things in its outline. These woodworking business plans should include the following:

1. A Detailed Guide

This will be a guide that shows you step-by-step how to make money selling wooden furniture and small crafts in a cost-effective and timely manner. These will plans should how you make a profit quickly as possible so you can invest in your business. Making a profit quickly will allow you to upgrade you tools and work space allowing you to become more efficient and profitable.

2. How To Start Up You Woodworking Business In A Cost effective Manner

This business plan show you how to startup without investing a lot of money in expensive power tools. You also be given information to start this business from your home. This could mean using your garage or backyard shed. You could also consider using a utility room located at the back of your house.

3. How To Market Your Woodworking Business And Attract Customers

Starting a new business will require customers to buy your products. You could make the best product in the world, but if no one knows about them you will not make any money. If people don’t they exist you will not make any sales. That is why the business you use should use must teach about marketing and how to attract customers. This key to the success of your woodworking business and any other business you get involved. You need to attract customers who are interested in your product and you need to market the services and products you are selling.

4. This Plan Should Teach You How Build Wood Working Projects That Sell

Marketing products that will sell is key to your business success. These products should easy to produce and be produced in a cost-effective and timely manner. This will reduce the cost of manufacturing them and giving you a reasonable profit margin. Of course if they are popular items you will sell more of them and make more money. When you start making money on woodworking project that sell you invest in your business and improve the tools you are using and upgrade your workspace.

Best Regards

Tips On How To Start A Small Catering Business At Home

Are you looking for a good pastime where you can also earn some income? If you have the passion for cooking, then why don’t you try to invest in catering? If you are worried because you only have a limited amount of budget, then you can start your own catering business at home in order to lessen your expenses. If you decide to push through with the idea of investing in a catering business, then here are a few simple tips that can help you on how to start a home catering business.

The first tip on how to start a home catering business is to properly allocate your budget. Since you only have a limited amount of budget, it would be best to purchase all your supplies and equipments wholesale. This will provide you with a lot of discounts as buying items wholesale leads to the seller selling the items at a much cheaper price. If you think that your budget is really insufficient, then you can try asking for help from some agencies that offer financial support to small time business entrepreneurs. Other budding businessmen even use their properties as collateral just to have a sufficient amount of capital to start a small business. Purchase only those items and supplies that you need and are important.

The next tip on how to start a home catering business is to enhance your knowledge about the business in terms of doing research, enrolling in cooking subjects, and attending business seminars. Or, you can also get yourself involved with online tutorials and webinars about catering businesses. You should also widen your knowledge when it comes to the different kinds of foods to serve your customers. Some experience caterers would even try eating in famous restaurants and observe about the kinds of dishes that those popular restaurants serve their customers.

The final tip on how to start a home catering business is to have a very good and concrete business plan to be followed. This business plan will guide you on what to do. A good business plan includes proper budget allocation, proper time management, and proper business management. Since you are just starting with your business, you need to do a lot of sacrifices first. This includes being an accountant, a manager, an employee, a researcher, a treasurer, and many more. You should also see to it that you have the qualities of a good caterer that includes being patient, jolly, flexible, approachable, understanding, and open-minded.

Make Money Being Online – Tips To Help You Start Profiting From Home

There many different ways to make money being online. Quite simply, many off-line businesses that traditionally use off-line media to get their advertising message across are now going online to start profiting from the incredible resources the Internet offers.

There are many methods to make money being online, and no one way is the best. You can make money by having Google AdSense on your site, using search engine optimization, selling your own products, affiliate products, getting traffic by co-registration to your site, etc. It really doesn’t matter which method you choose, so long as you make a decision and stick with it.

As I’ve said often times before, many entrepreneurs find themselves derailed by acquiring information overload; this simply means they try to learn every possible moneymaking way on the Internet as possible, and therefore end up with too much information. They actually get so much online moneymaking information that they simply don’t know where to start, and end up quitting and going back to their day job.

Some of the best tips to help you make money being online is to simply pick something and start focusing on that. What are the quickest way to start making money? There are several.

First of all, affiliate programs offer a very good way to start making money on the Internet, because you don’t even need your own website. You can start building a mailing list and selling products at the same time by simply marketing other people’s price at a party work and develop for you.

Also, network marketing can be a great ways help you start to make money quickly and easily. If you apply it, this information will be to start to make money being online as quickly as possible, and to achieve financial freedom from the comfort of your own home.

What’s the most important part to making money online? Here it is: don’t delay, don’t wait for the perfect time; simply start taking action, and you will achieve success. Unfortunately, when it comes to starting a business, all too many people wait for the perfect time to act, and therefore never get their business off the ground. Start acting today, and you will make money being online faster than you ever thought possible.