The First Rule: Invest in Yourself

By Ian Pelham

By far the most important rule in Internet Marketing, and one that you MUST remember, is that you should always "Invest in Yourself!"

This saying gets repeated over and over again by a great many people and yet it is possibly one of the least acted upon rules out there. Chances are you don't really know what it even means. Let me explain.

An internet business isn't a building. It isn't a place...not a real physical place. An internet business exists only in cyber space and in the heart and mind of the owner of that internet business.

Basically, your internet business is YOU. You are the heart of your business, giving it the identity that it has.

You could make cosmetic changes to the outside of a real world business and people would be drawn in after seeing that improvements had been made, and look inside to see how your decor had changed and whether your product lines had changed.

With an online business you can change the look of your website but to make any real impact on your internet business you need to make improvements to yourself. You need to invest in yourself. It's not easy but you can't improve your internet business unless you improve yourself first.

The question you might ask is, "How do I invest in myself and what do I invest in myself"? Well, I'm not talking about getting a $200 haircut or a designer suit. I'm talking about learning and expanding your knowledge base so that your business can benefit from it.

If you devote only one single hour a day to reading newsletters or articles that pertain to your business, it will add up to a lot of hours every month and you will be investing in yourself.

Enrol in a couple of courses, listen to teleseminars and webinars. These are the kinds of things that allow you to invest in yourself most effectively. This is the most important thing in online marketing.

'Abundance Thinking' is the step that follows Investing in Yourself.

What is 'Abundance Thinking'? There are two ways to think about business. The first is to believe that there are only a set number of customers out there and that you need to steal customers from your competitors in order to survive. This is 'Limited Supply' thinking and it is a very damaging way of approaching your business.

If you put this kind of thinking to work in your business, you might do okay...even make a fairly good living. Limited-supply thinking is the opposite of abundance thinking.

'Abundance Thinking' is the belief that there is a constant supply of new customers arriving in the marketplace, each with the power to bring even more customers with them via referrals etc. This mode of thinking is believes there is enough to go around for everyone and encourages us to work with others instead of against.

Abundance thinking is the belief that we are all stronger together than we are separately and that by helping one another we each become stronger individually. This principle when applied to internet marketing is usually the more productive of the two schools of thought.

Limited Supply thinking makes to selfish and reluctant to share ideas, methods, customers, etc with others. What is yours is yours and no-one else's. Many decisions are reactive ones based on your competitors perceived tactics. Very defensive and not with the customers interests at heart.

Abundance thinking is a proactive, offensive method. It concentrates on building good relationships with customers, suppliers, even competitors. It is the mark of a well adjusted, mature, competent and successful person.

If you believe that there is plenty of business out there (Abundance Thinking) then you will have no problem in sharing.

The beautiful thing about abundance thinking is that it is contagious. The better you get at abundance thinking the more accepting of you your peers will become.

Joint ventures won't be a problem to put together. There is more success in abundance thinking than there is in limited-supply thinking. - 15790

About the Author:

Ian Pelham is a marketer who has come through a very difficult time financially. He used debt consolidation loans to restructure his finances. Using a debt consolidation loan was one of the best things he did to rid himself of his bad debt.

Dog Walking: How To Get Started

By Pamella Neely

Before starting a dog walking business, you need to familiarize yourself with the different dog breeds, and their care and maintenance needs. All of this requires meticulous planning and attention to detail, or your business may do poorly and fail. Formulate a solid plan and be methodical as you construct your business.

The first thing you have to do is identify your market. Figure out where your potential customers are located by conducting a bit of research. Some of your potential customers will be people who work long hours each day, while others may be elderly or handicapped. There will be others who will only require your services during holidays, or while they are on vacation. Do not forget to check out the competition. You can do all of this by going online and conducting a quick search.

Another important step in planning your dog walking business is to create an estimate of your start up costs. Fortunately, the majority of your start up costs will be related to pamphlets and other advertising, dog supplies, and business cards. As you plan your budget, remember to allow for any unexpected expenses that might come up. Also, be sure to obtain a business license and insurance before you start accepting customers.

The most crucial thing in getting your business going is advertising. Distribute your business cards to vets, stores that specialize in pet supplies, and your friends. Telling your friends and associates might just be one of the most efficient ways of building up your client base. Make sure to incorporate special promotions such as discounts for handicapped individuals or the elderly. After you have established your business, you might decide that you want to diversify by offering other services to your customers.

Another great way to gain exposure is by getting listed with one of the pet publications, or perhaps an online directory. Whenever people are looking for dog walkers or pet sitters, they refer to these. There are also various pet care organizations that you can contact about advertising. Becoming a member of one of these is a great idea so that you can get acquainted with the most recent developments in pet care, and to circulate with other pet sitters.

For each client that you acquire, you should create a contract that spells out the specifics of your job. This information should include the name of the dog you will be walking, how much money you are charging the client, the dates and time periods that you are scheduling for the dog, and the other services that you may be providing. It is important that you remember to have leashes, a first aid kit, and poop bags on hand.

Always keep your eyes and ears open to discover new ways and means to enhance your business. Continue diversifying and adding to your client base. This way your dog walking business will turn out to be a roaring success. - 15790

About the Author:

Pamella Neely writes about how to start your own dog walking business.

Online Marketing: Work From Home

By fifty two

These days, a great number of people are looking for a high potential home based business opportunity. A quality home based business opportunity could be a potent second career, or a career change that can change your life. Let's take a look at a few of the possibilities that can be right for you.

Many of the best home based job ventures that you can find are internet endeavors. An online based opportunity has a lot of good features when measured up to different types of home based businesses. Having an internet based venture, you will get some nice bonuses that you won't have in different areas of work.

I think the most outstanding characteristic of a properly built internet operation is that it will work for you all day, all year. This one advantage, alone, shows us that it makes an internet based venture a powerful alternative when looking for a home based business. Just think about how nice it would be owning a business that creates income while you're doing nothing.

There are a collection of typical methods that one can choose from to earn an income online. We can break this list of potential choices apart into just two definitive lists. The lists are 1, being hired by someone, and second, being self employed.

The initial list will involve the sort of work that you get a job, and are paid by, a business. We will show you a lot of different categories of internet based, stay at home, employment out there for you. Some examples will include, virtual assistant, virtual secretary, and writing adds.

There isn't much that you need to get work doing one of these work at home jobs Definitely, you need to be trained, or prepared to learn, to perform the work the job requires. Almost for sure you will also need phone services for nearly all of these various jobs.

The last, and most obvious, thing that all online workers need is your own computer. If you're good, many of these companies are very happy with a work from home arrangement. The business gains not just from your work, and your equipment, but also saves work space.

The other list is of careers that are for any of you who choose to be their own boss. The various businesses you might find are composed of, website development, auction sales, and publishing. This short list is simply a little taste of the various ways to make a living that you will find.

Choosing any of these ventures, you are self employed. It will be up to you to plan how much effort you put into this, and you will be wearing all the hats in your new business. The chance to make a lot of money is there, as are the required efforts, when operating your very own online company.

Generally speaking, it is very beneficial to set out on this new business as a second job. This usually will reduce the stress as you initiate this new opportunity. Down the road, if you are happy with the results, you can choose whether you will switch over to your profitable venture full time.

Work from home careers seem to be the future. Do the work, and ferret out all the potential choices that could be a good fit for you. If you do things right, you will find financial success. - 15790

About the Author:

a site that is frequently down will lose a lot of visitors. and don't count on the 'spell check' on your computer to find all the errors. i was always amazed at how few of my competitors bothered with this". instead of making multiple monthly payments on different loans, you would have only one monthly payment. best home based business

Salary Negotiation 101

By Trevor Davide Grant

A colleague of mine was asking me about how to approach a potential new employer about their salary expectations, and the timing of the conversation. They were worried it might set the wrong impression or give the employer a negotiating edge if they discussed the salary too soon. My rule of thumb is to never lie to any employer about your salary history or salary expectations, but to avoid the discussion until you have nearly gotten the job.

When I have been pressured by HR for an response to that question in the past, my preferred approach is outlined in the following checklist.

1) The approach I would take would be to ask to table the question until later in the interview or for another day. It is important to me that we have first come to a common understanding on the roles and responsibilities of the job, and also, the type of experience I bring to the job, and what I will be contributing to the new company. I would prefer to be paid in line with the current job market and within the companies standards for this role.

2) If put on the spot to respond during the interview, and they insist on knowing my previous salary, I mention the total value of what I expect for salary and all compensation. That includes cash, as well as benefits and other perks. I will mention holiday time, quality of life factors, and other things like pension and health plans. I also explain that what is most important to me is that the job offer is fair within the market rather than based on what I made in the past.

3) While you may feel you are a high performer, you also may be somewhere above average but not commanding the highest pay. Know the salary range for the job you are applying to, but be realistic when setting your percentile level for your salary expectation. The majority of people are between the 25% and 75% level. Remember that the employer will confirm your performance level with your past employers at reference checking time.

4) Regardless of your past salary that you earned in that job role, you should expect to be paid fairly for the current market conditions. You should explain to the new employer that regardless of your past salary, whether it was at or below the market range, you would like to be paid at the salary level that is fair. Your reasons for having a lower than average salary in the past are not pertinent to the new job, and your life situation has changed. Therefore your goal is to have a fair salary negotiation that both sides will be pleased with.

5) If you disclose your salary history information, remember to state your case about the relevance of the information. You may give your personal reasons for accepting the lower pay, but most important is to explain you want the outcome of the salary negotiation to be one where both parties are respected, and that they feel a sense of win-win in the outcome.

Whatever you to, be completely truthful during interviews. The employer has many ways of getting information and they will find out your true salary history if they are so determined. They will also learn about your past performance, and they may even ask you to produce a pay stub to prove your past salary. Remember you're a highly skilled worker, and you bring a lot of value to the position. You just need the skills to communicate that value clearly and effectively to the new employer. - 15790

About the Author:

Trevor Davide Grant is a project manager in the information technology field and has extensive experience in salary negotiation. Trevor has worked for large telecom, power generation, software project consulting, and a prominent social networking website. He has learned how to negotiate a salary in the most effective way. Learn great tips on the topic of salary negotiation at www.HowToNegotiateASalary.com.

Stock Market - Basic principles - Part 4 of 4

By Zigfred Diaz

In this article we will be discussing the last three principles of investment in the stock market. In the past articles we have already discussed the first seven princles. If you want to see the entire article, visit my blog.

8.) Take time to study- Investing in the stock market requires that you should take time to study what it's all about. You can't expect to succeed if think that you can just place in your money and hope that it will somehow grow by itself. Studying a lot of books and materials on the stock market will certainly help. When I first started investing I searched for materials in the internet regarding the stock market especially the Philippine stock market. I bought the "investor's primer" from the Philippine stock exchange. This is a great material for those who are new to the Philippine stock market.

You can also attend seminars on how to trade in the stock market. Several brokerage firms have conducted free seminars for those who are new to the stock market. I attended a 2 day seminar by CITISEC Online last year. CITISEC online is one of the most innovative, well managed and most active brokerage firms in the country. The information that you could learn is astounding. Studying the stock market requires continual study. You should not stop learning.

You should read all the materials and attend all the seminars you can to further expand your knowledge You should not give up when there are terms you could not understand. For example reading this article alone may give you a headache since there are words that you can't relate to. Words such as "points, "Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi), "Blue Chips" or "Bull run" may sound foreign to you. What is worse is that you don't even understand what a stock is. It does not matter. I started out not knowing what some of these things are.

Most of these things were never taught in school. But I learned slowly by reading and experiencing it myself. You should watch the movie "Pursuit of Happyness" You will be inspired on how one man's struggle to learn the stock market has led him to make millions through stock market trading.

9.) You must know your current events - A lot of factors can affect the stock market. You should read the news paper as this may give you a clue on what direction the market may take. More importantly you should read the business news as this may give you an idea as to which stock you should buy. I read the Philippine Daily Inquirer everyday in order to have an idea where the market is headed.

10.) Don't delay today is the best day to start - Experience is the best way to learn. You may start small but the most important thing is that you start right away. Put off procrastination. Study how to go about it without rushing, but don't delay. If you already know the basics about investments start buying your first stock. Making your first profit from your first sale is truly rewarding. - 15790

About the Author:

Would you want to know more about investment strategies ? Visit the blog of Zigfred Diaz where he blogs about several interesting topics such as investments, financial management, business, making financial online and How to invest in the Philippine stock market