Step One:

To begin, take a piece of paper, a pen or pencil, or open a word processing document and start listing all or your skills and talents. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What skills have you learned throughout your life? And most importantly, what are your passions?

It is important to be objective because often we don’t give ourselves credit for the skills and talents we have. We just assume that if we can do it everyone can. That is definitely not the case. If you are having problems doing this ask family members, coworkers or friends to tell you what your skills and talents are. We are seen much differently by others than we see ourselves.

Once you have determined what your strengths are, it is important to truthfully identify your weaknesses. We all hate to admit we are not good at something, but when it comes to running a business, it is critical for everyone to know what they are good at and where they need some help. No one can be good at everything, so admitting a weakness has no relevance to whether you will be successful or not. In fact, by admitting and accepting your weaknesses you can proactively find alternative solutions so you can focus on your strengths.

Step Two:

How much time will you have to devote to your new business? This is where many people make mistakes. They are overly optimistic about how much free time they have to devote to the business. Unfortunately, life often gets in the way eating away valuable time. The amount of time you will have available will impact the type of business you choose.

A very good method to accurately determine how much time you will have available is to track how you spend your time. Choose days that are representative of your life, not days that are unusual. You will want to do this for at least a week so that you can document but weekdays and weekends. You may also want to track your time during different seasons. For example, in the fall your kids may be in school activities that require you to drive them around, but in the spring they have no activities or fewer activities leaving you more free time.

The time spent watching television is one area where people find large chunks of time to build their business. I know most people enjoy watching television, but there is no true benefit received, besides some relaxation. Think of how much you could accomplish towards building your business instead of watching TV.

As you are planning out your work schedule it is important to remember time with friends and family. One of the primary reasons people start a business is to have a better life, not to be a slave to the business. Granted, you need to diligently work at your business, but don’t forget to enjoy life along the way.

Step Three:

Now it is time to decide how you are going to finance your business. The best way to determine how much money you will need to start your business is to create a business plan and cash flow summary. Be realistic, typically businesses exceed their projected start up costs by at least 25% or more. It’s better to be cautious early on then to have the stress of running out of money later.

Something else to consider is your risk tolerance? Are you pretty cautious with your money and are looking for a lower rate of return for your business but a higher chance of success? Or, are you ready to take more risk for a higher rate of return? That is a personal decision and neither is right or wrong, it just depends on you.

Where are you going to get your start-up money? Are you going to finance your business from savings or from your current job, or do you plan on borrowing money from a bank, friends or family members? Or maybe you are taking on a partner and giving them a percentage of the company in exchange for start-up capital. If you are borrowing money from friends or family it is a good idea to have the agreement in writing in case there are any discrepancies in the future. It is much better to lay out the agreement in the beginning then to try to piece it together after there has been a misunderstanding and feelings are hurt.

Step Four:

The next step is to do some research. Take a look at the types of businesses that match your skills or talents. Take some time to research the market for these products or services. Is the market young or mature? Is it under or over developed? Are there changes that can be made to existing businesses to improve the market or service? Don’t be afraid to be creative, but do market tests before committing to something entirely new.

This is also the time for your due diligence. If you are looking at getting into an existing business it is critical to your success that you dig into the business opportunities to determine whether they are legal, the businesses are strong, the products are high quality, and there is plenty of support and training. Before making any final decisions it is always a good idea to meet with your accountant and/or attorney to see if they see any red flags.

Step Five:

Now that you have made your decision it is time to get busy. This time is both exciting and overwhelming. If you have never owned your own business it is a good idea to search out some good books on starting businesses. Many times you can find books written specifically for your industry.

Additionally, many cities have a program called SCORE (www.score.org) which provides free and confidential business advising. Another place to find good information to help your business succeed is your local Chamber of Commerce. Joining the Chamber may or may not be a good choice for your business, but typically Chamber’s of Commerce have many resources available to members and non-members.

Step Six:

Enjoy!

Being unemployed is one of the worst dilemmas a person can face – it brings up the most damaging emotions we have . . . fear, loss, hate, dread, panic, diminished self respect, and we could go on and on. In addition to losing their job, many are on the verge of losing their biggest investment – their home. 

The unemployed need some kind of hope to bring them through this period of their lives. Right now, as we look at the state of our economy, it’s not very encouraging, and it could be several years before we have a healthy and robust economy again. They need to find something that can quickly bring money into their lives. 

What if there was some way these people could, for a very small initial investment, replace their employment income? There is a way, and it’s called gifting or peer-to-peer wealth building.

First let me tell you some of the reasons why gifting is such a great activity for anyone who is unemployed.

1. People need money NOW. They don’t have time to build a huge downline (network marketing) before a reasonable amount of money can be received.
2. You can start receiving money almost immediately in a well functioning gifting program.
3. There is a small one-time investment required to get into a good program, and it is flexible. No monthly subscription fees, no need to dip into one’s savings.
4. The unemployed have eight free hours a day, or the equivalent of the time their previous job required (plus the time spent commuting), to spend developing a new business for themselves.
5. Unemployed people usually know others who are unemployed and could use help.

Now, before we go on to talk about what elements are involved in a good gifting program, it must be understood that there is effort involved, and one should never get involved in any program unless they are willing to invest the time and effort that is needed to be successful . . . it’s no different than any other activity where monetary compensation is involved. The difference is that the payout comes much more quickly in a gifting program.

A legitimate gifting program can be very beneficial for anyone, whether they need money to pay their bills or if they simply want to increase their nest egg. I know of one gifting program that has been operating for more than seven years, has around 300,000 members, has put a half billion dollars in the members’ pockets and operates in more than 60 countries. Not bad for an activity that requires a one-time, out-of-pocket investment and can be done out of the home.

There are many who think gifting is an illegal activity and a pyramid scheme. This is not true. The gifting rules for the United States can be found in the IRS TAX CODE, Title 26, Sections 2501-2504 and 2511.  There are, however, gifting programs that operate illegally just like other scam programs. However, they are short lived and collapse pretty quickly on their own or are shut down by authorities.

These are some things that should raise the red flag when looking into gifting programs.

1. There is company ownership.
2. It is not treated as a private activity and is blatantly advertised as a business.
3. The money is funneled to the top of a "pyramid" where only the owners make money and the activity of the members is strictly to recruit people.

The activity of a well-designed gifting program is by invitation only. It is composed of like-minded people who willingly give and receive gifts of money. There is no company ownership, and all gifts of money are distributed to the members . . . 100% in, 100% out. A good program should provide members with their own website to use as a presentation tool and should include a well functioning back office to track and accommodate the giving and receiving of monies. This is usually funded by a small subscription fee.

A typical gifting program is based on a "1 Up" system. There are variations; however, this system is the most common.

To make this easy to understand, let’s say you are a member of a gifting activity. You have invited two people (we’ll call them Bob and Mary) to join you, and Bob and Mary each invited two people to join them. You now have six members in your group.

Let’s say you all made pledges of $100. The 1 Up system is designed so the pledges of Bob and Mary go to the person who invited you. The pledges of Bob’s two people and Mary’s two people would be received by you – you have now received $400 and pledged $100. At this time you would take $100 of the $400 you received and pledge again to keep yourself active in the system and ready to receive again. You would then have $300 remaining, and that would be yours to keep.

You can invite as many people as you like into a gifting program and keep pledging and receiving time and time again. There may also be a tax benefit in gifting. Since the taxes on the gift have already been paid by the pledgor, many times it is not required to be included in the gross income of the recipient and taxed again. But, check with your accountant just to be sure your situation isn’t different.

Since gifting is such a quick way to bring money in, I predict it will become one of the most popular home-based business activities.

To learn more about gifting programs and how you can get involved, contact Swanie Brandt directly at swanie@powerimage.com, or you can visit www.powerimage.com/g1g4.

Swanie Brandt has been involved in the network marketing industry for more than 8 years and has extensive experience and knowledge in getting past the network marketing “hype” and focusing on achieving success. Her primary goal is helping people succeed in the network marketing industry so they can attain the dreams they envision.

Why do you think 97% of network marketers fail? They come into the industry with great enthusiasm and expectations, so why do they fail? The bottom suddenly falls out of their dream, and here are some reasons why.

1. There are thousands of network marketing opportunities out there, but the truth is, only a SMALL number of them are worth getting involved with.
2. Many of the people who develop the network marketing programs don’t know what they’re doing, don’t have the capital available to do it properly and don’t know anything about marketing.
3. Marketing is miserably executed by even some of the more legitimate programs; some of which have been around for several years – struggling, but still viable enough to stay alive.
4. There is so much hype, exaggeration and downright lies floating around, it has gotten to the point where nobody believes anybody. This is unfortunate for the legitimate opportunities that really do have a program that works and works well.
5. When you are told distributors easily make six-figure monthly incomes by only working a few hours a week, run immediately in the other direction or at least do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line. Yes, that is definitely a possibility, and many network marketers make staggering incomes. But, this did not happen overnight for them; they worked hard and steady, and I doubt very much they would tell you it was easy at the beginning. After all, anything worth having is worth time, attention and effort.
6. Too often network marketers tell anyone they talk to that they would do great in the business and make lots of money. Network marketing is a business just like a brick and mortar business. You need to have knowledge on how a business operates and the tax laws involved. You must ask yourself whether you’re happier being an "entrepreneur" or an "employee."
7. Most network marketing opportunities tell you there is no selling involved. Don’t kid yourself. There isn’t a business of any kind alive today that doesn’t have sales of some sort in place. What you want are prospects interested in what you have to offer – then selling comes easy.
8. It seems difficult for the deeply-entrenched network marketing companies, who have been around and successful for a long time, to embrace the internet for marketing. They have their company information, distributor back offices, etc. online, but they still do their prospect training the old fashioned way.

   I recall a few years ago when I was involved with a nutritional company, I approached my director (he was in corporate) about doing prospecting online. He laughed at me and told me it would never work. They believed in the "everyone that breathes wants to be in your business" and the "three-foot rule" (everyone three feet from you wants to be in your business), "make a list of 100 people you know" because they all want to be in your business (?), etc. This is archaic – it doesn’t work! Incidentally, this company now does some prospecting online.

9. Unfortunately with many of the network marketing companies, it’s only a few at the top that ever make any money. They keep this well hidden, and new distributors don’t discover it right away. These companies thrive on the entrance fees paid by the steady flow of new distributors joining the program. They give no support to their distributors, even though they say they do, and when the "well" dries up, they move on and reintroduce the same program, giving it a different name.

My intention is not to scare you. Network marketing can give you a wonderful life style and generate great income. Many people are truly living their dream. You must, however, know what you’re doing. If you are thinking about entering the network marketing industry, study it carefully and diligently and check the opportunities carefully. There are some wonderful and legitimate programs out there, and besides that, network marketing is a viable and economical distribution method. You just need to find the right one for you.

To learn more about the lies being told about network marketing, how to get past them and plot your own course, visit www.powerimage.com/7lies and download “7 Great Lies of Network Marketing."

Swanie Brandt has been involved in the network marketing industry for more than 8 years and has extensive experience and knowledge in getting past the “hype” and uncovering the crippling truth about the “lies” being told. She focuses on helping people succeed in the network marketing industry so they can attain the dreams they envision.

The question “How do I get customers to choose me over the competition” is an age-old question. From the time of Cleopatra to the present business owners and sales people all wonder the same thing. Why is it that some people never have a lack of customers and others seem to struggle for every single one? Is there a magic spell or ritual that they use to “bewitch” customers? Were they just born with a special talent, or maybe they are just lucky.

Well, the answer is yes to all of the above. But it’s not what you think . . . There are a set of skills and actions you can take to become “one of those people.” Some people were lucky to learn them early on in life, while others weren’t exposed to them until later. The bottom line is by learning these skills and actions everyone can be one of the “lucky” ones and have customers come to them in droves.

The most important piece to the puzzle is you. Are you trustworthy? Are you credible? Do you live up to your word? People choose to work with people they trust. People who make them feel secure. People they know they can count on if something goes wrong. You may look great on paper, have all the experience and credentials, but if your customer doesn’t get a warm fuzzy feeling from you, he or she will go elsewhere. Remember, people claim they make decisions based on logic, when in reality they make decisions based on emotion and then justify them with logic.

How much time to you spend developing who you are as a person? Have you taken a good look at your level of self-confidence? Do you believe in yourself? Do you follow through on what you say? You can snow people for awhile, but deep down their gut will tell them you’re a fake. Take time to work on developing yourself. Find out who you really are and who and where you want to be.

So many people are operating on autopilot. They are doing what they think they should be doing or what someone else told them to do. Unfortunately, many times it is not what they truly want to do. The saddest part is that they are miserable and they have no idea why. Take the time to get to know your true self and them progress from there. Once you are true to yourself and you are doing what you like, your customers will have a higher comfort level with you and your business.

Make each and every customer feel special. Remember little things about them and take care of them. The more you engage with your customer and become a trusted resource the less likely they are to go elsewhere. Just remember, you’re not trying to become their best friend, just a very trusted resource.

This is much easier now with CRM programs and computer sales records. You can keep track of things you learn about your customer on the computer so you don’t have to keep everything in your head. For example, a Happy Birthday message is almost always welcomed by customers, even if you haven’t done business with them for awhile. This will keep you on the top of their mind when a need for your products or services comes up again.

Finally, stay relevant. Make sure your knowledge and skills are current with the market. Invest in extra training or read trade magazines or books. Schedule a few minutes every day to increase your knowledge base, it can be as little as 15 minutes. Just do it! This is another attribute that your customer will appreciate and will put you ahead of the competition.

What do you really want in life?

Most people don’t discover what they want in life until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.

People spend the best years of their lives doing things they dislike or watching television. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?

What do you really want in life?

Most people struggle in answering such a question. Many are unsure when asked what they want or what their goals in life are. They flitter throughout their days, hardly giving any thought about what they want in life. People without definite goals are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?

If you are undecided about what you want out of life, don’t worry.  There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.

To discover what you want in life, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others want them to be. The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you.

You must listen to your heart to hear your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love to do and this represents your passion. Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance.

You will completely enjoy doing things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately get what you want in life. Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny.

However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart. The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance – the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.”

Listen to your instinct. Part of human nature is the mysterious and spontaneous reaction to things. Often times, these are called instincts. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via instincts. Instincts are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.

Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children? Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve their dreams? Do they dream big at all?

Remember, it is your destiny that is on the line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.

There is only thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and live greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his brightest life will look like. Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.