If you have decided to work from home then the best way to make money from home is to start a home based business. You may work from home on various jobs and on contractual assignments but those may not make you rich. A home based business, if run well, can make you rich and financially independent. To secure a sound financial future, you should start a home based business and you should endeavor to succeed in it.Here are a few tips to succeed in a home based business.Do Not Buy The HypeEverything that is hyped is not bad but most hype is exaggerated. When you decide to start a home based business, venture into a domain that you specialize in. There may be a lot of hullaballoo about affiliate marketing but if you do not know how to create a network, how to market and sell products then such a program or idea would be futile for you, irrespective of how promising the idea may be. Do what you can do and do it in your own way. When you let your belief take the lead and you are driven by self confidence, you will succeed, the only difference would be whether it is sooner or later.Create A Niche Out Of Your ForteYou may be a good chef and might want to start a home based business of catering. You can work from home and you will make money from home with a catering business if you are a good chef but there are many good chefs in any major neighborhood, town or city. What is your specialty? Whether you are a chef or a programmer, you will have a certain forte, something or some facet of the skill that you are excellent with. You should make this forte a niche of its own. When your unique selling point or USP is something that others cannot match or beat, you would witness exponential growth of your home based business.Be Organized Right From The StartYou may work from home and make money from home with your home based business but you should always treat your venture as any traditional business. You must take care of all the registrations, licenses and insurances, should have the accounts organized and deal with every facet of the business professionally. You never know when you may need a loan from a bank or you would crack a big deal when your entire past profile would have to be presented.
Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions
Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:
An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.
If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.
Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.
After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:
Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.
Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.
Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.
I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.
There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.
According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?
As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.
When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.
While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.
So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:
The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.
Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.
If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.
When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.
And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.
What You Need To Know About An Internet Home Based Business
Internet home based business is one of the fastest growing segments of business these days. Many future business owners love the idea of a home based business compared to the expenses of an online business. Now not everyone is suited for an Internet business, but a lot of people are and the success they are finding is growing. Here is some information that will help you decide about an Internet home based business.Working on the Internet is a lot different than an offline job, but that does not mean it is not possible. The one thing that Internet does give you is endless possibilities which are something that people tend to like a lot. Starting a business is hard work no matter if you do it online or offline so keep this in mind.When it comes to working online and starting a business find something that you love to do. It can be a hobby or something that you have a lot of knowledge about. The main reason you choose something your passionate about you will tend to stick with it and success is much easier.Look over every option and do not discount any business opportunity. Once you starting looking for an online business many options will exist. Take your time and look over every possible opportunity. Many times people rush into an online business and it takes much longer for them to see success.Probably one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting an internet home based business is expecting too much too fast. No matter what you read or what anyone tells you it takes time to build an online business. Having a proven plan in place is a very good idea to help you keeping reaching your online goals.Look and see what is working well for others online. Many people are afraid to ask or seek help from other online people. Do not make this mistake as there are many online business professionals who are more than willing to lend you a hand. The Internet has plenty of free information as well you will be able to access as well.Running an online business is something that many people are trying these days. It is not easy and it will take some work on your part. By starting an Internet home based business you can control your future and the type of money you want to earn as well.Internet home based business is something that is growing at a very fast rate. With more and more jobs being eliminated going online is a logical choice. Starting your own online business will take some work, but the rewards can be worth it.