Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Twenty Ways to find the Work you love
Gardening Tips For Landscaping A Slope Or A Hill
A couple of great tips on gardening on a slope are to plant trees and shrubs. Their root system will slow water runoff, especially during heavy rainstorms, and anchor the soil. Tall perennial grasses also work well on hills and require no maintenance. View the rest of this article
Dazzling top tips on how to give your jewelry the care it deserves
So, make your “shiny†investments have a long and happy life by following 8 simple tips.
1. As soon as you take off your jewelry, make sure to dry it clean with a soft cloth. It prevents dark stains that appear when the jewelry is in contact with wet skin.
2. Don’t forget to take off the jewelry while doing the housework. You should be especially careful with gold-plated items.
3. It’s better to take off the jewelry when you apply beauty products containing mercury and sulf View the rest of this article
Ebay Ebook Success: How to create your own Resellable Ebook
1) Come up with an Idea:- First you need to come up with an idea for your resellable ebook. This is by far the hardest part of the process. Howe View the rest of this article
Win With Private Label Rights
What if that person also told you that besides being able to do so, you could actually profit from that work and not be liable for any copyright infringement?
If you haven't heard of private label rights, then most likely you'd think they were pulling your leg. But all the above are true if you are able secure these rights.
But what are private label rights?
To understand why private label rights are so special, you need to know about resale and master resale first.
Resale rights are simply permission from the owner of a work (a book, for example) to allow you to take the said material and dist View the rest of this article
GUARANTEE $5.00 FOR EVERY FREE SIGN UP! JOIN FREE
Monday, July 30, 2007
Unfair Discrimination Ruling Signals What’s Ahead
“Learn How To Control Acne Vulgaris By Getting To The Root Of Itâ€
FDA Consulting assistance with FDA Regulations, FDA Compliance and FDA Validation
CFSAN and the effects FDA compliance failure
FDA compliance programs are documents created by agencies that guide Agency field offices for investigations, inspections, sample collections, sample analysis, and regulatory activities in defined program areas, such as d View the rest of this article
Sunday, July 29, 2007
9 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve & Enhance Your Breasts
1. Sensuality and sexuality are not opposed to or the enemy of spirituality. Celebrate the sensuality of your body!
2. Adopt positive female role models by having beautiful female images to view at home and at work.
3. Enjoy nurturing yourself. You need to massage your breasts and/or pamper yourself with a massage or your favorite spa treatment. It is a MUST survival skill.
4. Eat a little of soy-based products, such as soy milk, tofu, and tempeh regularly can help blocking the tendency for breast tissues to bond with extra estrogens that can cause disorder in healthy the functioning of breast tissue.
5. Put View the rest of this article
Bathing Children the Right Way
Search Engine Optimization Tips are quite helpful for everyone
Search engine optimization will tell you about various aspects of this View the rest of this article
Herbal Tea Recipes That Can Enhance Your Breasts
Here, you can find 2 breast enhancement tea recipes to try it out!
1) Breast Enhancement & Good Complexion Tea
Ingredients
5 grams of Dandelio View the rest of this article
Solar hot water heaters
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Deca Durabolin (Nandrolone Decanoate) Profiles by TerePharmacy
Penis Enlargement Surgery And What Can Go Wrong
Mobile Phones Purchase Made Easy
Group Cruises – The Superior Alternative to Resorts
Planning a corporate event, family reunion, wedding, or any group activity is a challenge. You can spend countless hours contacting lots of different vendors to book rooms, schedule, entertainment or plan activities… or you can make one phone call. With one point-of-contact you can create a custom event that includes deluxe accommodations, extensive dining options, travel to exciting locations, and more, in one complete package. What’s this refreshing change from the usual resort event? Group cruises!
Group Cruises Are Convenient and Customizable
All big events require coordination and advance planning in order to be successful. If you’ve ever organized a f View the rest of this article
Friday, July 27, 2007
Hair Extensions New York will make your look elegant
Today extensions are revolutionizing the hair fashion industry. Hairs are very important for your looks and a perfect hair cut will surely enhance your looks and appearance. People are becoming more conscious about their style and fashion they are opting for their looks. These days, people are becoming more and more conscious about sty View the rest of this article
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Cheapest price or luxury upgrade - How to get the best of both worlds when booking flights from Birmingham Airport
Where to look
Once you know when and where you are going get as many quotes as possible. With so many options available it can be more than a little confusing, but these are my top t View the rest of this article
Compact Home Gyms Have Arrived
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
San Francisco Union Square Hotels
San Francisco is all about life. This city has got it all and is well depicted by the words of Herb Caen, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, "One day if I do go to heaven...I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.'" This is San Francisco for you. The city has it View the rest of this article
Discover How Breast Cancer Awareness Can Benefit You
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
free self hypnosis and free self help
At karmanetics we take pride in helping others
everything is free, from stopping smoking to weightloss
http://www.free-self-hypnosis.org View the rest of this article
What Is Alzheimers Disease?
Who will take down Big Pharma first — Michael Moore … or us?
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Diet That Taste Great
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Acquired Hope
Penis Enlargement – A Test of Endurance
The Different Types Of Twin Pregnancies
Weight Loss and Exercise For a Growing Child
healthy foods but if it'll make me skinnier, what good foods should I eat? Thank you for answering these questions!!"
Here is my answer and honestly, I truly tried to keep it short!
"It is wonderful that you are interested in being healthy and strong - losing weight will happen if you eat well and exercise well.
Since you don't like to exercise, but say that you like to run, I assum View the rest of this article
Natural Hair Care Tips
While choosing your styling products, make sure that the main component is not alcohol. Presence of too much of alcohol tends to make your hair dry.
Avoid putting your hair styling products directly on your scalp. Doing so will clog the pores on your head.
Before entering a pool, wet your hair so your hair will soak up the initial water instead of the chlorinated water in the swimming pool. When swimming, remember to wear a cap to protect your hair from chlorinated water. In case you are not wearing a cap make sure that you shampoo and condition your hair properly after your swimming is over.
Hot air can be damaging to your hair. So avoid or minimize the use of hair View the rest of this article
Saturday, July 21, 2007
If You Love Cream Cheese, This Is For You
The Serene World of Winter Foot Wear
Friday, July 20, 2007
Why Night Sweats Occur and Hot To Stop Them
In order to stop night sweats naturally you
should learn about the mechanics of sweating. There is no reason why you should
suffer from night sweats ever again. Once you understand how sweating evolves,
you will have the knowledge to make night sweats stop.
Your Body Uses The Following Methods To
Keep Itself Cool:
* Radiation (radiant energy)
Unsecured loans: the people’s loan
What charges and penalties you may have to pay on your loan?
NYC Moving Company will make your shifting less chaotic
Virgin Gorda travel highlights
Virgin Gorda is part of the British Virgin Islands in the British West Indies, as one of about 60 islands in the BVI, mostly uninhabited. As the third largest island in the BVI, Virgin Gorda has around eight square miles of land area as it's 10 miles long by about 2 miles wide with around 1,400 permanent residents. Christopher Columbus must have thought that it resembled a robust woman recling as he named it fat virgin along with the whole island chain named for Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin followers.
A great majority of the vacationers go to the Caribbean for the beaches and on Virgin Gorda, arguably the best beach to be found is at The Baths.
Here you w View the rest of this article
<B>Majorca without the crowds</B>
However, there are plenty of places on Majorca where you can escape the crowds. Deserted sandy coves, where mountains meet the sea, and remote beaches, only accessible by boat or on foot, are perfect for a quiet holiday. In the traditional rural villages, surrounded by olive and almond groves, with their centuries-old monasteries and delightful bars and cafes, you can mix it with the locals and g View the rest of this article
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Columbia Is Not Just For Coffee
Vacationing With The Dead
As knowing tourist places of Panama 2
It can also be area of swamps In the Gulf you can visit the Humedales that were declared I Siege Ramsar from 1990. To protect marine species, places of View the rest of this article
All Inclusive Vacations
All Inclusive Vacations
Vacations are the time when you can forget the practical world and indulge in the activities you always wanted to do. The best part of any vacation is the al new terrain or land that gives you enough opportunities to explore it and have the pleasures you always longed for. And if you are going on a family vacation or honeymoon then a properly planned vacation trip is all about having the most wonderful memories which you will take back from the trip. One such way of having the best time during your vacations is going in for all inclusive vacati View the rest of this article
Mesquite Hotels
Mesquite, is a beautiful city in the state of Nevada. Once you are there in the Mesquite city, you fill find endless options and events that will keep you busy all the time and will let you enjoy the best of the moments in your life. That is the why according to the people in the city of Mesquite, if you come here for a day, you will opt to stay here for a lifetime. And this is no exaggeration of the bountiful options the city can offer to its visitors as well as residents. Mesquite, Nevada is truly a city that has all the modern life amenities well settled in beautiful surroundings.
Mesquite, Nevada is located in the great Virgin River valley and is a center that has bloomed very well for casino and resort gateways. Every year thous View the rest of this article
Laughlin Hotels
Laughlin is a beautiful city situated along the banks of Colorado River close to the Arizona and California borders. It is in the extreme southwest corner of Nevada. It was when Don Laughlin started a town in the year 1969 named after him and thus Laughlin was born. Since then the township of Laughlin has grown this place has friendly atmosphere, the pleasing climate and mostly sunny days makes it the most happening place to visit. Laughlin Nevada has many of hotels and motels to offer. There are famous gambling resorts and all the possibilities of recreation.
Laughlin Nevada is a complete entertainment package perfect for everyone and according to everybody’s taste. As far as entertainment is concerned, you can compare the city of View the rest of this article
How to Book a Cruise Online
World's Largest Things in the USA
California is another big state full of big things, like the world's largest shoe and Pez dispenser, both in Bakersfield; chess set in Morro Bay; hammer in Eureka; fiddle in Fiddletown; artichoke in Castroville; paper cup in Riverside; and the very patriotic U.S. flag in Long Beach.
Some of the world's largest things can be found all over the United States. Here is a s View the rest of this article
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Understated Beauty of Pearls
That all changed with my first pearls, and ever since, I’ve been a pearl devotee. At that time, I had already amassed a fairly nice collection of yellow and white gold jewelry, from rings and necklaces to bracelets and earrings. I had diamond earrings and rings, ruby pendants, emerald rings and quite a bit View the rest of this article
Cheap Wedding Dresses
Secrets to Successful Trading: How start risk-free without risking a single penny
Easing Your Debt Worries
Throwing money at you're debt is like going on a crash diet. If you don't plan well you may end up back ware you were or even in more debt. Here are some good questions to ask you're self before you start planning.
How many credit card accounts do you have?
What is the interest rate on each card?
Which one do you owe the most?
How long has the account been open?
The next step is to figure out a manageable plain that will get you out of debt. You may want to look into some of the financial software packages such as Microsoft money or Quicken.
You should pay off the card with highest interest rate first, or a debts that are delinquent or about to be written off. After you have paid off the one with the most interest then go to View the rest of this article
Consolidate Student Loans
some advise on how to get a right shoes.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
DOES MOM ALWAYS MAKE A BETTER PARENT THAN DAD?
For more information go to: http://fathersrights-sam.blogspot.com View the rest of this article
DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE : A Mild Surfactant for Baby Bath Products & Shampoos
Keep Children Home at Night
But the reports of adult survivors of childhood physical and sexual assault place the innocent looking sleep overs in a very different light. While away from home in settings that their parents believed were completely safe, they report being severely traumatized by atrocities that they never told their parents View the rest of this article
Make Money Online with Blogs
I had no idea what a blog was when I started or how to make money online with one. I searched around a bit for some information to get me started. I found an ebook by Rob Benwell that I liked called Blogging to the Bank. I chose it mainly because it is priced very reasonably (only have a small budget - roughly halve $ price to get pounds) and it is a step by step blueprint of how he makes money online with blogs. Seeing View the rest of this article
Payroll Virginia, Unique Aspects of Virginia Payroll Law and Practice
Monday, July 16, 2007
One of the most popular and rewarding home based Internet businesses for starters.
Starting a home based business requires little time and capital than any other forms of business. You don't have to worry about paying office rent bills or high transport costs from travelling from home to work and visa-versa. If you are the type who works best outside of regular office hours, then a home based Internet business is for you. A HBIB (Home Based Internet Business) also has the potential of generating profits even if you are away on a vacation or personal things like shopping, sports, View the rest of this article
InstantPros professionals directory provides direct access to thousands of professionals
Do you think its good when there is community for professionals? Here there is Community for professionals on all skill sets, where all the people can communicate with every one through chat and get the live help regarding skills becomes easier.
InstantPros professionals directory provides direct access to thousands of professionals in many different subjects like web design, audio mixing, music production, SEO, Internet Marketing, Oracle, Java Script, Cubase SX3, Recording Studio Gear, .NET, C, C++, SEM, Testing, SAP, Data Warehousing, CAD Design, Seibel and other subjects too. You can instantly connect with professionals via instant messaging and chat applicati View the rest of this article
Are You Working Hard To Earn Money For Others
What iPod Case is Right for Me? - An iPod Case Buying Guide
What iPod Case is Right for Me?
An iPod Case Buying Guide
http://www.iCases.net – iPod Cases & Mac Cases
If you are reading this article, it is safe to assume you are the proud owner of an iPod and you are obviously interested in making a good purchase of a case to protect your iPod. Rest assured, you have come to the right place, because this article is an iPod Protection Buying Guide that will review the various options in cases related to iPod protection.
If you have recently purchased an iPod, you do need to get it in a case for protection as soon as possible. Since 2001, a group known as iLounge h View the rest of this article
A GPS Navigation System is a great tool for the driver and his car.
Having a GPS Navigation System is one of the many ways that as you drive your car, you can see the computer telling you exactly where you are and also where you are going. Not only that, the GPS Navigation System can give you much added information.
You could be wondering where the next gas station is or where can I eat. It will give you many gas stations or tell you what places there are to eat. It will even tell you the ethnic foods and approximately the dollars that each will cost. As you travel along the GPS Navigation Sys View the rest of this article
Nokia N95 mobile deals
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Internal Analysis
Car Insurance that is Right for You
Merrill Lynch
In a couple past decades the world has become a smaller place especially in the sense of communication and ability to conduct business internationally. With the emergence of new technologies managing and controlling has become easier than ever before, thus allowing companies to go global introducing their services and products in various countries. Not only technical assistance gave such a rise to multinational businesses but also international policies of countries that were closed before for foreign investment. For instance countries such as Japan and former Soviet Union have opened the View the rest of this article
Investigation and privatization
LSAT Tutor New York is your guide to success
Getting a Bad Credit or No Credit Auto Loan
The View the rest of this article
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Flexible Mortgage Could be a Help or a Hurt
When the interest rates are low, it is smart to lock into a fixed rate; one you know will never rise even when the prime rate does. Flexible mortgages become more enticing when the prime rate has moved upward.
Flexible rate mortgages start out at a lower rate (often significant) than fixed rates. Then depending on how they are set up, the rate is locked in for the first few years. After that initial grace period, things can get ugly. In the late 70’s many people found their interest rates climbing into the 20% zone and their payments pushed them right out of their homes.
If you are looking to View the rest of this article
6 Million People Are Anxious To Pay You $6 EACH!!
http://www.ebooknetwork.co.uk/best-biz-opportunity/alotacash or go to http://www.anzwers.org/trade/6by6/ View the rest of this article
Wollaston Mortgage
Homeowners planning to remain in their homes for a while often find they can reduce their monthly mortgage payments by refinancing their mortgages at a lower interest rate. Even small reductions in interest rates can often result in thousands of dollars in savings over the life of the loan. Homeowners who refinance notice the difference right away as their monthly Wollaston Mortgage payments can be signifi View the rest of this article
Linux Training for People New To Linux - Linux Books for New Linux Users - How to Get Linux Books
5 Things to Consider When You Need to Get Linux Books:
1. Linux Books - In General
Linux books are often outdated as soon as they're printed, due to the slow nature of the publishing and printing process.
Some Linux books look current, but only the cover and the "free" Linux CDs inside have changed. For example, there are some popular Linux books that continually come out with a new cover and new Linux CDs, for a "new" Linux version, but the content in the book isn't updated nearly as frequently as the cover!
If you are new to Linux, getting confused by outdated Li View the rest of this article
RSS reader for your PDA.
Andrew Fadeev is IT specialist, heavily using Windows Mobile devices every day for five years
Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com
Friday, July 13, 2007
SEO internext media
ABCSearch
Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com
Increase Your System Performance with a few Basic Windows XP Tweaks
Kris Mainieri shows you the best ways to optimize, secure, and maintain your computer absolutely FREE with his up-to-date tweaking tips and click-by-click video tutorials See more at http://www.kmainieri.com
Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com
How Is Lost Data Recovered From Storage Media?
Computer data is typically stored in magnetic form on Hard Disks, Magnetic Tapes, Compact Discs, DVD and RAID. Data on these storage media could become inaccessible owing to physical damage or corruption of the logical file system. The logical file system is a way of organizing and accessing the file system and its contents. For example, the disk surface might be divided up into sectors of, say, 512 KB, and each sector allocated a distinctive ID. The file system would keep track of the sectors used by each file. These sectors would usually not be contiguous because delete operations might free up some sectors that might not be sufficient to complete the next write operation. In such cases, writing would be done on sectors that are physically separate. It follows that the file system has also to keep track of which sectors are free for the next write operation. The file system logic is a complex one designed to meet the requirements of many possible read/write/delete scenarios in an optimum manner. If it gets corrupted (owing to, say, power problems or system crashes) the contents of the disk would become indecipherable. How Data Gets Lost
We saw above that data could become indecipherable when the file system gets corrupted. In addition to file system damage, physical damage to storage media could also lead to loss of data. Physical damage could usually cause a more serious data loss. We will look at Hard Disk Drive damage to get a picture of what could happen. The main components of the Hard Disk Drive are the platters on which data is stored, and the read/write heads above each platter. The read/write heads sense or record magnetic information on the platters. In normal operation, the platters rotate at extremely high speeds and there would be a microscopic film of air between the platter surface and the read/write head. If for some reason, the read/write head comes into physical contact with fast rotating platter, the magnetic media on the platter surface gets damaged. This event is known as a "head crash". Another possibility is for the motor that rotates the platters to become faulty. The highly precise read/write operations would then either not be completed successfully, or fail to yield correct results. There are other mechanical parts in the drive, any of which could fail leading to similar results. Recovering "Lost" Data
In cases of real physical damage such as those caused by fires and floods, the data could also be "really" lost. In these cases, unless you have a reliable backup of the data stored in an unaffected location, the only option would be to reconstruct the whole data from original documents or other sources. In most other cases, however, it would be possible to recover the "lost" data if you entrust the job immediately to expert data recovery agencies with required facilities. They might then be able to extract the raw image on the disk platters and use it to reconstruct usable data. The recovery would typically proceed by repairing any damage to the file system, and through physical means such as replacing a damaged read/write head with a matching, healthy head, moving the disk platters to a matching, healthy disk drive and/or replacing the drive's damaged PCB with a matching healthy one. All the operations would be done in specialized "clean rooms" because even microscopic particles of dust could damage the image on the disk platters. Specialist data recovery agencies would also typically be "authorized" by drive manufacturers to open the drives without voiding the warranty. Data is packed more and more densely with each new generation of drives, and the reconstruction could require extremely precise operations, as well as facilities like Class 100 clean rooms. Don't Try Do It Yourself
If you try to recover the data yourself by opening the drive, you could make the data permanently irrecoverable, not to mention voiding the manufacturer's warranty on the drive. The minute specks of dust present even in air-conditioned rooms could settle on the platters damaging the images on these. Even the use of software tools for data recovery, offered by utility software developers, could not only fail to recover the data but also make it more difficult (and expensive) to recover, if at all. Additionally, steps like replacing read/write heads and PCBs, and moving disk platters to another drive, are best done by trained personnel. They would have gained experience of the different eventualities that could occur, and know how to take necessary precautions. Call in the experts.
About Author:
IntelliRecovery - A San Francisco data recovery company authorized by all leading manufacturers, specialized in hard drive data recovery, laptop data recovery, raid data recovery service offers free evaluation and No Data, No Charge Policy.
Article Source: http://www.articlepros.com
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Buying a Franchise...Understanding Your Options
Besides the obvious - product(s), marketplace, competition and site selection - there are many other considerations that must be weighed in determining the right business for you.
Here are some of the initial questions I asked myself when I researched business opportunities:
• What are my income objectives?
• How quickly can I generate that income?
• What initial investment, or start-up capital, will I have to put up to get my business started?
• How much can I expect to pay in overhead costs?
• How much can I expect to pay in stocking inventory?
• How long can I survive financially without seeing a profit?
• What is my financial position; can I get financing?
• How much risk am I assuming by entering into a particular business?
• What are my areas of expertise?
• Will I be restricted by a particular territory in which I can do business?
• How much personal sacrifice will be required of me and my family as I build my business…how committed am I?
My Objective
Let’s be honest here. Business ownership isn’t for everyone. And some are better equipped than others to deal with the myriad of challenges which will inevitably arise throughout the life of any business.
In this article I will focus on one particular segment of research I conducted while investigating various business ownership options; the comparison I made between buying a franchise and the particular alternative I ultimately chose - becoming an independent distributor with a direct sales organization offering big-ticket information products with high profit margins.
The aim of this article is to share with other prospective franchise buyers my experience with this particular direct sales option as an extremely viable and cost-effective alternative to purchasing a franchise.
Income Potential
While individual franchisors may make income claims, I have learned there are no known studies that examine the return on investment in franchising as an industry. It is safe to assume the franchisor’s income projections will be optimistic. Speaking with individual franchisees about their individual experiences is critical in establishing realistic projections with which you can work and upon which you can depend.
It should be noted that several years ago, franchisors regularly quoted on the success rate in franchising in comparison with independent businesses. Quotes of these old statistics are rarely now seen due to their flawed nature and the determination they simply were not valid. In fact, a few years ago the International Franchise Association went as far as making a recommendation that franchisors stop using those debatable statistics.
That being said, while no exact figures are known it is generally believed that the annual gross income for a typical franchise is somewhere in the range $75,000 - $125,000 (before taxes).
Although I can’t speak to the income potential for the entire direct sales industry, I can speak for the direct sales opportunity I selected. At a minimum $1,000 commission per transaction – and as much as $10,000 commission per transaction – with minimal business and overhead expenses, income potential is substantial. Most distributors are qualified and in an income earning position within a couple of months; some in a matter of days. Many individuals, in periods of less than 2 years, have experienced income of six figures per month. Many more individuals have quickly (within 1 to 2 months) achieved five figure monthly income levels.
Initial Investment
The average initial franchise investment is $250,000, not including real estate. Part of that investment is your initial franchise fee. As stated in the FTC’s A Consumer Guide to Buying a Franchise, “…your initial franchise fee, which may be non-refundable, may cost several thousand to several hundred thousand dollars.†Paying this fee generally allows the franchisee to use the franchisor’s name and business system for a specified period of time.
Conversely, when I started as a distributor with the direct sales organization I chose, I was only required to pay a distributor fee of $99 per year. Paying this distributor fee gave me the right to act as an independent distributor for the company, while being in business for myself. It also provided me with administrative service, training and support for my business.
Serious direct sales distributors (I consider myself among them) for the company I represent choose to invest in their businesses. Initial investments within my direct sales organization, including marketing, advertising and product ownership, generally run between $2,000 and $20,000. This range is a significantly smaller investment than required in a typical franchise situation.
Overhead & Operating Costs
When purchasing a franchise you can expect significant expense to build your store, or at the very least build out an existing structure.
Other considerations with franchises are signage, furniture, décor and office equipment. If signage is required it may require special zoning approval by your city government, which can be an additional expense in time and money – not to mention a major hassle.
Additional franchise costs to consider are special insurance, operating licenses and royalties fees. Royalties fees alone will cost 4-8% of your total sales every month (regardless, of course, of whether or not you’re yet seeing a profit in your business). These expenses can easily add up to tens of thousands, to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the franchisor’s requirements.
In the case of the direct sales option I selected, there is little overhead cost involved and there are no unusual insurance, operating license or royalties fees requirements. I am able to conduct my business from an office in my home (which, of course, I write off on my taxes) or from anywhere in the world where I have access to the internet, using a dedicated phone and fax line and a personal computer. And I must repeat – there are no royalties fees.
Inventory
Stocking inventory for a typical franchise opportunity can, again, cost in the range of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cost of warehousing that inventory can range anywhere from a couple dollars per square foot to hundreds of dollars per square foot, depending on whether your inventory will be located onsite in a high-rent district or offsite in an industrial location – and also depending upon your local real estate market.
Because in my direct sales business I offer an information product, there is no inventory involved. There are no lotions, potions, pills, books, CDs, tapes or DVDs to inventory - or to ship, for that matter. The products are offered online and delivered online. Not only does this make for an extremely convenient business, it offers the distributor an extremely high profit margin from which to draw a very attractive commission.
How Long Can You Survive Without Profits?
As a franchisee, if we look at the example with an average investment level of $250,000 and an assumed annual gross income of $75,000 - $125,000 (before taxes), your “break even†would happen around 3 years. Obviously, in the meantime you would need to have enough cash to sustain yourself, your family and your business.
Conversely, with the direct sales opportunity I chose, all you need to do is get past your first two initial sales and you’re making money right away ($1,000 to $10,000 per transaction).
Your Financial Position & Getting Financing
Among the very first considerations to be made when considering a franchise is your own financial position. Dealing with financial “skeletons in the closet†ahead of time can save you a great deal of time, hassle and disappointment.
For example, do you know your credit score? Are you intimately familiar with the specifics of your credit record? How much personal capital do you have available to invest in your business?
Once you’ve chosen a particular franchise it will be necessary for you to put together a business plan that you can bring, along with a draft copy of your franchise agreements, to your lender(s) of choice. Your business plan will include such subjects as your venture’s goals and objectives, your financial projections, the background of management, and a market analysis describing your products, services, competition and projected business life cycle.
Fortunately, the direct sales avenue I took requires very little financial commitment. While some business owners are able to fund their businesses themselves, others needing to borrow the initial cash required - from lending institutions, family or friends - have found the small initial investment ($2,000 to $20,000) quite effortless to raise (even when there have been “skeletonsâ€), certainly in comparison to raising franchise funding in the neighborhood of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Typically, financing in this range will not require a business plan.
Risk
A franchise agreement is a lot like a prenuptial agreement, in that it describes in detail the nature of the franchisee’s relationship with the franchisor – including under what circumstances that relationship can be terminated.
However, keep in mind that the franchise agreement is primarily designed to protect the franchisor – not you, the franchisee. And more often than not there is an uneven balance of power involved – with the weight of power being on the side of the franchisor (not you, the franchisee). In fact, while most franchise agreements allow the franchisor to easily terminate their relationship with the franchisee if certain obligations are not met, most franchise agreements make it very difficult, if not nearly impossible, for a franchisee to terminate the relationship.
Other risks involved in buying a franchise include the potential of defaulting on the sizable loan you’ll likely need in order get your business off the ground, additional financial requirements for third-party leases or sub-leases of property, as well as the simple reality of cash and inventory theft, in some cases by employees.
My direct sales business carries very little risk, if any at all. My distributor agreement requires that I conduct myself ethically, professionally and with integrity. No problem there. It requires that I not misrepresent the company or its products. No problem there either. For those of us who choose to fund our businesses with loans, the principal amounts we’re talking about (between $2,000 and $20,000) are insubstantial in comparison to loans for operating a franchise. Because we operate our businesses from our homes, we needn’t enter into third party leases or sub-leases of property. And theft is simply not a factor – because we don’t have employees and we don’t have physical inventory!
Expertise & Professional Assistance
When choosing to buy a franchise, mistakes can be especially costly. As such, professional guidance is critical. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses early in the game will help you determine the specific areas in which professional assistance will be necessary and what this assistance will cost.
For example, what is your business experience and background? Do you have experience managing people? If so, do you enjoy this aspect of running a business?
And unless you are a CPA, you will absolutely need an accountant. Similarly, unless you’re already a lawyer, you’ll need professional legal advice – preferably from a lawyer specializing in franchise law.
The beauty of the direct sales option I selected is that it requires no business expertise whatsoever. We follow a simple business system directed by our company which, when followed, allows pretty much anyone with any background to build a successful business.
Employees
Unless you plan to work 120 hours a week juggling the responsibilities of your franchise, you will need employees. The type of employees you’ll need will, of course, depend on the franchise. You may need employees with management experience, employees with specific skills or just high school students getting minimum wage.
Whatever kind of employee you need, you can count on a few things. First, as dedicated and professional as an employee might appear, they will not run the business as if it were their own (so you’ll really need to keep a close eye on things!). Second, as I mentioned above under “Riskâ€, whenever there are employees there is also theft (sad, but true). Third, whenever there are employees, there will be employees who call in sick, employees who simply don’t show up when scheduled, and employees who quit (or get fired) unexpectedly. Fourth, whenever there are employees there is Workers Compensation insurance.
This is another area in which I came out ahead by selecting the direct sales opportunity I chose. No employees. Period.
Territory
Most franchise agreements involve some sort of territory designated in which you can operate. Some will have provisions for exclusivity within that territory.
On the contrary, the direct sales opportunity I chose has absolutely no designated territory. The entire globe – wherever there are telephones and internet access – is my marketplace. Because the product we offer has “mass appealâ€, and is accessed and distributed via the internet, this makes for a huge, long-term business opportunity for distributors like me.
Personal Sacrifice
Last, but certainly not least, how much personal time and energy are you prepared to invest in your franchise?
Unless you’re prepared to hire management staff right from the start, your franchise is likely to require many hours of your personal time for an extended period of time. From time to time, it is also likely you will find yourself covering for employees during unexpected absences and during times of employee turnover.
It is extremely important to have realistic expectations of the personal sacrifice that not only you, but your family, will have to make in order for your franchise business to get up and running – and ultimately reach a point of profitability.
It is advisable to plan in advance by arranging an emergency family support “network†to cover minor unexpected family emergencies as they arise. Thinking ahead about who will transport a child to and from a weekend Little League game or from daycare during the week will reduce family stress on a day-to-day basis. That being said, keep in mind there will be times when your emergency family support network will be unavailable to come to your aid.
It was for these very reasons that I chose the particular direct sales business I joined. I choose the number of hours I work per day on a schedule that works for me. I do this from the comfort of my home, with no employees to worry about – I have complete flexibility for my family and I make virtually no personal sacrifices for the sake of my business (except for a cluttered office!).
In Summary
I considered business ownership for many, many years. But, I like to sleep at night. I realize I haven’t covered all of the pitfalls that must be considered in purchasing a franchise. But, these are primarily the ones that kept me awake at night, ultimately causing me not to act.
But, there’s good news…What it comes down to is this: There are alternatives to entering into encumbering franchise agreements, tying up large sums of cash, carrying massive debt obligations and committing countless hours of precious time and lost sleep in the interest of creating a substantial income-producing business.
While there is no “one-size-fits-all†business model, the direct sales business I selected offers the executive level income opportunity I desired without the worries and uncertainty involved in purchasing a franchise.
Today I have what is best suited to me: I am an independent business owner representing a high integrity company offering quality, practical information products – with that I can enjoy a fantastic income, flexibility and freedom of time, virtually no risk – and most importantly, peace of mind.
I wish you well in finding what is best suited to you.
Your Feedback
I hope you found this report useful. I’m very interested in your feedback concerning this report, as well as any related experiences you wish to share. You may contact me at 978/358-7108 or email me at wealthwithma@comcast.net.
Wishing you much success!
-MaryAnn Waring
MaryAnn Waring is a work-from-home entrepreneur with a business background of over twenty years. If you’d like to learn more about MaryAnn, you may visit her at http://www.wealthwithmaryann.com .
Copyright © 2007 MaryAnn Waring. All rights reserved.
You may not copy or edit contents of this report.
Note: This article is intended for information purposes only, and does not constitute nor replace legal advice for your specific situation.
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