Hot Business Trends for 2004... And Beyond: Maybe One Will Turn Into a Creative Business Idea for Yo

I always look forward to the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine. That’s the issue that features the publisher’s annual pick of hot businesses, markets, and trends for smart entrepreneurs – or those who aspire to be.

Some of the high tech businesses cited like mobile gaming or online learning tend to require six and seven figure start up costs. This can seem daunting (although not impossible) for the person just venturing into self-employment. So I’ve decided to focus on the markets, trends, and businesses that speak to someone operating on a somewhat more limited budget. Let’s start with hot markets:

HOT MARKET: Middle-Aged Women

Since I’ve recently entered my last year in my 40s, I thought it only appropriate to start with this group (although like most boomers, I still have a hard time thinking of myself as anything close to “middle aged”). Not surprisingly, products and services for women in their 40s and 50s that center around anti-aging and menopause are hot. The magazine cites such promising areas as counseling, exercise spas, yoga, smoking cessation programs… any product or service that helps women stay healthy and feel good about themselves – both inside and out.

The reference to smoking cessation got me thinking… Residential treatment facilities for other forms of substance abuse are common- place, but I’ve personally never seen a retreat, spa, or other residential-type place specifically aimed at people who need help quitting smoking, and who would benefit from doing so outside their home environment. I’m picturing morning walks, meditation, massage, support groups, good food, and of course, lots and lots of punching bags!

HOT MARKET: Toddlers/Tweens/Teens

According to market research firm Packaged Facts, last year 5 to 14 year olds spent $10 billion on food and beverages. Other favorite product areas for kids are sports, fashion, music, and technology.

And apparently home décor and remodeling isn’t just for adults anymore (who knew?). Stores like IKEA and Pottery Barn are starting to selling home furnishing products aimed at teens.

With baby boomers having more discretionary income with which to spoil their grandchildren, babies and toddlers have also become hot markets. Online start-up ELittle Luxuries offers designer baby furniture and more than 600 other upscale baby items. (http://www.eLittleLuxuries.com)

HOT MARKET: Overweight People

After reading how much kids spend on food and beverages, it’s no surprise that 15% of children and teens are overweight. But we adults have them beat. A whopping 64% of Americans are considered obese or overweight. Businesses that offer products and services to help people slim down and develop more healthy habits are the most obvious. But entrepreneurs willing to think outside the “solve the problem” box by looking for ways to make overweight people’s lives easier verses trying to fix them, will also do well.

HOT MARKET: Metrosexuals

With the enormous appeal of stylish soccer super star David Beckham and shows like Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy where gay men help straight men with fashion, grooming, home décor, and social skills, a growing number of heterosexual men are allowing themselves to tap into their fashionable side.

One enterprising guy who jumped into the metrosexual market early has seen phenomenal growth. With $20,000 and a dream, Tom Granese launched Regiments, an online store that sells high-end grooming products for men. Less than two years later, Tom opened his first storefront in Dallas with a projected $210,000 in first year in-store sales.

HOT MARKET: Hispanics

The Hispanic market is certainly nothing new – in fact it’s made Entrepreneur’s list for many years now. The magazine cites opportunities in anything from food and entertainment, to financial services and Web services.

Now let’s look at two of Entrepreneur’s picks for hot trends in 2004…

HOT TREND: Outdoor Living Spaces

Into gardening or design? According to Joanne Kostecky of the American Nursery & Landscape Association, and president of her own garden design company, the concept of outdoor living rooms that is so popular in the south and some urban areas is beginning to reach the rest of the country. The fact that more consumers are investing in courtyards and elaborate gardens means the gardening and outdoor design businesses are bound to grow!

HOT TREND: Fast-Casual Food

Health and taste conscious consumers on the go are turning to fast- casual restaurants and chains. In my own small town of Northampton, two of the more popular joints are benefiting from the fast-casual boom. One serves upscale burritos (my favorite is the Thai burritos) and the other is a hip soup, salad, and sandwich joint that opened in a greatly remodeled former Taco Bell restaurant.

Idea: Back in my old softball days I always wished someone would cater to all those hungry players and fans by starting a high quality food wagon.

Other Hot Trends… Boating and water sports, the hunger for low- carb foods (a trend being taken seriously by restaurants, grocery stores, and food manufacturers), oils and sauces, and multiculturalism which includes the gay and lesbian markets.

Hot markets and hot trends lead to hot businesses. Here are some of Entrepreneur’s picks…

HOT BUSINESS: Children’s Enrichment Programs

With so many parents in the workforce, more kids than ever before are engaged in extracurricular and after school activities. If you like the idea of working with kids, you can opt to open a physical location like a gym, dance or art studio, or camp, take your program into the schools, or provide private lessons.

If you think opening your own place is financially out of reach, think again. While $12,000 is no small sum of money, it’s a lot less than a lot of people might expect they’d need to shell out to start their own dance studio. But that’s how much former dance student turned instructor Archer Alstaettter dug up in cash and credit cards to found Dance Emotion in Irvine, California. That was five years ago. Today Archer’s studio has 500 clients and expects 600-plus to be enrolled by spring. You go Archer!

HOT BUSINESS: Home Improvement
Remodeling, refurbishing, and redecorating are all the rage. There are some 30 cable shows on home improvement alone. And home improvement isn’t all about décor. Worth noting are businesses that help home owners maximize the space they have as well as those making homes more accessible to an aging population. (To read about a unique, highly successful, and legitimate home business opportunity that matches home owners with reputable home repair contractors go to http://www.ChangingCourse.com/hrnsuccess.htm)

HOT BUSINESS: Yoga & Pilates

According to Entrepreneur, companies are bending over backwards to cater to the growing market of people practicing yoga. Clothes, mats, DVDs, music, and classes aimed at seniors, pregnant women and children as young as three are just a few products and services aimed at this growing market.

And with a reported 47 million Americans taking Pilates, a work out that builds abdominal muscles, opportunities abound for gym owners and instructors alike. If you like the idea of teaching Pilates, studio owner Maria Leone recommends starting out by keeping overhead low. She suggests renting space for one-on-one sessions from a small gym or chiropractic office. Fees for a typical Pilates session range from $50 to $70 an hour. Meditate on that!

HOT BUSINESS: Upscale Pet Services

According to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, Americans spent an estimated $31 billion on pets in 2003. A few of the luxury services cited include pet hotels complete with heated floors, limousine rides, day cruises, and personal shoppers. And apparently the spa trend has extended to the pet world with exfoliating treatments, aromatherapy, liposuction (I kid you not), and chiropractic services.

HOT BUSINESS: Outsourcing

Outsourcing is one of those good new-bad news things. If your job is being eliminated because it’s cheaper for your company to outsource functions like HR, accounting, and network security, then outsourcing is a bad thing. Outsourcing is particularly hot in IT – and when it comes to outsourcing jobs overseas, it’s also controversial. The good news for freelancers is the federal government plans to open 850,000 jobs to outsourcing, with $85 billion in federal IT contracts to be awarded over the next three years

Other Hot Businesses: Spas, organic foods, online matchmaking, senior care, wireless, tech security, and voiceover IP (VoIP).

If you believe as I do that it’s better to be the boss, than to have one, why not make 2004 the year you start putting your entrepreneurial plans into action? You don’t have to quit your job or mortgage your home to get the ball rolling. You might resolve to do some research, start putting together a business plan, take a course on marketing, glass blowing, woodworking, web design, or whatever sparks your fancy, get certified to teach yoga, buy a book on how to launch a successful on-line business, start a Barbara Sher style Success Team… or just order a subscription to Entrepreneur.

If you don’t already subscribe to Entrepreneur you can do so at http://www.Entrepreneur.com. The site also features a ton of free resources for anyone who already is – or dreams of – working for themselves. For other free resources for people who want to start their own businesses visit http://www.ChangingCourse.com/newbiz.htm

Okay, but what if you don’t see a trend, market, or business here that speaks to you? Then find the one that does! I had a client who is crazy for horses and photography. It took me all of 30 seconds on Google.com to find a group called the Equine Photographers Network.

In addition to their conference this February in Florida, the group offers a free public online discussion group with over 700 members who range from top-of-their-field working pros to amateur photographers to magazine editors and writers to horse owners, all interested in improving their equine photography skill and knowledge. Learn all about the Equine Photographers Network at http://www.EquinePhotographers.net.

The way to find the “hottest” business idea for you is to get in touch with the passion that burns the brightest in your heart. Then make 2004 the year resolve to you take those first bold steps on behalf of your dream!

“Off the beaten career path” consultant, Valerie Young, abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the Dreamer in Residence at http://www.ChangingCourse.com, offering free resources to help you discover your life mission and live it. Her career change tips have been cited The Wall Street Journal, USA Today Weekend, Redbook, Entrepreneur’s Business Start Ups, and on-line at MSN, CareerBuilder, and iVillage.com. An expert on the Impostor Syndrome, she’s presented her How to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are program to thousands of people.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Valerie_Young

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Starting Your Own Home Based Business To Create Multiple Streams Of Income

As with anything, it's extremely important to begin with a solid foundation in the world of money and generating income. So let's begin there...

In the world of money, there are two types of income. Linear income and residual income. "How many times do you get paid for every hour you work?" If you only get paid once, then your income is "linear". If you get paid multiple times for the work you did once, then your income is "residual". "Residual Income" is what you should be working towards.

The secret of the wealthy is not that they have more money but that they have more TIME freedom. With more time, you can create more residual income streams. It becomes important then to begin shifting your income streams from linear to residual. So how do you do that?

First, you need to pick the right income stream that will soon create residual income for you. I have a formula that I use to pick the right income stream. All opportunities are passed through the filter of the money tree formula - the nine characteristics of the ideal income stream. It's called the "MONEY TREE" formula because it spells the word MONEY TREE.

M in the Money Tree formula stands for Multiple Streams of Income

Multiple Streams of Income

The first goal in starting your own home based business is to add another stream of income to your life as a safety net for when other of your streams of income dry up. But the home based business you select should be a source of more than just one stream of income. It should eventually be a source of multiple streams of income all by itself.

For example, suppose you’re considering buying an existing restaurant. What possibility will you have to grow? Can you add more shops? Is your idea franchisable? Can one of your food entree’s be sold nationwide as a frozen item? Can you license your special cooking secrets to other restaurants. Is there a cookbook in there somewhere? What about bottling and selling your special sauces? Get the drift? Don’t even consider a business that doesn’t have expansion potential for additional streams of income. That’s why the first M in the formula reminds you of Multiple Streams of Income.

The O in the Money Tree formula stands for outstanding.

Outstanding product or service

If your product, service or information isn’t distinguishably excellent it will eventually become a casualty of competition. The goal of creating a money tree is to do the work once and to have the money flow for the rest of your life. What good does it do to create a business and eventually have it succumb to competition. In order for your source of income to survive through the next ten recessions...as there will be many more recessions in your lifetime...you must select a product, service or source of information that has the possibility to be permanently and perpetually profitable. When times get tough, people gravitate either to price or to quality. Don’t get stuck in the middle. That’s a sure formula for disaster. And don’t compete with the rest of the world on price. Make sure the quality of your produce is outstanding...the best in the world at a fair price. And you have a good chance of succeeding long term.

The N in the Money tree formula stands for Nothing Down.

Nothing Down

Why nothing down? Well, it doesn’t have to be completely zero down...but as little of your own money as possible. If you’re like most people, you probably don’t have a couple of hundred grand lying around to invest in your business. But what if you do have a nice chunk of cash. Should you run out and find a business to match your money and launch in? I think that one of the greatest curses is to have a lot of money to put into a new business.

Suppose you want to buy a hot franchise. It might cost you $100,000 and that’s just for the franchise rights. Then, you need to purchase inventory, leasehold improvements, special equipment. And what do you get? For most franchises, you get the right to be tied to a business 12 hours a day, to manage a lot of undereducated, under motivated employees, and make a steady paycheck for yourself. In a sense, you are just buying yourself a job. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars of your own money just to buy yourself a job...with a lot of risk?

I’m going to show you businesses that you can launch with little risk, little or no money down and the possibility of creating what I call "walk away" cash flow --money that flows to you whether or not you show up.

The E in the Money tree formula stands for "Employee-resistant."

Employee-resistant

That’s right...you don’t want employees. Employees are dangerous! They begin to feel they are entitled to their jobs. ("You can’t fire me. I own this job." ) The rapid increase in employee/employer litigation should be enough to convince you that you want to find a home based business that can be done by yourself, with a very low employee to income ratio.

I used to be the president of a seminar company with over two hundred employees. I made the decision to downsize when one of the employees sued me for age discrimination. He was in his late sixties when he came to work for us and when we layed him off during an economic downturn, he slapped us with a $500,000 lawsuit. We settled out of court for $2,000 but that was the last straw. I decided to never again put myself in a position where one disgruntled employee and his smart attorney could take it all away.

Today, I have zero employees. I make as much today as I used to make with 200 times less hassle. I like it that way. All of my streams of income can be monitored from a telephone anywhere in the world on only a few hours a day.

A friend of mine, Dan Kennedy puts it this way, "When it comes to employees, hire slow and fire fast." Most business people do just the opposite. They hire fast and fire slow. I say, try to find money tree businesses that don’t require any employees and then you don’t have to worry about either hiring or firing.

The Y in the Money tree formula stands for the world "Yield"

Yield

The streams you choose should be high yielding, high profit cash cows. Five years ago a friend of mine, Collette, started such a home based business. In less than a year she was making about $10,000 per month. What’s more, this business was a money tree business. It generates cash flow even if she stops working! But why stop when she is having so much fun? Today, after five years, she has grown her business till she now earns over $500,000 a year net, net, net.

What’s the yield on that kind of income? It’s the equivalent of having TEN MILLION DOLLARS in the bank earning only 5% interest! That’s my idea of yield. In this book I’ll be sharing exactly how Collette did this...as well as other business that meet the same kinds of money tree characteristics.

The T in the Money Tree formula stands for the words Trend and Timing.

Trend and Timing

Starting a business against the trend is like swimming up stream against the current. . Running a business is hard enough without trying to swim upstream. But when you choose a business that is with the trend it’s like floating downstream with the current. How do you select a business that’s on trend?

The first time I started a business was just after college. I started buying real estate...and as luck would have it...it was the exact right time. The baby boomers wanted real estate and the demand drove prices upward. Anyone who owned property made a killing. You could almost do no wrong.

Then, I started teaching people how to buy real estate with little or no money down. My little classified ads brought hoards of calls. It was a feeding frenzy. I was on trend. My seminar businesses took in more than a hundred million dollars in the next decade.

The secret is to get in front of a trend and ride the wave. The biggest wave of our century is the Baby Boom – 76 million people. This generation is four times the size of the previous generation. As this mass of humanity rolls forward through time it creates a huge demand wave. Picking businesses which are at the leading edge of this age wave has created thousands of fortunes. You need to make sure that your new business is leading this trend and not following it. It can make a huge difference in your lifestyle.

The R in the Money Tree formula stands for Residual

Residual Income

We’ve already talked about the importance of this part of the Money Tree formula.

But to emphasize this concept even further, let’s compare it to an escalator. Have you ever walked up a down escalator...the wrong way? When you walk up the down escalator, you have to walk fast just to stay in the same place. And to get to the top, you have to walk at double speed. People on the Up escalator don’t have to work hard at all. They just stand there holding the hand rail and the escalator takes them to the top.

These two escalators represent the two kinds of income that you can earn...linear income and residual income. Our economy is a down escalator. You work hard for your money but with inflation you have earn 3-5% more next year just to stay in the same place. But this puts you in higher tax brackets. The more you make the more they take. It seems you work harder and harder without making any progress. Your bank account balance earns 2% and your credit card balance costs you 20%. You’re going in the hole 24 hours a day. You wonder why you can never catch up. And if you stop...the escalator just takes you right back down to the bottom.

That’s what it’s like to earn linear income. When I think of this kind of income I think of how they catch monkeys in Africa. A native takes a coconut and cuts off one end to make a small hole just the size to allow a monkeys fist to enter. To the other end of the coconut they attach a long cord. They place a few peanuts inside the coconut, place the coconut in the middle of a clearing and hide behind a tree to wait for the monkeys to come. The monkeys come and smell the peanuts inside the coconut shell. One monkey reaches inside the shell to grab the peanuts, but with the peanuts inside, his fist is too large to escape the hole in the coconut. And then the native yanks on the cord and hauls that silly monkey to captivity because the monkey will not let go of those peanuts to save his skin.

Are you working for peanuts?

If you’re walking up the down escalator, you are caught in a Monkey Trap. What you want is Up Escalator Income. Which escalator are you on?

Here’s a list of the many types of residual income that you want to be exploring:

Savers earn interest

Song writers earn royalties on their songs.

Authors, like myself earn royalties from their books and tapes.

Insurance agents get residual business

Securities agents get residual sales.

Network marketers get residual commissions

Actors get a piece of the action

Entrepreneurs get business profits.

Franchisers get franchising fees

Investors get dividends, interest and appreciation.

Visual artists get royalties from their creations

Software creators get royalties.

Game designers get royalties.

Inventors get royalties.

Partners can get profits.

Mailing list owners get rental fees

Real estate owners can get cash flow profits

Retired persons can get pensions

Celebrity endorsers get gross percentage profits

Marketing consultants get % of profit or gross revenue

When you go to bed tonight, ask yourself this question, "What percentage of my day did I spend creating residual income?" If the answer is zero, you’re in trouble. You’d better wake up tomorrow and get busy. More on residual income later. I hope now you see why it’s such a vital part of our money tree formula

The E in the Money Tree formula means Essential to Everybody Everyday.

Essential

Whatever you sell, try to pick something that’s essential or is perceived as essential by a large and very motivated segment of society. Let me give you the real reason that real estate has always been a great wealth creation vehicle and a prime source of residual income for hundreds of thousands. It fits the Money Tree formula. Check it out for yourself and you’ll see why..

Whatever product you choose to market just make sure it’s essential. The more people need it and the more often they need it, the more successful your business can become.

The final E in the Money Tree formula stands for Enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm

You’ve got to love what you do. If you hate what you sell, you’ll never be any good at it. The prime admonition from Gary Halbert one of the all time great marketing gurus is this; SELL WHAT YOU LOVE. Truth is, you’ll never be truly great unless you do.

Well, there you have the 9 major characteristics of the Money Tree formula. These 9 characteristics are essential to the kind of hands off, hassle free businesses that create lifelong streams of cash flow.

Robert Allen is the author of two of the largest selling financial books in history; Nothing Down and Creating Wealth, both New York Times best sellers -- read by millions of people in the past 20 years. My other best-selling books include Multiple Streams of Income, and my current Mega-Best-Sellers, One Minute Millionaire and Cracking The Millionaire Code co-authored by Mark Victor Hansen. I am selecting a group of people to with on my latest challenge. To learn more visit http://www.robertgallen.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_G_Allen

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Determining If A Work from Home MLM Based Business Is For You

When starting anything, you must start out with the proper expectations. Statistics show that the failure rate for new home-based business is over 95%. If a home-based business is as easy as all those claims you see, then why isn't everyone doing it? The drawback of a home-based business is that too many people get lazy. Some people might think that a home-based business is not a real business, but that could not be any further from the truth. The key to success when deciding how to start a home-based business is never to forget that it is a business and not a hobby.

Your home-based business is important to you and with good reason, it should be.
Starting a home-based business is a dream for many people and a good home based business is within your grasp however, if your idea of starting a home based business is taking out an advertisement somewhere and waiting for the phone to ring, good luck. The successful home-based business is not a result of a one-time effort, but a rate of steady consistency. You need to know that you have initiated the very business vehicle that is setting people financially independent as you read and that is a business that puts you in the drivers seat of what “YOU” say you’re worth. Being the boss of your own home-based business as opposed to having a job are really two extremes. Tired of someone else being the Boss. The liberties that come with that of being the boss and working around your determined time schedule and your own agenda is priceless. Being the boss of your own home based business as opposed to having a job is a freedom you get only from being the boss and it is fantastically immeasurable. Now with that being said!

Being the boss means taking on all the responsibility. Like ANY legitimate business, you will spend money to get started. The amount of money needed to initiate a successful home-based business is whatever you choose to invest depending on your goals. One of the main concerns a person may ask when establishing a business is, do I have ample capital to give my business the foundation and tools needed to succeed? Because of this concern for the average person seeking to start a home-based business, the best home-based business model is MLM (multi-level marketing).

Now, MLM, also referred to as network marketing, is certainly a legitimate business model, if done right. A legitimate business owner is allowed to deduct all business expenses. Legitimate business building systems do not need hype. A 100% home based legitimate business based on Honesty, Ethics and Integrity is the most important aspect of the longevity of your success.

MLM is truly a beautiful business model. The concept of a network marketing home- based business is actually very simple and logical. We are talking about a business model, which enables you to leverage your time, your efforts, and your success with like-minded people. Some people look at MLM as being a pyramid and in terms of structure, it is. Like every business model, whether it is MLM or Conventional business you always start with one person and the hierarchy falls into place from the top down. So in essence MLM is a pyramid in structure, but then so is your job. Now the difference which really makes all the difference is that your job won’t allow you to become the CEO just because you work more hours, you may promote, but you will still fall within the ranks somewhere under the top of your organization, with MLM, you can become the CEO from day one and as you build your business you can surpass the very person who brought the opportunity to you. Also, a legitimate business, which is not considered a pyramid, is a business that exchanges products or services.

A home-based business is not rocket science. Having your own home-based MLM business is easy if you just have fun and take a more spiritual approach.
What I mean is that with MLM, when you help others in your organization become successful, understand that you cannot help but explode your business through the roof because everything they generate comes to you. MLM as a home-based business is simple and it has great potential.

We want to see you earning a good income and enjoying the freedom and independence that comes from being the boss. There is nothing more rewarding than being the boss of your own business.

There is a perfect opportunity that exceeds all expectations in the MLM Home-Based Business arena and you deserve to know all about it. It is positioned for your success and financial gain.

Good luck to you.

Hi, my name is Anthony Davis, but everybody knows me by A.D. I asked the question WHY consider a business? My WHY came about three months ago when I thought I was finally on track financially to have some of the dreams I dreamt about daily. I was going to be able to make a decent income working for a multi-billion dollar company, and I was going to be right at or real close to the six-figure mark in income. What I wanted to do is facilitate an opportunity within that career to build capital to invest in something that would enable me to work for me, to secure me. To help others and by that I not only meant family and friends, but people in general who are so desperately in need of blessings in any capacity. I truly would like to have more to stretch and bless further. Needless to say, I was laid off before my new career to create the capital to fulfill my goal was even in play. What's your Plan B that could be an A PLAN! http://www.ytbforyourwealth.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Davis

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Top 10 Business Email Etiquette Basics

When it comes to your business e-mail communications, you need to make an impression that can lend to the determination that you are a credible professional enterprise and someone that will be easy and a pleasure to do business with. You only have one chance to make that first impression which will be invaluable to building trust and confidence.

Below are the Top 10 Business Email Etiquette issues that need to be considered with every commercial e-mail sent. These are the issues business owners and their employees need to be aware of in their day-to-day online communications to ensure the best possible results.

1. SUBJECT: Field: The SUBJECT: field is the window into your e-mail and can many times determine even if your e-mail will be opened. If this is an initial contact with a customer based on their request through your site or otherwise, be sure to have a short SUBJECT: that indicates clearly what the topic of the email is. Typos, all caps or all small case can lend to the impression you may be spammer.
2. Level of Formality: Try to avoid the prevailing assumption that e-mail by it's very nature allows you to be informal in your business e-mail. Only time and relationship building efforts can guide when you can formalize your business relationships and therefore your e-mail's tone. One should communicate as if your e-mail is on your company letterhead at all times. This is your business's image you are branding!
3. Addressing: How do you address your new contacts? I would suggest initially that you assume the highest level of courtesy: Hello, Mr. Anderson, Dear Ms. Jones, Dr. Osborne, etc. Until your new contact states, "call me Andy" or "you can call me Diane". You will also be able pick up clues on when you can address have a more relaxed tone by how contacts approach you as well as how they sign off. Most business people do not mind being called by their first name, however, in a global economy that can be perceived as taking premature liberties in the relationship if used too soon.
4. TO:, From:, BCc, Cc fields can make or break you: ..In the TO: field make sure you have your contact's name formally typed. John B. Doe - not john b doe or JOHN B DOE. ..In the FROM: field make sure you have your full name formally typed. Example: Jane A. Jones. Not: jane a jones or JANE A JONES. The later two give the perception of lack of education or limited experience with technology. By only including your first name or e-mail address you are giving the perception you may have something to hide or do not know the basics of configuring your e-mail program. ..BCc: use this field when e-mailing a group of contacts who do not personally know each other. By listing an arm's length list of e-mail addresses in the Cc or TO fields of contacts who do not know each other or who have never met is conducive to publishing their e-mail address to strangers. This is a privacy issue! With those you are forging partnerships with, visibly listing their e-mail address in with a group of strangers will make one wonder what other privacy issues you may not respect or understand. ..Cc: Use this field when there are a handful of associates involved in a discussion that requires all be on the same page. These business people know each other or have been introduced and have no problem having their e-mail address exposed to the parties involved. If you are not sure if a business associate would mind their address being made public, ask!
5. Formatting: Refrain from using any formatting in your day-to-day business e-mail communications. Unless you would type something in bold crimson letters on business letterhead, don't do it when e-mailing for commercial gain. With all the spam filtering going on today; the more formatting or embedded images that higher the chance that your e-mail could be blocked as spammy. Even something as simple as using a different font makes your e-mail's display contingent upon the recipient having that specific font on their system or it defaults to their designated default font. Keep in mind the recipient may not have their e-mail program configured in such a way as to display your formatting the way it appears on your system - if at all.
6. Attachments: How do you think your relationship with a potential new customer is enhanced when you send them that 10M Power Point presentation they didn't request and you fill up their inbox causing subsequent business correspondence to bounce as undeliverable? And, if they do not have Power Point, they couldn't open the file anyway! Never assume your potential customers have the software you do to open any file you may arbitrarily send. If you need to send a file over 500,000 in size, business courtesy dictates you ask the recipient first if it is O.K. to send a large file. Next, confirm they have the same software and version you do and what is the best time of day to sent it to them to ensure they are available to download the large file and keep their e-mail flowing. Never send large attachments without warning, on weekends or after business hours when the recipient may not be there to keep their inbox clear.
7. Using Previous E-mail for New Correspondence: If you want to give the perception of lazy, find a previous e-mail from the party you want to communicate with, hit reply and start typing about something completely irrelevant to the old e-mail's subject. Always start a new e-mail and add your contacts to your address book so you can add them to a new e-mail with one click.
8. Down Edit Your Replies: Do not just hit reply and start typing -- that's called top posting. Editing is a skill those you communicate with will appreciate as it lends to reflecting a respect for their time and clarity in your communications. Removing parts of the previous e-mail that no longer apply to your response including e-mail headers and signature files removes the clutter. By making the effort to reply point by point keeps the conversation on track with fewer misunderstandings.
9. Common Courtesy: Hello, Hi, Good Day, Thank You, Sincerely, Best Regards. All those intros and sign offs that are a staple of professional business communications should also be used in your business e-mail communications. Always have a salutation and sign off with every e-mail. Here again - think business letterhead.
10. Signature files: Keep your signature files to no more than 5-6 lines to avoid being viewed as egocentric. Limit your signature to your Web site link, company name, and slogan/offer or phone number. Include a link to your Web site where the recipient can get all your contact information from A-Z - that is what your site is for. Do not forget to include the "http://" when including your Web site address within e-mails and your signature file to ensure the URL is recognized as a clickable URL regardless of the user's software or platform.

There you have it! The above Top 10 items will certainly allow your business communications to rise above the majority who do not take the time to understand and master these issues. When forging new business relationships and solidifying established partnerships, the level of professionalism and courtesy you relay in your business e-mail communications will always gain clients over the competition that may be anemic, uninformed or just plain lazy in this area.

When it comes to business, regardless of mode of communication used, professionalism and courtesy never go out of style!

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has been playing at TheIStudio.com since 1995. Check out her Business E-mail Etiquette Blog and join in the conversation at BusinessEmailEtiquette.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judith_Kallos

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Honest Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity - Does It Really Exist?

Check the small print and you will find maybe a handful that Guarantee you will make money.

This is usually explained in a "disclaimer" that reads something like

"*Results are atypical. While we make every effort to deliver what we promise, you may or may not make money with our system. Whether or not you make money with our product depends solely on your efforts. We can not Guarantee you will make any money with our system. You may even lose money. As with any business, you assume all financial risks and liabilities."

Blah, Blah, Blah...

If they put the Income disclaimer in the same font size as the sales pitch, how many people would read the entire page? Worse yet for the owner, how many would part with their hard earned money? You and I both know that finding an Honest Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But let's look at the real reasons for the "disclaimer" and ONE of the top Internet businesses that ACTUALLY has an INCOME GUARANTEE.

Unfortunately, the reason that 95 percent of make money at home programs are Internet business scams is because they don't tell you up front what it REALLY takes to make money. And, their programs are usually built around other programs that make them even more money.

Think of it this way, buy this ONE piece of the puzzle and in order to have the whole puzzle, you're going to have to buy MORE pieces. If they really told you about all of the other products that you need to make their product work, you'd never buy it. Who would?

Can you imagine a Sales Page that read something like..."hey if you buy our product for $77 you could turn a profit of -$110. But, if you buy all of the products that we're going to sell you after you buy our little $77 ebook, well you're going to spend $599, but you could turn a profit of $15.00! Would you be running for your wallet then? Of course you wouldn't.

And that's why the majority of even the Top Internet Businesses are REALLY Internet Business Scams. It's not just the money you spend, but the time that it takes to read and implement all of the things that they throw at you. The Top Two Reasons that most New Internet Businesses fail are 1. They don't have TARGETED information on how to make money online (most of the programs that you see are way too broad) and 2. The customer goes into Information Overload and becomes either a rogue spender or simply becomes paralyzed and takes no action.

As you can see, both of these result in certain failure.

If you have never made money online, or if you have tried and failed, then what you need is an Honest Work From Home Internet Business Opportunity that Guarantees you will make an income within a certain time frame. Like say 30 days. Then, if you have earnestly followed their program and not made money, you get your money back. It should be that simple!

When you find a company that offers that type of Guarantee, then you have truly found one of the Top Internet Businesses and Not an Internet Business Scam!

Are you ready for a change? Our company is part of a 7 Billlion dollar industry that has millions of hungry customers. We offer a Real Honest Work From Home Business Opportunity that costs only $29.95 to Start. We Absolutely Guaranteee that you will make $250.00 within 30 days with our Proven System. If for any reason you don't, you get your $29.95 back, NO Questions, No Hassles!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Brooks

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