Home Business

If you are new to Tampogo, or TamPogo as they spell it on their site, it looks like it might just be another overhyped home based business opportunity.

You can see on our Tampogo page, the positive and negatives of this new income work from home opportunity.

If you ask me, Tampogo might have a chance at surviving, but will really need to identify its niche and see how they can exploit such an opportunity.

With Tampogo having no real physical product, it might be hard to sustain a credible, long term growth pattern down the road.

But as I keep rambling, just read our Tampogo Scam page and draw your own conclusions about this new business opportunity.

Acai berry serves to be a famously known super fruit or super food. Studies have shown that this fruit is the most powerful and nutritious foods available all over the world. The natives of Amazon Rainforests and Brazil have been actually consuming these acai berries from long periods of time. It was an open secret made available only to the Brazilians.

One might have seen a large number if acai products available in the local markets, acai juices are particularly famous. These juices that are sold in local stores are generally diluted with other fruit juices and topped up using sugar thereby lowering down the overall health benefits of natural acai berries. However, Amazon Thunder offers pure and hundred percent natural acai berry juice. It includes nothing but the mashed acai berries, thus making it like a puree. The acai puree or juice comes out from the bottle just as ketchup and retains all the nutritional qualities of the natural berries.

Acai berry is even good for health as they contain higher levels of essential substances. These substances include fatty acids, amino acids, fiber, minerals, vitamins, protein and antioxidants. And all such substances are actually linked to effective weight loss, anti aging, increased energy levels and enhanced health. Acai berry is also said to be featured with disease combating qualities. In short, acai berries can actually change one’s life. There are acai berry energy drinks available that offer natural way to have energy boost from best herbs and fruit that the Amazon Rainforest provides. The ingredients used in these drinks can actually help raised stamina and energy, increased mental awareness as well as boosted libido. The high level of antioxidants can even offer massive health benefits.

On the other hand, the acai supplements are taken to be the most easy and excellent way to have pure benefits of this fruit if care is taken while processing. Immediately freeze drying after harvesting is the best technique as it helps in retaining more antioxidants as well as nutrients. Even the acai berry preserves serve to be the excellent way of naturally getting the acai benefits. Consisting of pure acai berry and some natural sweeteners, these preserves provide a way for getting unprocessed acai fruit. This is different from a product like Resveratrol.

Separating flesh of acai berries from their seed and then macerating it in the pulp form is the very first step that almost every manufacture performs after harvesting. The resultant acai puree retains all nutritional qualities of entire berries. Heating this puree for brief time and then flash pasteurizing or hot bottling preserves the fiber, omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids and the antioxidants is a great way to have pure acai. The glass juice or preserves bottles needed for this technique add to the overall cost but have an extra advantage of not leeching as in the case with plastic bottles. Click here to learn more about Amazon Thunder and their high quality acai berry supplements.

Soon to come more information about my music ticket and how this social marketing work from home business opportunity might be the next big thing to come to this industry.

Be sure to check out our My Music Ticket page for more information and updated information regarding this work from home business.

If you are looking for information on how to get started with a work from home job, you have either decided to start your own business or your employer has changed your schedule so that you can work from home. Being able to work from home takes a lot of self-discipline and major organization skills to be effective.

You have to have a space in your home that is devoted solely for working. It could be a spare room or another space that has a desk and a computer with Internet access. You will need to be able to work without interruptions. Being able to concentrate is often one of the things people overlook when they are planning to work from home. You would be surprised at how many people really dont know how to make money online. Which is understandable, especially if you have no background of the work from home industry.

Being able to work at home is a rewarding way to make money and deal with family life at the same time. Sometimes it is hard to find the discipline when you first get started with a work from home position. It’s important to set a schedule in order to be able to meet deadlines and get all of your work done. Lacking a routine is the biggest mistake people make when working at home.

Successful people who work from home will have a set time to work even if they never get dressed for the day. You have to be able to set aside time that is devoted for work only. You can still have the freedom to schedule personal time into your day, but a routine is a must whether it is during the day or at night. You might find that you get more work done during the day while your kids are at school, or maybe you are a better worker at night after they have already gone to bed.

If you are wanting to get started working at home with your current job, you will need to present ideas to your current employer that will show that you can be just as productive while working from home. Employers have found that when someone is able to work from home, they are even more productive than they were in the office. This is one of the incredible upsides to having an internet home business.

Not being able to socialize in an office setting is one of the biggest reasons people are more productive while working at home. If you do all or most of your work from a computer, you might be able to work something out with your employer so you can start to work from home. Make sure your employer knows that he will be saving the company the money by allowing you to take your current position to a work at home position and it will free up office space and make additional equipment available for someone else in the company to use.

If you have lost your job, you can find a position that will allow you to work from home on a freelance basis. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection to get started. Once you get the hang of being able to work from home, you may become spoiled and never want to go back to a 9 to 5 job again. The freedom you will have is worth it as long as you stay organized and stick to a regular work schedule.

Creating an Exit Plan

Next in this section, describe specifically at what point it would be financially impractical to run the business. At what point would you say, “I’m not making enough money?” Or, at what point would you be making enough money, but not enough to justify the hassle, sacrifice, or hard work? For many people, money and

logistics will be tied together. In other words, perhaps at breaking even, you would not be willing to put up with as much sacrifice as you would if you were making six figures a year. These are the lines in the sand that provide your best dreams and worst nightmares. How long are you willing to work (or how long can you work) and not make enough to meet basic expenses? What if you cannot reach your financial goals? Would your business still be worth running? What if you met your financial goals - but never got a weekend free? n this section, you’ll determine your financial limits.

You might determine, for example, that you will have to close shop if you make less than $30,000 per year for two years. Also consider contingencies under which those limits might flex. For example, given the preceding scenario, could you continue to run your business if your children received scholarships paying part or all of their school expenses? Also in this section, consider at what point would it be financially or logistically impractical to run the business from your home.

To make this determination, ask yourself at what point you would consider moving to a separate location, outside your home. How many, and what type, of customers would justify a separate office, retail, or industrial space? You might decide to move the business outside your home if you have more than 30 customers (for example, the maximum you think you could handle without hiring at least one employee). This type of expansion is discussed later in the website.

Defining Your Financial Assumptions and Contingency Plans

First within this section, you must answer the question, “What assumptions have you made in order for your financial projections to work? What happens if those assumptions are incorrect?” Are you assuming that your spouse will continue to work at his job, where he can obtain sufficient health insurance? Then that assumption goes here. Along with that assumption, write a contingency plan. What if he changes jobs? How much extra would you need to pay for health insurance? (Granted, he might leave his job five years from now, but you should have some idea of the cost of any alternatives.) What happens if your rent is raised higher than you anticipate? What if your homeowners association raises its rates beyond the expected $10/month?

Defining Marketing and Logistics Assumptions and Contingency Plans

Next, answer the question, “What assumptions have you made in your marketing and logistics? What happens if those assumptions are incorrect?” If you find that you cannot use the space you set aside - say a lengthy construction project starts on that side of your home as soon as you set up an office - where else in your home would you place your business? If you believe five of your current clients will come with you when you leave your employer, what happens when only three of them actually do? What you need to do here is think of the obvious assumptions you are making and come up with a plan that addresses, “What if it isn’t like that, after all,” as outlined in these scenarios:

• You’re assuming that you will work out of an area in your home. What happens if construction, noise, or natural disaster strike? What if you had to sell?

• You’re assuming that you will have health insurance coverage for your family through your spouse or partner’s employer. What if your spouse or partner were laid off?

• You’re assuming that you can work and watch your children. What if you can’t do that? What if you need to work and they need to be at violin lessons - at the same time? List, one by one, all the assumptions you are making. This can be difficult - because the very nature of an assumption is that we just “assume” and don’t think about other options or disruptions to the plan. To be sure that you address all of your major assumptions, visualize a day in the future - your ideal business day.

What do you do, during that day, step by step? These are your assumptions. They are right there - from assuming that the time you get up will be 7 a.m. to assuming that the phone will be quiet until your project is finished to assuming that you can get your work done before the kids return home from school at 3 p.m. Yes, this is a little like taking your dream and looking at it through nightmare-focused lenses, but that is how you unearth assumptions and consider alternate solutions in the event that those assumptions are incorrect.

Planning the Financial of Your Business

• How much money do you need to start this business (Day 1)?

• How much money do you need, monthly, to operate the business?

• How much money do you need, monthly, to live on? Where will this money come from during times of little or no business (such as during startup or down times)? Will this come from savings, partner’s/spouse’s income, parttime job, or other source?

• How much money can you reasonably expect to make from the business initially? (Take the going rates from the Marketing section of your business plan and expand them here.) What variables exist in pricing? What is the maximum income you can generate?

• What can you reasonably expect to earn from the business during the first year? Second? Third? Fourth, Fifth? Years Six through Ten? Although you will “crunch numbers” in the next article, as you prepare information for this section of the business plan, think about where you want to be in 5, 10, and 20 years. Knowing what life you want to be living in the future can help you make decisions about what services you offer and how much you work today.

Describing Your Assumptions and “What Ifs”

This section of your business plan performs two separate tasks:

1. It clarifies what assumptions you have made.

2. It provides you with objective measurements for closure and expansion.

In this section of the plan, you’ll need to answer these questions:

• What assumptions have you made in order for your financial projections to work? What happens if those assumptions are incorrect?

• What assumptions have you made in your marketing and logistics? What happens if those assumptions are incorrect?

• At what point would it be impractical to run the business? At what point financially would you decide to throw in the towel - that is, how much money would you have lost (or risk losing), and for how long? If the business made money, would there be other factors that would make you consider closing or selling the business? (For example, your business is profitable, but will come under greatly increased regulation if you continue to operate it in to the next 3–5 years. Or your business is profitable, but requires you to be available weekends and evenings—something, perhaps, that you didn’t realize at the time you started the business.)

• At what point would it be impractical to run the business from your home? For instance, at what point would you need to hire so much additional help that you could no longer operate from home legitimately? At what point would you have to purchase so much additional equipment that working out of your home would be impractical?

Outlining Home Business Equipment Needs

In this section of the home business plan, list what equipment your business will need and whether you currently own or must purchase that equipment. Many home businesses require a computer, printer, fax machine, business phone line, and office supplies, as well as letterhead (including envelopes) and business cards. Your business might have other equipment needs, as well. Also in this section, describe the necessary supplies you’ll use in your business.

Imagine the complete cycle of meeting your ideal customer, convincing him to hire you, performing work for him, and being paid. What supplies do you need at each step? What about software? Beyond word processing and spreadsheets, you will probably need software to store and manage client contact information, invoices, and orders. You might also need special software to perform the services you offer, such as database, graphic design, and/or presentation software.

Defining Relationships with Outside Vendors Finally, within this section, answer the question, “What arrangements have been/need to be made with other businesses in order to provide the product(s) and/or service(s) offered by the business?”

Particularly if you offer “one-stop” shopping, you might need to subcontract with other businesses. For instance, if you are a writer and offer finished newsletters, you will need to work closely with a printer. Have you made that connection? Talk with any potential subcontractors and discuss how you will do business. Will you need to advance them a deposit when work is ordered, or will they bill for their services? Will you include the cost of their services on your invoice to the end client, or will they send a bill to the end customer separately? Come to a formal, written agreement, involving an attorney to finalize the contract.

Defining Your Customer Base

The second question in this section of the business plan asks “Who or what does the business provide these service(s)/product(s) to? Are there specific industries or geographic locations services are provided to, or are they offered to the public? Is the entity Business to Business, Business to Consumer, or both?” Using the final two questions from the previous section, as well as the description of services you wrote for this section, provide a detailed description of your ideal home business customer.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot have customers who don’t fit this description, but you should have some idea of your target market. You will probably have more than one target customer (or market segment), and it is important to provide details for each segment. For instance, as an attorney, you might provide services to individual clients as well as small businesses. Your individual clients might be people specifically concerned with estate planning, whereas your small business clients might have a need for succession planning (for example, who buys, operates, or inherits a business).

What arrangements have been/need to be made with other businesses in order to provide the product(s) and/or service(s) offered by the business? The following sections explain how to answer these questions.

Describing the Geographic Area and Allocated Space for your Work From Home Based Business

You must first answer the question, “Where is the business located? How much space is rented/allocated?” You’ve already stated that the business will be in your home, but here, you should describe your home’s location. What is your neighborhood like? Will clients be able to take public transportation (and will you)? Are coffee shops, restaurants, and other amenities nearby? Is there something you wish were close by, but isn’t? How does that affect your business? Next, describe where your office will be located within your home. Do you need a separate workshop space, too; if so, where is that? (Ideally, a workshop and office would be located right next to each other, but the layout of many homes would make this impractical.)

Describing What Need Your Business Fulfills

The final question in this section of the business plan asks, “What needs or wants of customers are being met?” (Give a brief overview of who you are serving and why.) The information you add here should flow directly from the information you offer to the previous question in this section. If your unique ability to perform graphics work and provide printing services distinguishes you, for example, your target customers might be people who want “one-stop shopping” and want to save time and money by using you for both services.

Describing What the Home Business Does or Provides

To answer the first question in the Business Overview section, list all the services your business will provide. Be specific. For example, if you are starting a bookkeeping business, you might be providing bookkeeping, tax preparation, audit assistance, and financial records organization services.

Offering more than one service provides your business with an advantage. You will draw more customers, and you can often cross sell services - originally gaining a customer because of one service and selling him others as your relationship grows. However, you will want to refrain from offering too many services. Aim for three to five separate services. Fewer than three, and customers are less likely to come to you. More than five, and prospective customers might not believe that you can do everything you say, or might feel that you do so many things because you do nothing well.

As an example, let’s say that you offer sales consulting. Now, if you also offer computer repair, writing, and graphic design, you will be sending a message to clients that you aren’t focused - these services don’t mesh well together, and there appears to be too many of them. In the preceding example, it would be wise to jettison the computer repair. You could then recast the writing, graphic design, and sales consulting as a “one-stop marketing shop,” or a sales-boosting business. The writing and design continue to be offered, but only for sales-related materials for your clients. This pulls your business in to a cohesive offering. Instead of four disparate, unfocused services, you are now offering one, cohesive, inclusive service - building credibility and attracting more clients.