It seems that what was once considered a “Pyramid Scheme!” and a Marketing “Hoax.” is now evolving into the type of entity that has everyone – including some of the top Financial and Business Gurus in the industry taking a second look! The sudden credence seems to be redefining the over all idea and general interpretation of MLMs of days gone by. The reemergence of working at home employees is taking on a life of it’s own. According to the 2000 Census Bureau there were over 4,000,000 people who consisted of working- at- home income earners at that time. There is every indication that the number of individuals who are choosing their own path outside of the typical office- employment venue most commonly utilized for the average worker is now on the rise.

Recently, Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki – two of the most famous Real Estate and Finance experts in the country, teamed up to write a book telling people why taking control over their own lives – using MLMs is the perfect way to create residual income and as a leveraging device for a more prosperous future. Kiyosaki himself wrote yet a second book supporting this networking system as a wealth- generating device. Robert Allen has two books out that address this process towards financial freedom. His books are Multiple Streams of Income and The One Minute Millionaire. Bob proctor has a great audio CD out entitled "What Would You Change If Your Annual Income…Suddenly Became Your Monthly Income?" Lastly, Paul Zane Pilzer has several books out supporting the whole Network Marketing/MLM industry. His latest book The Next Millionaires gives a refreshing out look to the opportunities we have available to ourselves in joining in on this sweeping rage. He is one of the most enlightened experts in the field of Economics, and this guy really knows his stuff.

We are talking the “Cream of the Crop” here, these guys have too much at stake to put their names on something that has no merit or long term benefit to offer their wide base of staunch supporters. Now then, if you had to rely on the word of someone you know who is struggling themselves who was telling you “That stuff doesn’t work!” or “It’s all just a big waste of your time!” to make a decision as to whether or not this is worth taking a better look at, or…if you had available to you these gentlemen in this article - to seek out their advice instead, which of the two do you think would be the wiser choice? They have not gotten where they are at because they have bluffed their way into the Millionaires (or Billionaires) Circle. They all researched this particular field of interest before deciding to endorse it.

So, if you have come to the place in your life where you are asking these questions: “Is this all there is” or “How can I make more money?” Then perhaps heading down to your local bookstore or library to see for your self if this is a road worth venturing down -it just might be worth all the effort involved. Educating yourself in this area can’t hurt and it may prove to be the way you’ve been looking for to not only change but to improve your current way of living and thinking. Is now the time? Is today the day? Now, you can finally decide for yourself!

Small Business Proposal Development There are companies that espouse, and make a good living teaching a very comprehensive and workable proposal development methodology. This methodology constitutes the menu of proposal “best practices.” If you are one of the big guys like Northrop, IBM, Booz and a few others, you can follow the best practices and get great results because you have the necessary resources and bench strength to fund them. You can start before the RFP is released because you have a marketing and sales group whose job it is to develop long lead time accounts. And you more than likely have sales engineers whose job it is to develop solutions on spec.

In smaller companies everyone has to be direct charge, there is no budget for sales and marketing groups or sales engineers. Everyone bills the customer and very often everyone is working on a customer site. When a new opportunity is identified there is no one to work it properly until the RFP hits. Notice that the company isn’t caught flat footed or bidding out of the CBD they’re just doing all they can do with the resources available. Because Small Company Inc. wants to grow and prosper they’ve sent people to be trained by those companies espousing the best practices and they would like to emulate those they wish to become. All that Big Company Inc. may have been doing for a year or more to get ready to bid, Small Company Inc. now tries to squeeze into a 30 to 120 day period. It would be stressful to do this once or twice in a year but some companies go through this insanity perpetually.

The few good people that get stuck on proposal teams burn out quick. Between the proposal and the customer and other company responsibilities the quality of work suffers; the proposal, the customer or the company. The best practices need not be abandoned or specifically re-written for small companies. It’s the responsibility of the small company to identify which best practice will get the greatest bang for the buck when there are very few bucks. If you only have 30 days to develop the solution, assemble the team and prepare the proposal something has to be left out. For instance, storyboarding is a very good technique when properly used. However, the day the RFP is released is not the day to begin teaching the technique to a group who has never used it or is reluctant to use it because they’ve never experienced its value. There is no time for multiple formal reviews.

Structure the review cycle to reflect the compressed situation. Past performance and team resumes is also a stumbling block for many companies. A Project Manager that’s had to tailor the project description five or six times in the last month won’t be real enthused about having to do it a seventh time. Resumes follow the same pattern. The solution lies in accepting reality and designing process and procedures to reflect it. You can still go to your association meetings and claim to follow best practices to the letter but in the long run you will have reduced your B&P cost, produced better proposals and helped retain your better people by not burning them out trying to keep up with the big guys.

Dan Light, Principal, Dan Light Consulting, LLC is considered one of the world’s leading management consultants and advisors. He specializes in business development, turnarounds and business coaching.

His focus has been to double smaller companies, often in weeks, and to similarly increase the output of his larger clients by identifying root causes and removing the obstacles that have prevented their success.

Is it worth taking personal checks from customers? Many business struggle with this question because of returned checks. The answer to this question is “yes.” Businesses should accept checks from customers as this is still a preferred way for many customers to pay.

There is another reason for accepting checks from customers. Of all the checks a business accepts, the national average for returned checks is VERY low (only 1-2% of all accepted checks will be returned). Most of these checks will be returned as NSF (non sufficient funds) and can be quickly and easily recovered by a check recovery service. A good check collection service can often recover most NSF checks (close to 90% of them) within a period of one to three months.

Most business owners outsource bad check collection because there are collection services that offer free check recovery for all U.S. businesses. Established check collection companies often have resources that small business owners do not have (the means to engage in electronic check recovery, offer negative data base reporting, and make repeated contact by letter and phone). A few will even work with local District Attorneys that have a bad check restitution program. Business owners may also want to look for a check service that will report to the major credit bureaus for check writers who refuse to pay what they owe.

There is nothing like a dream to create the future.
Victor Hugo

I’ve heard and read many times the “I’m not the selling type personality, I don’t have the character” argument. I thought that of myself actually. I was even so childish to think that yes, I could make great jewels, but I would never sell them or live from it. I was so wrong! I couldn’t see I was expecting for “something to happen” without noticing nothing would happen if I didn’t make it happen myself.

Opportunities are not casualty or good luck: opportunities are the result of knowledge and awareness. Every succeeding crafter in this world is not only a skilled master in her/his technique, but also a succesful seller. There are the same chances to succeed for almost everybody; why some do while others don’t?

This is very simple: a seller makes sales happen and does not wait for sales to come. When we believe we are not something, we are just stating we believe we cannot be something. It is not a fact but a belief. It can be changed then. Changing your point of view about yourself is the key to become a successful seller.

And NO, you don’t have to have a specific type of personality. You don’t have to a cold salesperson, nor start lying or covering any truth, because you already are something: a Jewelry Artist. Isn’t that enough to make you proud of yourself? You have a wonderful profession, you work with your hands in beautiful noble materials, and you make people look more beautiful and magical with your creations. Your work is bought with love as a gift to another, becoming a messenger of affection and generosity. You are probably self-taught and are thinking of starting your own business in a very competitive field, which means you are brave and are prepared to be steady and learn well the foundations of this business/vocation.

Sounds admirable, ah? Well, that is YOU! Don’t you see how lucky you are? Having that amazing conditions, it is only a matter of habit to start creating your own opportunities, and only a matter of habit overcoming all your self-inflicted obstacles. So, from now on, let’s say Jewelry Artist instead of seller, and I will show you how it’s only a point of view question.

A Jewelry Artist loves jewelry, jewelry making and wearing jewelry. When someone compliments the necklace you’re wearing, do NOT answer: “oh, that’s…nothing…I…made it …when I was bored”. How are you going to make someone want to own a piece like yours if you’re not proud of it? Instead of the former answer, you better say “Thank you! I made it myself – I’m a jewelry designer! Look, this is a fumeé czech bead and this are freshwater japanese pearls… I have an online business… would you like a business card?”

Believe me, the first time I did it I was sweating! Then you realize that not only nothing bad has happened, but also that the person in front of you is smiling and admiring your work. Admiring you. In a few words, you’ve told that person that you are a professional, that you sell your jewelry, that you have a business going and that you know what you do and what materials you use. After a few tries, it has become a habit – and that has meant a very good quantity of appointments and purchases! In fact, this happened to me last evening at a new rock shop that I visited, and when the owner praised my bracelet I started a conversation like the one above that leaded to a discount because I was a pro – they wanted me to come back and buy more because I sold myself well.

A Jewelry Artist does not underprice. You will not become respected by your customers if you don’t respect yourself. Though I always advice to be humble on you pay per hour of work as your skills grow, humble does not mean stupid. It is a business psychology law that slight overpricing increases the perceived value of things. You are selling jewelry, probably one of the items with a higher perceived value, so respect yourself! People would tend to think that there is something wrong with your jewels if your prices are low; if you want to cover a wider range of prices, work on your designs to make them more simple or look for cheaper materials. And if a customer just wants something that is unacceptable for you, just say no.

A Jewelry Artist always offers help and alternatives. Listening to your customers is essential. If someone asks you for a product that you don’t actually make, but would consider making, immediately ask for feedback. Almost everytime customers are more than happy to have their opinion asked. Email them with questions and ask about everything you’d like to know BUT the design. You’ll be surprised to see how customer suggestions can become best-selling items. You are here to fill a need, so listening to other people’s needs should be a main target.

A Jewelry Artist promises less than asked and delivers more than asked.
This is a very important point in what comes to custom orders and repairing services. If someone wants a piece I’ve made in another colour or wants me to fix or alter a broken piece, I always answer “I will try” instead of “yes”, even though I know if I can repair the piece with a glance. If I need three days to make it, I will ask for five days and then I will deliver it in the three I knew I would need. Most of the times are very simple things like adding a little chain on a necklace or making a new jumpring for an earring so I don’t charge nothing – which usually ends in my customers looking at the new creations while I fix the piece and, quite a few times, a purchase.

Is this so difficult? Really, I don’t think so – you need commitment in developing the habit of being successful but it really worked for me, so I’m sharing it with you. Once you’ve overcome the “firsts”, you become more and more confident, and as a result, more aware of the opportunities around you. And yes, there are more opportunities in front of me than the few I have time to explore… many more. That means that not only I have a Plan B, but also a C, a D, an E….and those opportunities are there for you too! In the second part of this article, we’ll look closely at some simple strategies to increase your opportunites in everyday life. Till then…be proud of yourself and go make some wonderful jewelry!

Born and living in Tenerife (Canary Islands) Full-time jewelry artist and owner and designer of NeoVamp Jewelry, a OOAK fine bijouterie business. Expert in wire-wrapping and former illustrator and tattoo artist. I have also extensive knowledge in symbolism and healing properties of stones and colours. Every piece I make is completely handcrafted and unique, often recycling vintage jewelry.

I've published a free course about Doll Customizing, a personal passion, and was interviewed by Rena KLingenberg in January for the Success Stories section of her site. In November last year I was interviewed by the Canary Islands TV Channel on the live show Canarias Directo.

Many small businesses grow organically, that is the size and direction (and often speed) of their growth is mostly shaped by trying to meet all the needs of all their customers.

While it is fun and encouraging to see your business grow, this sort of growth is rarely good for your business in the long run.In fact it can be a major reason for there not being any "long run" but rather a swift and painful dive into insolvency.

A small business marketing strategy will help you avoid many pitfalls that might otherwise derail your small business.Lets look at just three ways that having a small business marketing strategy can help you. These pointers deal with ensuring that you attract the right sort of customers.

Firstly, no business, let alone a small business, can be all things to all customers.Your marketing strategy will help you determine what your business is good at, and that will define more accurately for you the segment of the market you seek to attract.

Secondly, not all customers are equal. Some are a pain in the butt and take up a lot of your time but rarely buy anything. Others don't pay on time or just don't pay at all. Others are a pleasure to do business with. Your marketing strategy will aim to attract only those customers that you want to do business with.

Thirdly, having defined what segment of the market you can competently service and the type of customers you would be willing to do business with, your small business marketing strategy should determine where you can find these customers and how you can reach them with your message!

These are just three advantages you will have if you take the time to work out a marketing strategy for your small business.There are countless other marketing considerations in your business that would also benefit from you investing in a well thought out and practical marketing strategy.