Isn't this something that MOST people think about at LEAST once or twice a month? For a lot of people it's a daily concern. Sometimes just an additional $500 to $1000 per month would make a significant difference in your lifestyle, just enough to take a little bit of the pressure off.
I applaud (and envy) the people that can take a passion or hobby and turn it into income - even if it's just part time income. I really like sitting on the couch and watching TV but I haven't figured out a way to make $500-$1000 a month doing it. I DO really enjoy making wire trees out of copper wire but each tree takes 15 to 20 hours and how much could I actually charge per hour and make it worth my time and affordable to the buyer - and do I really want to make two or three trees a week and then sit somewhere and wait for people to buy them at a flea market or pack them up and sell them on some online auction site? I know the answer for me is "No". I know that I'd quickly grow tired of the process and begin to hate making trees.
So what are your options if you want to make additional income?
Part of me wants to say that your options are limitless but they are severely limited depending on what you're willing to do and how much money you expect to make. Most people want EASY money (who wouldn't?) and aren't willing to put in the time and effort necessary to really make a difference. Something also to consider - are you looking for a temporary gig or do you want to start a business that will grow and eventually replace your current source of income? Studies show that 95% of people looking for additional income are only looking to supplement their current income by $500 to $1000 per month. This may not seem like a lot of money to some but consider how quickly you could turn your financial situation around if 100% of the additional income could be applied to your outstanding debt?
Obviously I'm making some assumptions here - somewhat safe ones I'd say though. Recent statistics show that the average household credit card debt is over $15,000. The average student loan debt is over $30,000. Unfortunately we live in a society that is accustomed to debt. Personally, I'm all about instant gratification and I think most others are too. Why wait until you can pay cash for something when you can flash a piece of plastic and get it immediately? I'm guilty. Of course I always say "Eh, no worries. I'll just pay extra on the card and pay it off quickly" but of course that never happens.
We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and it truly is the land of opportunity. We each have the ability to better our financial situation with a little determination and perseverance. I believe that this is what sets the truly successful people apart from the masses though - lack of determination and perseverance. For most people it's just too much discomfort. Notice I didn't say "pain". Most of us live like kings and queens compared to a LOT of other people in the world and if you're reading this on a mobile or other electronic device, you're better off than a lot of people in our own country. We don't like to be uncomfortable and we love our entertainment - and an endless flow of it.
We only have so much time in our lives in a given day to get things accomplished.
It's difficult to take on additional responsibilities because they start to cut into what little personal time we may have. I sympathize with single parents or parents with multiple jobs. I realize that you have very little time to yourselves and the last thing you want to do is sacrifice that one sacred hour a day that you have to yourself. But what if you COULD sacrifice just ONE hour a day and make enough extra income to really make a difference in your life? And then as you were more successful, have the ability to cut back on your hours at your regular job. What could you possibly do in ONE hour a day that would make that kind of money though?
Some people have a very negative, pre-conceived notion about the business model of network marketing. A lot of people still consider it as a "pyramid scheme" or sometimes they'll replace the word "scheme" with "scam". It's unfortunate that the industry HAS had some dings, dents, and bruises to its reputation over the years - and rightfully so. A lot of companies (probably most) offer over priced products that can be purchased at a discounted price if you become a distributor. Unfortunately this is usually the only motivation to become an associate or distributor. Then you're encouraged to find other people that like the product well enough to want a discount and entice them to do the same. The problem is that there is typically a massive amount of competition for the product. In other words, it may not be exactly the same thing, but you can get something very similar from another distributor or even at your local discount store for a fraction of the price. The key is to find a product or service that has little or no competition and people you know are interested without having to be convinced.
Once you find a network marketing company that you can really get behind and find others that share your vision and commitment, you can build a team. Once you do this, you can benefit from the efforts of others. This is where a lot of people pump the brakes, close their eyes and cover their ears. It's true because most people's experience with network marketing is a negative one. Why is this? I'm quite confident that it is because the person that brought it to their attention did it in such a way that it made it an unpleasant experience. Most companies don't train their associates sufficiently on how to approach and how NOT to approach people in their warm market. They also fail to train them on how to deal with rejection and follow-up. I don't care what anyone says, network marketing is sales - plain and simple. The idea of sales scares most people to death, but let's explore the possible reasons why.
Everyone hates the idea of rejection.
It doesn't feel good but let's dissect it a little more. When you have friends over and you ask them if they'd like another drink or a fudge brownie, ANYTHING, and they say "No, thank you" all is well, no feelings are hurt and you forget about it. Why is it so different when money is involved? I propose that it's all in the delivery and the expectations. MOST people set themselves up for rejection before the other person even has a chance to respond (more on this later).
The second reason is that no one wants to try to convince someone to buy a product or service in the first place. This is why it is imperative that you choose a company that has a product or service that you believe in 100%. I can't stress this enough. If you have ANY doubt in the value of your product or service then you are more than likely doomed from the beginning. If the words coming out of a person's mouth do not truly resonate with the one speaking them, people can generally sense it. Even if you're excited and pumped up yet in your mind you're saying to yourself "this person is not going to be interested". Most people don't even realize that they have an innate ability to determine when someone is congruent or grounded - their words and actions truly match their beliefs. Additionally, and almost equally important - your product must be appealing to a wide audience in order to give you the best chance at success. In other words, choose a product or service that is needed or wanted by more than just a certain age group or demographic.
The third reason is that most people are not motivated enough to be self-employed - and they usually know this about themselves. It's a little more difficult to do the little things that have to be done when you don't REALLY have anyone to answer to but yourself. Sure, you can have your "upline" or "business associate" calling you and trying to encourage you to do what you need to do to be successful but it's not the same as a boss. They can't fire you.
All of these challenges can be overcome with the right company and proper training.
One of the most common objections to network marketing "opportunities" is the upfront fee that most companies require. I have mixed feelings about this one. Some companies charge $1000 or more for the start-up fee and then require some sort of annual renewal on top of that. Others are more reasonable and charge $100-$200 with no annual renewal. These are the fees that are so small that no one should really complain about them. Almost any business or job you start will require some upfront investment. If you get a job at many (or probably MOST) fast food restaurants you'd be out about the same amount from buying the uniforms and other associated expenses! Something else to really consider - how many weeks of driving to your part time job would it take to exceed the expense of becoming an independent associate for any given company?
Let's do the math. I'll be conservative and use 10 miles as my example. If you're lucky, you can get to a job location within 10 miles or less from home. So 10 miles times 5 days per week times two for the round trip would be 100 miles. The average miles per gallon is about 20 so 100 divided by 20 is 5 gallons. The national average price of gasoline is about $3.50 right now so 5 times the price per gallon would be about $17.50 per week for gasoline. In one month you will spend about $70 to get to work - and again, these are conservative numbers. I imagine most people spend much more than this on gasoline to get to work every month.
A few years ago after I was laid off by the company that I had been with for 16 years, I was having a hard time finding another job. I still had a little of my severance package checks coming in and I had cashed out my 401k so I wasn't desperate yet but I needed to have some income pretty quickly. After giving it some thought and having a good friend tell me to "go for it" I decided to invest a small amount of money into my own lawn care business. I named my business "A Cut Below the Rest". I thought it was a pretty clever play on words since I was planning on undercutting most (if not all) of the competition. I made very professional looking signs and business cards and dispersed them around the neighborhood. Within a couple months I had enough business to keep me busy all day but working by myself and only collecting $20-$25 per lawn I was only grossing $100-$150 a day. By the end of the summer I was exhausted. My 40+ year old body was taking a beating on a daily basis and I knew that I didn't want to continue and I didn't want to hire anyone so I could expand my business either. I had heard more than once that it was a real challenge to find and keep good dependable workers in the lawn care business and I have no desire to be the kind of business owner that has to constantly worry about my employees.
I don't recall the exact amount of money that I had to invest in my business to get it up and running, but a good estimate is about $4000 for everything - which is really low for a lawn care business. My main mower really should have cost me about twice that amount but I was trying to keep my investment and expenses as low as possible. Again, I could have expanded and invested and grown my business but the thought of massive overhead and cost of additional equipment, employee taxes and worker's comp and the thought of having to micro manage my crew was enough to convince me to move on to something else.
I've been involved with a few network marketing companies in the past but I wasn't prepared to make the contacts and follow ups that are required to grow a business. If you're willing to do these two things, I'm convinced that you can make ANY "opportunity" work for you as long as you are marketing a quality, desirable product or service and can get behind it 100%. If you're ready for a change, ready for a challenge, ready for a life altering course, then consider network marketing - but choose a company that is solid, has been around for at least 10 years, offers a product or service with little or no competition, and be prepared to stick to it and never give up. If you do the research you'll find that most people fail at network marketing. The reason they fail is because they didn't choose the right company and they weren't prepared or properly trained.
Hopefully I've given you some useful thoughts or insights that will help you decide if network marketing is right for you. If you're looking for quick, easy money then it's probably not a good fit. I'll close with one of my favorite quotes from the late, great Jim Rohn - "Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons". If you're OK with the idea of stepping a little outside your comfort zone (for most) but in return having a virtually unlimited income potential then maybe you should explore the idea of network marketing a little further.
My name is Cory J. Westerbeck. Whether you're a seasoned network marketer or brand new to the business, I can work with you at your speed. Do you want an extra $500-$1000/month or do you want complete financial freedom? You can earn/learn a little at a time or go full throttle. Fill out a short questionnaire and your support and game plan will be tailor made to suit your style, goals, and expectations.
Visit my site at http://www.moreincome101.com to see if my program is a good fit for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cory_J_Westerbeck
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8641465
I applaud (and envy) the people that can take a passion or hobby and turn it into income - even if it's just part time income. I really like sitting on the couch and watching TV but I haven't figured out a way to make $500-$1000 a month doing it. I DO really enjoy making wire trees out of copper wire but each tree takes 15 to 20 hours and how much could I actually charge per hour and make it worth my time and affordable to the buyer - and do I really want to make two or three trees a week and then sit somewhere and wait for people to buy them at a flea market or pack them up and sell them on some online auction site? I know the answer for me is "No". I know that I'd quickly grow tired of the process and begin to hate making trees.
So what are your options if you want to make additional income?
Part of me wants to say that your options are limitless but they are severely limited depending on what you're willing to do and how much money you expect to make. Most people want EASY money (who wouldn't?) and aren't willing to put in the time and effort necessary to really make a difference. Something also to consider - are you looking for a temporary gig or do you want to start a business that will grow and eventually replace your current source of income? Studies show that 95% of people looking for additional income are only looking to supplement their current income by $500 to $1000 per month. This may not seem like a lot of money to some but consider how quickly you could turn your financial situation around if 100% of the additional income could be applied to your outstanding debt?
Obviously I'm making some assumptions here - somewhat safe ones I'd say though. Recent statistics show that the average household credit card debt is over $15,000. The average student loan debt is over $30,000. Unfortunately we live in a society that is accustomed to debt. Personally, I'm all about instant gratification and I think most others are too. Why wait until you can pay cash for something when you can flash a piece of plastic and get it immediately? I'm guilty. Of course I always say "Eh, no worries. I'll just pay extra on the card and pay it off quickly" but of course that never happens.
We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and it truly is the land of opportunity. We each have the ability to better our financial situation with a little determination and perseverance. I believe that this is what sets the truly successful people apart from the masses though - lack of determination and perseverance. For most people it's just too much discomfort. Notice I didn't say "pain". Most of us live like kings and queens compared to a LOT of other people in the world and if you're reading this on a mobile or other electronic device, you're better off than a lot of people in our own country. We don't like to be uncomfortable and we love our entertainment - and an endless flow of it.
We only have so much time in our lives in a given day to get things accomplished.
It's difficult to take on additional responsibilities because they start to cut into what little personal time we may have. I sympathize with single parents or parents with multiple jobs. I realize that you have very little time to yourselves and the last thing you want to do is sacrifice that one sacred hour a day that you have to yourself. But what if you COULD sacrifice just ONE hour a day and make enough extra income to really make a difference in your life? And then as you were more successful, have the ability to cut back on your hours at your regular job. What could you possibly do in ONE hour a day that would make that kind of money though?
Some people have a very negative, pre-conceived notion about the business model of network marketing. A lot of people still consider it as a "pyramid scheme" or sometimes they'll replace the word "scheme" with "scam". It's unfortunate that the industry HAS had some dings, dents, and bruises to its reputation over the years - and rightfully so. A lot of companies (probably most) offer over priced products that can be purchased at a discounted price if you become a distributor. Unfortunately this is usually the only motivation to become an associate or distributor. Then you're encouraged to find other people that like the product well enough to want a discount and entice them to do the same. The problem is that there is typically a massive amount of competition for the product. In other words, it may not be exactly the same thing, but you can get something very similar from another distributor or even at your local discount store for a fraction of the price. The key is to find a product or service that has little or no competition and people you know are interested without having to be convinced.
Once you find a network marketing company that you can really get behind and find others that share your vision and commitment, you can build a team. Once you do this, you can benefit from the efforts of others. This is where a lot of people pump the brakes, close their eyes and cover their ears. It's true because most people's experience with network marketing is a negative one. Why is this? I'm quite confident that it is because the person that brought it to their attention did it in such a way that it made it an unpleasant experience. Most companies don't train their associates sufficiently on how to approach and how NOT to approach people in their warm market. They also fail to train them on how to deal with rejection and follow-up. I don't care what anyone says, network marketing is sales - plain and simple. The idea of sales scares most people to death, but let's explore the possible reasons why.
Everyone hates the idea of rejection.
It doesn't feel good but let's dissect it a little more. When you have friends over and you ask them if they'd like another drink or a fudge brownie, ANYTHING, and they say "No, thank you" all is well, no feelings are hurt and you forget about it. Why is it so different when money is involved? I propose that it's all in the delivery and the expectations. MOST people set themselves up for rejection before the other person even has a chance to respond (more on this later).
The second reason is that no one wants to try to convince someone to buy a product or service in the first place. This is why it is imperative that you choose a company that has a product or service that you believe in 100%. I can't stress this enough. If you have ANY doubt in the value of your product or service then you are more than likely doomed from the beginning. If the words coming out of a person's mouth do not truly resonate with the one speaking them, people can generally sense it. Even if you're excited and pumped up yet in your mind you're saying to yourself "this person is not going to be interested". Most people don't even realize that they have an innate ability to determine when someone is congruent or grounded - their words and actions truly match their beliefs. Additionally, and almost equally important - your product must be appealing to a wide audience in order to give you the best chance at success. In other words, choose a product or service that is needed or wanted by more than just a certain age group or demographic.
The third reason is that most people are not motivated enough to be self-employed - and they usually know this about themselves. It's a little more difficult to do the little things that have to be done when you don't REALLY have anyone to answer to but yourself. Sure, you can have your "upline" or "business associate" calling you and trying to encourage you to do what you need to do to be successful but it's not the same as a boss. They can't fire you.
All of these challenges can be overcome with the right company and proper training.
One of the most common objections to network marketing "opportunities" is the upfront fee that most companies require. I have mixed feelings about this one. Some companies charge $1000 or more for the start-up fee and then require some sort of annual renewal on top of that. Others are more reasonable and charge $100-$200 with no annual renewal. These are the fees that are so small that no one should really complain about them. Almost any business or job you start will require some upfront investment. If you get a job at many (or probably MOST) fast food restaurants you'd be out about the same amount from buying the uniforms and other associated expenses! Something else to really consider - how many weeks of driving to your part time job would it take to exceed the expense of becoming an independent associate for any given company?
Let's do the math. I'll be conservative and use 10 miles as my example. If you're lucky, you can get to a job location within 10 miles or less from home. So 10 miles times 5 days per week times two for the round trip would be 100 miles. The average miles per gallon is about 20 so 100 divided by 20 is 5 gallons. The national average price of gasoline is about $3.50 right now so 5 times the price per gallon would be about $17.50 per week for gasoline. In one month you will spend about $70 to get to work - and again, these are conservative numbers. I imagine most people spend much more than this on gasoline to get to work every month.
A few years ago after I was laid off by the company that I had been with for 16 years, I was having a hard time finding another job. I still had a little of my severance package checks coming in and I had cashed out my 401k so I wasn't desperate yet but I needed to have some income pretty quickly. After giving it some thought and having a good friend tell me to "go for it" I decided to invest a small amount of money into my own lawn care business. I named my business "A Cut Below the Rest". I thought it was a pretty clever play on words since I was planning on undercutting most (if not all) of the competition. I made very professional looking signs and business cards and dispersed them around the neighborhood. Within a couple months I had enough business to keep me busy all day but working by myself and only collecting $20-$25 per lawn I was only grossing $100-$150 a day. By the end of the summer I was exhausted. My 40+ year old body was taking a beating on a daily basis and I knew that I didn't want to continue and I didn't want to hire anyone so I could expand my business either. I had heard more than once that it was a real challenge to find and keep good dependable workers in the lawn care business and I have no desire to be the kind of business owner that has to constantly worry about my employees.
I don't recall the exact amount of money that I had to invest in my business to get it up and running, but a good estimate is about $4000 for everything - which is really low for a lawn care business. My main mower really should have cost me about twice that amount but I was trying to keep my investment and expenses as low as possible. Again, I could have expanded and invested and grown my business but the thought of massive overhead and cost of additional equipment, employee taxes and worker's comp and the thought of having to micro manage my crew was enough to convince me to move on to something else.
I've been involved with a few network marketing companies in the past but I wasn't prepared to make the contacts and follow ups that are required to grow a business. If you're willing to do these two things, I'm convinced that you can make ANY "opportunity" work for you as long as you are marketing a quality, desirable product or service and can get behind it 100%. If you're ready for a change, ready for a challenge, ready for a life altering course, then consider network marketing - but choose a company that is solid, has been around for at least 10 years, offers a product or service with little or no competition, and be prepared to stick to it and never give up. If you do the research you'll find that most people fail at network marketing. The reason they fail is because they didn't choose the right company and they weren't prepared or properly trained.
Hopefully I've given you some useful thoughts or insights that will help you decide if network marketing is right for you. If you're looking for quick, easy money then it's probably not a good fit. I'll close with one of my favorite quotes from the late, great Jim Rohn - "Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons". If you're OK with the idea of stepping a little outside your comfort zone (for most) but in return having a virtually unlimited income potential then maybe you should explore the idea of network marketing a little further.
My name is Cory J. Westerbeck. Whether you're a seasoned network marketer or brand new to the business, I can work with you at your speed. Do you want an extra $500-$1000/month or do you want complete financial freedom? You can earn/learn a little at a time or go full throttle. Fill out a short questionnaire and your support and game plan will be tailor made to suit your style, goals, and expectations.
Visit my site at http://www.moreincome101.com to see if my program is a good fit for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cory_J_Westerbeck
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8641465
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