What to Do Now That You Know Settlement Companies

Are you getting a sick feeling about your credit card debt settlement program since the Federal Trade Commission announced settlement companies used a business model based on deceit to get your business, take your money and actually help you fail? Are you surprised some for-profit settlement companies are endorsing the new law but screaming foul because so-called nonprofits were not included?

Use a search term like "new FTC law debt settlement companies" to see what it's all about and after you do a bit of studying you'll discover it's just business as usual in the debt industry. The "for-profits" are upset that "nonprofits" are not included and can charge any amount because the nonprofits are usually owned or are an extension of the original card companies and therefore exempt from nearly all federal laws. Still surprised?

The net result of the new law for consumers will be business as usual no matter which one you deal with in the settlement industry. Your hard-earned dollars will be taken from you and passed up the food chain to feed the lavish requirements of the banking industry. If this confuses you please use the search term "the gig is up--money, the Federal Reserve, money and you" to get an out behind the barn education that will change your life forever!

Having watched the "gig" you know it's just the same old song with a different tune so the new settlement law will not help you and the card companies will continue their outrageous and unchecked card shark tactics. But, that's using the new law so if you go back in time to 1966 and look at the old FTC law you'll find a whole different tune being played.

Virtually anyone can achieve a 40 to 50% debt settlement on their own without using a settlement company by refusing to pay the card account. Card companies may voluntarily offer these rates before they write off and close your account as mandated by federal law after six months of non-payment because they are going to sell your account information to a collection agency for perhaps 5% or less of what you allegedly owe. Why take a 95% loss when you're offering them 50%?

The arrogance of banks usually leads them to take the so-called 95% loss because they actually don't lose a penny anyway and give you a slap in the face by having some thug collector attempting to make your life miserable. Here's where the fun and savings begins when you invoke your constitutional rights and use the legal system to put collectors in the unemployment line.

Use the search term "FTC debt video" and watch this powerful law which has been reduced to cartoon status so the public will simply bypass it believing it's just another Bugs Bunny show. Listen to the words carefully or download the PDF version of the law to realize the real significance. Beating collectors over the phone is easy and handling their written collection notices is a piece of cake!

Hopefully, you now understand you don't need a settlement company whether it's for profit or some alleged nonprofit extension of the card companies. Credit card debt or either type of settlement company is always hazardous your financial health. Perhaps Congress would stand a better chance of getting a meaningful law passed through the FDA where bankers don't write the laws! Live life and have fun!

Starting A Business

I have had several people tell me that they want to start a business but do not even know where to begin. Honestly, it can be pretty overwhelming if you don't have any steps to follow. Thus, what I am going to share with you here can serve as guidelines for you.

Be sure that what you intend to do is your passion.

Don't just jump into any business because it's a fad, your friend made money out of it, you think it's going to make money, or whatever reason other than it being your passion. So before you even think about setting up your own business, ask yourself the following questions: What do I love to do? What do I enjoy doing? What am I really good at? What am I most experienced in doing? From here you will know what your passion really is. And if the business you are thinking of setting up does not fall in this category, forget it. It is not going to work.

Work with what you got.

Do not even attempt to think of thousands or hundreds of thousands if all you have are hundreds. I am not talking about financial projections here but where you are to begin. If all you can spare is $500, then work on that. If all you have is a computer and phone, then work with what you have. Start with what you have, not with what you don't have. Then work your way from there.

If you need top-of-the-line equipment, look for slightly used ones for sale instead of buying it brand new. Keep your costs low.

Invest wisely.

Whether you plan to borrow money or you have enough savings to start with, learn to invest wisely. Write down everything you need, and prioritize.

Your priorities should be your main business tool or equipment, as well as your promotional tools.

Find out what business laws you have in your city/state.

Some cities/states do not require you to register a business unless your gross yearly earning is over $12000. If this law applies to your location, and if you are not sure how much money you will be making on the first year, then don't register your business yet. Test the waters first and work your way from there. As far as I know, if your business is not legally registered, you are only allowed to use your name and not any other name for the business.

One way to really start low is to experiment first. If you plan to venture into a food business, try cooking from home and sell your food to your neighbors and friends. If you want to do wedding planning, then let your friends know and do their wedding planning for them, for a very minimal cost. You can even do it for free. This is a good way of building up your credentials.

Get all your tools ready.

Other than the equipment, furniture, supplies, and other things you need for your business, the 'tools' that you need to prioritize are your "promotional tools". These include your business card, website, flyers, business sign, letterheads, brochure, social media, etc. The kind and extent of promotional tools you need will depend on the type and size of business you are thinking of. The basic promotional tools for any type and size of business are business cards, website, brochures, flyers, and social media. Do not even attempt to start a business without these tools ready; otherwise you will be like a soldier in battle without his ammunition. Likewise, do not attempt to do all these yourself unless you have the skills and experience in doing so.

And don't forget the most important tool of all: your business plan. This is your blueprint - where everything about your business lies. It is what you will need to apply for a loan, to apply for a grant, and to create your promotional tools.

Leave your promotional tools in the hands of those who are more equipped to do it. This is where I can be of help to you.

Promotion is the key.

Once you have all your promotional tools ready, it is going to be easier to promote your business. Have your business cards with you at all times and give it to anyone you meet. Your business card should already have your website and social media addresses. Flyers help a lot when you are promoting a product or a service that is better presented through visuals such as photography, weddings, flower arrangement, etc. Brochures are most effective if your target audience are groups of people such as church, organizations, corporations, etc.

Utilize every opportunity and connections you have. Keep promoting!

Build relationships.

Repeat business is the biggest indicator of a good business. And the only way people are going to refer you to others, or do business with you again, is if they are satisfied with what you provided them with. Customer satisfaction is not so much how good your product or service is but how good they felt about you and what you did for them. It is all about the relationship that you build with people.

Integrity counts the most.

Integrity is more than trust. It is the result of consistent trustworthiness. It means that you walk your talk... you deliver what you say you will do... you stay committed to your commitments. When you have integrity, customers will prefer you over your competitors. They will choose you because they know that they can rely on you, whatever happens.

Work harder than an employee.

Some people who are considering setting up their own business think that if they do this, they can relax and act like the big boss who seems to do nothing but walk around. The opposite holds true. Since you are your own boss when you have your own business, you really have to operate like a boss. And bosses are not just walking around. They are the ones who do almost all the thinking, problem solving, decision making, financing, networking, and all the more difficult and tedious mental tasks. Add to this working like the hardest working employee you can ever find. In short, you are the boss and employee at the same time, unless you plan to hire people under you.

Stay committed and consistent.

Once you start a business, you have to remain committed to it. It's not an experiment that you can just start, and then end when it does not work in a few months. You can't be dictated by your emotions. You have to get going no matter what happens. This brings us back to what I said in the beginning of this article -- find out what your passion is.

Basics of Creating a Small Business Plan

Starting a new business can be a daunting task but a rewarding one. This article is meant to help give some direction to someone that is thinking about starting their own business. A general idea of what ground work you need to think about and start planning for if you are serious about pursuing your dreams and making them become a reality.

First, you need a business plan which may seem cumbersome but is extremely necessary to flesh out the feasibility of your ideas. Not to mention a good business plan is vital to gaining loans or grants to fund the project.

A Business Plan should at least include but is not limited to the following:

1. Name of the business

2. Who are your competitors?

3. What makes your product or service better than your competition?

4. Do you have any strategic business partnerships you can leverage?

• If you are a caterer can you partner with a hall? This way you are guaranteed so much business & start a word of mouth client base.

5. Definition of who your customers are

6. How you are going to market & sell to your customers

• Are you going to use website, flyers, radio ads, strategic partnerships

• Market analysis can be done with the help of:

US Department of Commerce and Census Bureau

National Trade and Professional Association directory

Web-based: Google Trends, Trends Map & Social Mention Linked-in

Annual Survey of Buying Power produced by Sales and Marketing Management magazine - This can help with projected revenues.

7. Define your product or service

8. Develop a mission statement, branding & message you want to advertise

9. Legal Paperwork -

• Need a license, then speak to your state's department of licensing and regulatory affairs.

• Patent ideas -Contact the Patent and Trademark Depository Library. Find out if you have an original idea and who to talk to if you need a patent attorney.

• Copyrights have to be registered with the government for about $65.

• Determine what type of business you are going to register under ie

- Sole proprietorships register a "Doing Business As" with the county clerk.

- Limited Liability Corporation(LLC), INC, PLC register with the state ie MI Dept of Energy & Labor

Working with a lawyer that specializes in zoning and business law can be helpful to avoid pitfalls. They can set you up with legal paperwork for clients to sign in an effort to reduce settlements. Business lawyers can help keep clients from coming after personal assets in the case of lawsuits ie LLC setup. They may have ideas depending on how you setup your business as to what insurance you will need too. As anything it is good to get at least three bids from different companies to get the best deal for your business.

10. What are you going to need to get your business up and running?

• New Structure & Land - Contact the planning office about zoning laws and building permits

• Existing structure - Contact the planning office about zoning laws and who to contact about getting a licensed inspector because not all inspectors have any ie electrical or HVAC licenses. If you run a business out of your primary residence you can sometimes bypass a business tax on your property but may need a inspection to make sure you are compliant with current codes. Check to see what local laws apply to you.

11. List of Expenditures ~Split into initial setup fees & annual cost of doing business:

•Business Lawyers

Zoning & buying land, Setup of DBA or LLC + registration fees,client legal forms to reduce settlements, Copyrights/ Patent Costs and Business Insurance

•Licensed Skilled Trades

Inspector Fees, Permits, licensed electrician/ HVAC/ plumber to bring you up to code.

•Equipment / Supplies

Renting Building, computer, printer/fax/copier, Bulk supplies, Used/ surplus equipment

•Marketing /Sales

Initial Market Analysis Costs, $120 setup a domain name & website/yr, $200/yr list with search engines & use clickthrough services to increase web traffic, flyers & radio ads

•Employees

Your annual wage & health Insurance, employee wages, Payroll accountant or software. Speak to a business account to see if you need software for payroll that includes health insurance/workmen's Compensation Insurance/Social Security/ state and federal tax with holdings.

Note whenever I have managed projects and budgets I add 15% to projected costs. This is in an effort to cover unexpected events ie building delay due to weather that puts you behind on opening and therefore reducing anticipated revenues. Or used equipment may break and need to be replaced. Your list will vary but the above list is a basic start to making an expenditure list for your business.

12. Projected annual revenue - Include how you are coming up with these numbers.

13. Projected Return on Investment (ROI) for investors

14. Exit plan - This defines what happens if you go out of business and how your stakeholders who invested in the business are going get their money back ie sell equipment, etc.

This is not an all inclusive list for everything contained in your business plan but should give you a good idea of where to start. Once you have a good portion of the above information worked out and written down. Then you could see one of the below organizations to help you work out additional kinks and polish the business plan. Then you can seek out people to fund your business.

Qualified Annuity Leads - How Important Are They?

If you are in the business of selling annuities, you would know the importance of having qualified annuity leads in your possession. No business of selling annuities can be a success without qualified leads. In this case, since you are selling a financial product, the value of a lead has to be high. You cannot afford to buy leads that are worthless. At the same time, you also cannot afford to be in a position where you have no leads. That would be a position leading to disaster. How can you ascertain whether you have a good list of annuity leads?

When you search for prospective clients to sell annuities, you are likely to find two types of leads. Perhaps you will land up wit raw leads in the first place rather than qualified leads. Raw leads can also be called prospects but are perhaps less likely to give you the type of returns that these leads can. Raw leads are derived from taking calculations of demographics and age of the leads. On the other hand, qualified leads are people who are genuinely interested in buying annuities and have been making inquiries about the same.

If you are looking for leads, you should try and concentrate on getting qualified leads for your business. Investors mentioned in a list of these leads are people who know about the subject they have professed their interest in. They will give you the confidence of dealing with an individual who knows what is being discussed. You will probably not be able to sell just any product to such individuals. However you are more likely to make a sale with these types of leads.

You could also make an attempt at selling annuities to raw annuity leads. The fact that they are individuals based on demographics or ethnicity in no way disqualifies them from buying an annuity. However you must understand that these people are less likely to make an investment in annuities as they only represent a list that has been prepared by using a certain background.

How can you go about finding qualified annuity leads? One way is to go through a reputed lead generation company. You will be required to spend a lot of money when buying such leads as they are very expensive. These companies usually verify every lead they have before a sale is made. Even as you spend the money on the purchase, you can rest assured that you have a lead that is qualified enough to give to some business. Do not under any circumstances deal with a company that promises leads at a low price. Chances are that the leads have already been sold to other individuals as well. You will only be wasting your time and money behind such people.

The Top 5 Types of Business Names

A great business name is sticky and flexible. Whether you hear it in a crowded room or say it yourself, it resonates and remains. So what are the naming strategies behind some of the greatest companies of all time? Apple was able to make people believe that the high-tech world of personal computing was friendly and inviting by choosing a common, every day name. Samsonite created an image of strength and durability that only Samson himself could uphold. BlackBerry used our sense of touch by associating the phone and its small keyboard buttons to the drupelets that form the blackberry fruit.

There are a variety of different strategies that entrepreneurs use to create a memorable and unique name for a new business. Some strategies are more successful than others, yet they all seem to co-exist, making it important to review each type to get a feel for what is available. The dynamics behind choosing a business name are easy, but the final selection is one of the most important decisions you will make as a business owner. Your company name is the doorway to your product or service. It must be nothing short of spectacular.

With that goal in mind, here are the top 5 most common business name types, with a few pros and cons of each. If you are in the process of considering a name for your new business or thinking of renaming your current business, you can refer to this as a guide to help you navigate the world of exceptional, extraordinary and mind-blowing business names.

No. 1: The Real Word Business Name

We all recognize certain names in the English language because they have become household names. They refer to products or services we use everyday. Quaker, Shell and Twitter are familiar to us because they are real words, yet they have been given arbitrary meanings on account of being associated with very successful businesses. Sometimes new companies looking to capitalize on the familiarity of a word will choose to use a name that already exists as part of a new business name. These names are best described as Real Word business names.

Amazon, Yelp and Adobe are more examples of highly successful businesses that began by employing simple, recognizable names that grew into multi-million dollar companies. In fact, most people today would probably tell you that "Amazon" is an online retailer before telling you that it is a female warrior or river. On the downside, real words are next to impossible to obtain the.com URL for and notoriously difficult to protect. Real word business names, while easy and convenient, are not necessarily recommended solutions, despite the powerful potential for recognition.

No. 2: The Descriptive Business Name

There is no doubt that when consumers hear the name "Super Cuts" they envision that there is some cutting going on, and more than likely, it's super. A Descriptive business name is one that essentially describes a product or service by identifying some ingredient, quality or characteristic of that product. While naming strategies that employ descriptors are easy to understand and informative, they are hardly unique, and far too common. At best, descriptive names are boring, lack appeal and in most cases, are not worthy of trademark protection.

Yet, there are a few benefits to using a descriptive name to identify your business. For one, there is no ambiguity in "All Bran Cereal." And from a marketing perspective, sometimes it's not so bad to be direct. At their worst, descriptive names can cause consumers to associate the business with a lack of creativity and innovation. And unless you have an unusually large budget and the ability to quickly rise above the competition, a descriptive name is a tough bet.

No. 3: The Compound Word Business Name

Here is where it starts to get interesting. Many businesses have been very successful employing a combination of two common (or uncommon) words to make one new name and concept. Compound Word business names tend to be interesting and unique, particularly if new meanings can be created through the combination of words that are not typically used together.

Compound word business names are generally easy for consumers to remember because of their uniqueness and memorability - think SalesForce and FireFox. In some respects, the right combination can also incite strong curiosity, which is always a good thing for business. With compound business names, the possibilities are endless as there is virtually no end to the number of winning combinations that can be created. It is tough to find any drawback to using a really good compound word for a business name, but if there is one, its length.

Compound words have the tendency to carry more characters than other styles of business names. It may be tough, but resist using any compound name that exceeds ten characters. Keep it short and sweet and you can't lose.

No. 4: The Associated Word Business Name

Sometimes, business names resonate because they blend two or more words together, making it fun to think of two unrelated objects as one. "NetScape" is basically a blend of "net" and the word "landscape," which denotes an Internet landscape, making for a perfect business name for an Internet web browser. Associated Word business names include all kinds of unique names that are simply blends of other words, words with prefixes or suffixes affixed, even misspellings of other common words.

Associated words can be highly successful business names. Cisco (from San Francisco), Wikipedia (from encyclopedia) and Google (from "googol") certainly did not have difficulty gaining credibility. These business names have strong underlying meanings and provide a much better back-story than other types of names. Associated words make great business names and can be quite successful if chosen carefully. However, getting it "right" can be tricky, and it's easy to sound contrived or unnatural if you are not careful.

No. 5: The Brandable or Generic Business Name

When it comes to trademarking and ease of use, nothing comes close to the Brandable or Generic Business name. Brandable names are among the easiest business names to protect and one of the simplest and most effective ways to ensure uniqueness for the product or service you are offering. The biggest advantage to choosing a brandable name lies in its brandability. As consumers use and enjoy your product, your name develops a definition that describes what your company offers.

Startups and even established businesses forever look for ways to build brand awareness. The right brandable name will successfully launch any branding campaign. Consumers recall your business name and along with it, your product. For every company, across all industries, this is a huge advantage, as it prevents external "noise" created by the associations people make with Descriptive and Associated style names. It's surprising how many people have a negative opinion of a particular business name simply because it evokes negative feelings that stemmed from a past circumstance. A unique or "nonsense" name prevents this and gives your company an edge over the descriptive competition.

5 Tips on Choosing a Right Top Affiliate Program

The success of top affiliate programs has drawn people in swarms, as this is the business model that has made people earn money from home without no or little investment and with very little effort. This top paying affiliate programs allows people to help the company sell their products in exchange of a set percentage of sales amounts as a commission.

But do every top affiliate program is a successful business venture? No, because sometimes people end up selling products that has no buyers' or taker's thereby resulting in no revenue return. So, how do you select a program that results in decent revenue earning home business model for you? Below are 5 tips to consider while choosing a program that will result in a program that sells:

1.Whether Sign-Up is free or paid?

While most of the affiliate programs don't charge you money for your interest to join but there are some top paying programs that cost you a little to sign-up. Thus, while choosing to join an affiliate to promote a product, one should see that the sign-up does not cost you much, and preferably choose a free sign-up scheme. Also, it must be seen that it does not cost you much to sell or promote the product as an affiliate.

2.Does the Top affiliate program provide necessary Marketing Tools?

While selecting an program, one should see if the top affiliate program provides necessary marketing tools apart from the support it provides? A top program will make necessary marketing tools available to you apart from the support it gives to let you help making the sells quickly.

3.Demand of the Product

It is not advisable to choose an program where you try to promote or sell a product that is not popular or of good quality, because in that case you will be finally promoting or selling a product which people don't prefer to purchase shelling out some bucks. Thus, choose the program that offers good quality and in-demand products to promote or sell.

4.When is the commission paid?

While some top affiliate programs pay out their commission once or twice in a month, there are others, which do not have a regular pay out option. So, while choosing an program one should see that the program one decides to join has a regular pay-out of commission option because you wouldn't want to finish up in a situation where you are waiting for your check to arrive for months.

5.Is there any residual income?

Though not mandatory, one must explore if there is any possibility of earning a residual income while choosing top paying affiliate program. How much commission would you earn from the sale? The residual income varies from one program to another. Decide on your own whether you have precedence for some residual income as well.