Looking for advice

bigbucks · Enthusiast Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Illinois

First, let me explain my username-- I am not greedy, but I enjoy deer hunting (more like watching for me), and anything outdoorsy and wildlife related. I am addicted to the mature white tail deer- BIG BUCKS.
My story is this. I am 37 and have been in the automotive repair industry (auto body) for 21 years. I work in a small shop and am usually there by myself. It is very high stress, not to mention the fumes and chemicals I am in contact with daily. The pay is very good, but I really feel it is not worth it. I am burned out, my knees are junk, my wrists and fingers hurt all the time, my throat and chest aches from the paint, plus I am usually stressed to the max by the time I get home and then I am crabby around my wife and 5 year old daughter. Also, I live on a farm and there is always alot to do. It is not unusual for me to leave at 7:30 AM and get in at 9 PM. Plus, I am starting to build a house, alot of which I will be doing myself.
I don't believe in any get-rich-quick stuff and I know you are going to get more out of any business if you put more into it. Right now I just don't have the time to jump in to anything head over heals, but I am doing research to see if there is anything for me. That is what brought me to this site. I would like to get something started to get my feet wet and get into it more after my house is done. Problem is, I don't know what. I keep seeing all these infomercials lately about how easy it is to make money selling on Ebay. I have nothing against that, I just don't have faith in infomercials. Also, you can only make money if you sell higher than you buy the item for. All those infomercials just hype what the persons monthly SALES were. I am more interested in actual income.
Sorry for rambling. Thanks in advance for any advice, Kevin

Michelle · Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2004 12:54 am Post subject:

Hi Kevin,
Welcome to the forum! Smile

I really admire you for wanting more for yourself and your family...and I am wishing you all the best in finding what you are looking for. I'm not sure there is any advice I can give, but I just know there is something for you if you keep researching. Hopefully someone here will have some great advice to offer you!
In the meantime, keep your chin up and stay encouraged! Wink

Michelle

ajazzfan · Just Joined Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 3

Hi Kevin,

Welcome!
You are right to be cautious, there are many dubious "opportunities" out there. I'm sure you've heard of all those "randomizer" programs--you pay a set fee and then "someone" (might be you!) gets "randomly" selected to be paid that month. You never know when, or if you're going to be paid. These are good opportunities to stay away from!

There are also a lot of "matrix" opportunities where you get paid based on sign-ups--usually it's for a "seminar" or an "info-pack" so that they can legally do it. These also are not very good opportunities, and many times there is a very high charge to become a "member"--or you have to pay a monthly fee before you can start earning commissions.

The better opportunities don't require you to buy an information package, or join a "club" before you can start making money. They usually provide you with everything you need to get to a fast start at no extra charge.

There are also affiliate program, such as Amazon, that allow you to earn commissions from the customers you send them. With these kinds of programs you need to have your own website--which you can set up with a free hosting service--and generate "traffic" to your site, and in turn to Amazon's (or other program) website.

Which method is right for you depends on how much experience you have, and how much time (and money) you are willing to invest to set up and learn your business. If you don't have much time, or much money, you are probably better off going with one of the "pre-packaged" programs so you will get to a faster start. Whatever you choose, realize that no one can "guarantee" you an income--not even a J.O.B. can do this! You will most likely struggle for a while before you get it and start making money. Online business is no different than offline--it takes time, patience, and persistence to succeed!

My signature is just one program you may have heard of, and may be of interest to you. There are plenty of other programs out there, and I encourage you to check them out also and do a comparison.

John

Vishal P. Rao · Forum Admin Joined: 02 May 2004 Posts: 106

Hi Kevin

Just out of curiosity, I checked out the demand for keyword "deer hunting" on the Overture Search Suggestion tool and found that it has some market. Even there are few bids on Google for the same keyword.

Maybe you can create an ebook on deer hunting or build a site around it?

Best wishes,

Vishal

csmarketing · Enthusiast Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 34

Welcome Kevin,

As mentioned there are many opportunities out there you must research, research and more research. You may be able to do something with the 'deer hunting', if you have time this is an nice webcast of a system that is working for many it free I highly recommend everyone to listen to this Under Achiever Webcast its is only a overview but you can get some great tips so do take notes. thanks

Michelle

sharpei7 · Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 6:00 pm Post subject: bigbucks advice

Hey I'm a newbie to this website but i thought I'd give you my two cents as it relates to you're working from home. Since you've been in the automotive industry for 37 years, you may be able to offer info about how to run your business and/or the auto industry as a whole. You could charge a fee for the info.

Steve · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 8:17 pm Post subject: It has to feel right!

I am new also to this website but not new to home based business. It looks you have got some pretty good advise already! I have been in sales & marketing or 27 years and I was similar to yourself however without the aches & paines but I was looking to do something from home. So I started looking talked to people & search the net and to honest it became overwhelming because everyone says thier system or product is the best & most profitable! So I just sat back and thought about my comfort level and what I needed to feel right in a business based on the companies product quality, customer service and most important busines ethics and of course within my price range. And it made my decision with products and company to represent quite easy. I would be happy to show you what I'm up to I'm real happy with the results. Other than that I would say stay open minded in your search, because I never saw myself selling the products I'm selling and here I am making money. [/b]

bigbucks · Enthusiast Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Illinois

Thanks everyone for your replies. It is greatly appreciated. Vishal, I would love to get into something with deer hunting, but I think that market is saturated. I don't see what I could posibly contribute that people would be willing to pay for.
I am keeping an open mind and doing research. I have looked at MLM but I just don't feel it is for me.
This is a really neat website with lots of great people. I hope it continues to grow. I know it will.

Vishal P. Rao · Forum Admin Joined: 02 May 2004 Posts: 106

everythingebaydotcom · Enthusiast Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 18

Kevin,

Hello!

Since you have experience in the automotive industry, I may have a business idea that you would enjoy.

You list autos on ebay motors for dealers and collect a fee for doing so. You do not handle the sales of the cars, just the listings. This is a brand new opportunity since the concept is pretty new. So the playing field is wide open right now. In fact, my guide is the only of it's kind available.

Please visit my website to read complete info (see my sig).

Have a great day!

Lisa

csmarketing · Enthusiast Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 34

Have you looked into using elance.com, many top money makers' online don't write there own ebooks and reports or ceate their own software programs. You could do some research on your 'deer hunting' narrow it down to a more targeted market, than use elance or find a ghost writer to write the report for you. You would than sell it as yours. This is the basis of finding you own niche, I am working on that now by using the ebook in my signature file. Real people are really making good money online selling 'niche' products and services that are targeted to a specific market it all about researching this information. good luck.

Michelle

puhlease1 · Just Joined Joined: 01 Jul 2004 Posts: 2

Hi! I'm new to this forum, and also relatively new to starting a home business online. I think I'll probably go the route of starting an eBay store business at first, and a website of my own as well. I'm reading a really good book by Marsha Collier - it's one of the "for dummies" books, called "Starting an eBay Business for Dummies." It is giving me a lot of good advice.

One thing that struck me is that we need to stick with what we know and what we like...assess our interests. Your interests listed here from what I can see are: Bucks (aka deer), and Automotive (well, at least that's where your knowledge lies).

I'd study the market on eBay and other automotive websites if you feel the Buck hunting thing is saturated. Obviously you have experience in that area and know auto parts. There are tons of folks out there willing to pay good money for rare or hard-to-find auto parts. Take a look on eBay in automotive, and at the eBay stores, and you'll find a lot, but not so much that you couldn't find a niche market there. If you have (or can make) connections in that area, you could be in the "rare auto parts" business relatively quickly.

If you have other interests, just start studying the markets for the items you think you can acquire and sell - eBay stores is a great place to start for that research.

I've decided that my main interests lie in clothing, and my own artwork (which I might be better off selling consignment in the area rather than on eBay, which doesn't seem to do well in the artwork area as far as profit). But the clothing business could work well on eBay - especially in a niche market (providing stuff that others don't provide).

Good luck!

Puhlease

teddybear56 · Just Joined Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 2

Im new to the work at home thing myself and am looking for advice, but my husband subscribes to and reads alot of fish and game magazines.
They are always looking for info on hunting spots and good pictures of deer and such. If they buy your article or pics, then you are paid (and published). So good luck with whatever you choose

rjbowman · Just Joined Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Posts: 3

The best advice I can give to someone who's just getting into the home business arena is not to join every program you see online. There are so many programs with great sales letters that would love to take your money. My suggestion is to talk to people who are already invoved in programs to find out what is good and bad. If anyone wants to talk more about home business, feel free to email me.