Ever since the internet began people have been looking for ways to start a home based business using this amazing marketing tool. The internet has given power to one man band operations to compete with major corporations in the marketing sector and for very little money. In this article I am going to suggest 3 ways in which you can start a home based business.eBay.eBay is a great place to start a home based business and many people are still making a lot of money from buying and selling products on eBay. The problem is finding products that are popular enough to make a decent living from. You have to be competitive and you have to take into consideration the fees one has to pay when starting your business. A good place to look for products is esources, a wholesale directory of national and international suppliers.Multi Level Marketing.Multi level marketing is now used in major companies very successfully for promoting their products and give entrepreneurs the opportunity to make excellent profits from a bit of hard work. Mlm is the process of selling a product or service for a company on a self employed basis. The opportunity also gives one a chance to build a home based business by recruiting other people to sell the products, in turn you receive commissions on their work as well.Affiliate marketingAffiliate marketing in an internet based business that allows one to drive traffic to a merchants website via a special link allocated to you. Once you make a sale from some-one you have directed to the website you will receive commissions. A good place to start looking at this type of home based business is click bank. This type of home based business allows you to be free from any customer interaction making it low stress and most of the time free to start, although it can be slow going until you get established.There are many ways to start a home based business both on and off the internet, above are just a few of the examples and a good place to get started on a budget. One thing that one must remember is that one of them are by any means a get rich quick scheme, although when implemented correctly can see substantial amounts of wealth generated. It is up to the individual to have a passion for success to see success.
New Ontario Real Estate Agents – So You Are a New Ontario Real Estate Agent Licensee, Now What?
A new Ontario real estate agent, wow, congratulations! Now what? Chances are you are probably still flying high with excitement after all the hard work and study you just went through. Time to take a well deserved break before jumping into the realty sales game. An opportunity to think about things like what kind of properties to specialize in, what kind of Brokerage to be part of, and a good time to review and list some old and new goals.
Now that you have your passing marks, and you took some time off to celebrate, a decision to join an Ontario realty Brokerage firm needs to be made. This is a requirement since you must be employed by a Brokerage registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario or R.E.C.O. You will fill out a new registration with your employer and your employer (realty Brokerage) will also fill in its section and authorize same. These forms with your fees and dues payable to R.E.C.O. will be sent by either yourself or your new employer. Upon successful qualification, based on the information you provided on the application, you will be issued your brand new Ontario real estate license certificate.
There are many different types of real estate Brokers and Brokerages to work for in Ontario. Variations among them like, residential vs commercial and/or industrial and leasing, office expenses, commission splits, services provided for you, training, office space for your desk and phone, franchise office vs independent etc etc. One main difference which is vastly overlooked by many new realty agents starting out in their careers, is whether the real estate Brokerage is a member of their local realty board. The difference is vast since being a member means that all registered agents with that Brokerage have to be members as well. Being a member entitles the agent many beneficial privileges and services but it also comes at a yearly cost. If the Brokerage is not a member then the yearly cost is avoided by the Brokerage and all its registrants and no services or privileges given either.
Here are some steps you should consider:
1. In Ontario under the R.E.C.O. rules and regulations, you must be registered with them through an Ontario Brokerage within 1 year of passing your final exam. If you fail to do so, you will have to start from “scratch”. Therefore, your first step ought to be whether to jump in as per the steps that follow or park your Ontario real estate license and hold it active with a Brokerage that provides a low cost “keep your license active” service. If you decide to park your license by holding it active, you can do so indefinitely subject to the Brokerage policies. When you decide to take your license off hold then all you need to do is request to transfer it to another Ontario Brokerage of your choice. One more thing, if you park your license, make sure it will be a month to month contract to ensure flexibility. If you are asked to pay a yearly membership or parking fee, inquire whether they have other options available for you.
2. Decide what type of real estate in Ontario you want to sell/trade. Residential homes and condos, investment housing like apartment buildings, industrial buildings, commercial properties, office buildings, leasing etc
3. a) Based on your decision in step 2, interview the Broker/Owner of a few real estate Brokerages in Ontario that specialize in that field since they will be able to assist you in the “know how” of that selection. Learn about their support, and commissions payable to you and learn about their office policies. Compare them to the other Brokerages you interview. Pick the Brokerage the fits in with your personal goals.
3. b) Depending on your selection in step 2, you may or may not require the services of your local Ontario real estate Board. Most active residential salespeople will want to be members of their local Board because the multiple listing service will be extremely beneficial in sales. However, some commercial salespeople elect to be registered with a Brokerage that is not a member of any Board. Commercial is often a field where agents develop their own purchasers for their in house listings and prefer to sell or lease commercial properties without the assistance of other agents from other Brokerages through the m.l.s. system. If I lost you here, sorry…make sure you ask the Brokers you interview to explain the pros and cons. You may get a different view from each Broker.
As a new Ontario real estate agent, Licensee, you may want to consider taking it slow before you jump in and incur all kinds of expenses right off the start. It may prove you well to initially join an Ontario realty Brokerage firm that will allow you to hold your registration or license there with them at a low cost before deciding to go full out with a franchise Brokerage or any other Firm that provides all the services that you will eventually require in your career. In the real estate Brokerage world this is also known or referred to as “park your license” or “hold it active” with a non board member Brokerage in Ontario.
Park your license and holding it active does not only apply to new Ontario real estate agents. There are Brokerages out there that provide this “parking” or “holding” real estate licenses for all registrants including Brokers, associate Brokers, Realtor, sales rep’s, husband and wife real estate teams where there are 2 licenses active etc etc.
If you had previously done your homework and have already selected the Ontario Brokerage you wish to join and be employed by, then great, jump in with gusto and make it happen. For the many new real estate graduates out there, taking the slow road may be a better way to ensure you make the right decisions for yourself. It is amazing how many well intentioned people decided to become a real estate agent in Ontario with a long term career in mind only to have that dream cut short. The expenses that will be introduced to you in this field can be shocking especially if it takes a while before you notice some commissions coming in.
Give yourself a fighting chance. It really is a great business to be in right into your later years. Your just around the corner from receiving that certificate (real estate license) in the mail that you have worked so hard for. Shop around for that Brokerage and interview at least 3-5 Offices/Firms. Jump in with a full service real estate Brokerage with full real estate board membership or park your license for a while and take your time doing your due diligence. The choice is yours.
Home Based Business – The Increase in the Numbers of Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants are basically the individuals or organizations who offer professional services to others from a remote location, especially from the home offices. The first organization of virtual assistants was introduced in the year 1997. The budget requirements are competitively low to start such home based business but it is not as easy as it appears.These days we can see rapid increase in the numbers of virtual assistant services.In this article we will try to give you an understanding on how virtual assistant services operate and also try to figure out the reasons for the increase in their numbers.Description on virtual assistant services:Virtual assistants mostly operate from their homes. In virtual assistant services, the entrepreneurs offer administration and support services personally. Here they mostly deal only with a handful of clients but they work for long term collaboration.This job might not suit everyone. An entrepreneur looking to start a virtual assistance business must indulge in adequate research and consider the critical requirements before starting the venture.The primary resources of virtual assistance are internet, phone, fax and e-mail. The biggest advantage of this type of home based business is that you will not need to be in the client’s places for work.Job of virtual assistants: Virtual Assistance agencies are small start ups which exploit current technology in order to establish a lucrative business. They mostly communicate with their clients through email, chat and the telephone.Experienced people with virtual and none virtual business profiles such as administrative assistants, secretary, paralegal etc, for several years, have the potentials of becoming virtual assistants. Many home based business higher the services of these individuals.Clients normally hire virtual assistants to check and answer emails or to pay their bills but in some cases virtual assistants even run a part of company operations. Virtual assistants are not employees. They are independent contractors who have a business relationship with the client. They organize their own operations, policies and rates. Most of them focus in one area like the web development, bookkeeping or writing jobs. A typical Virtual Assistant provides across-the-board administrative and other services.Its Rapid Growth:There is vast difference between home based business models of Virtual Assistants (VA) and Business Support Services. VA has many advantages compared to the latter. This is the main reason for its exponential growth. Some of the major advantages with VA are listed below:
Business Support Services are task based performers and focus on a single functional area whereas VA works with clients for long term on multiple areas.
Business Support Services have an inherent lack of stability working for many clients whereas VA works for a small number of decent clients over a period of time.
For Business Support Services providers it is not essential to understand and accept client terms to complete a project whereas for VA, understanding is the key note for tie-up.
Business Support Services fees are often project orientated whereas VA charges per hour.
These are just a few advantages of virtual assistant services. This is the reason for the popularity of this type of home based business