Establishing your very own business at home can prove to be quite a lucrative especially the services or products you are planning to offer is in high demand. But as this may be the case, you might still need some financial help in starting up. The rule of thumb when it comes to capitalization for home based business is that you should be sufficient enough for the next six months while your business is still taking off the ground, any less and you might encounter difficulties which can impact your business greatly. If you think that your finances as of the moment would not be able to support or suffice this length of time, then you really should look into home based business grants.By getting a grant you will be able to secure that your finances will not be lacking during those months that your business is still getting a good footing of its market. But before you apply for home based grants though, you might want to remember a few things first. These are:A good business plan:No doubt there will be thousands of competition from other individuals vying for such grant and in order to take the lead and increase your chances you will need to create a good business plan. Make sure that it is complete and that you are able to fill in all the information regarding you, your company and the business that you are establishing. Establish the legality of your business to the lenders as well; convince them that your business is a successful one. If you need more help in doing this, get help from an expert in the field. He or she will be able to guide you on the best possible routes that you should take on how to present your company in the very best of light.Learn more about grants:The government gives many different grants for many different reasons, and knowing which ones you should go for will benefit you greatly. Find a grant that best fits the business you are trying to establish, this will help speed things up for you since the lenders you are talking to know what you are already talking about, all that’s left is to convince them that they will be making the right decision in giving you the grant.Think about the questions:During the presentation of your business, you might have to answer a few questions from the panel or board. You need to be able to prepare yourself about what those questions are and should have an answer for them. Failing to answer the questions properly will affect your chances greatly which is why you need to be able to see and answer them even before they are asked.Do a demonstration:Apart from your business plan, you should also be able to do some demonstration of your product as well as a sales pitch. A good sales pitch will sometimes seal the deal even if your presentation did not go really well. If you are unable to get an approval on your first try, be sure to inquire about other home based business grants within your area so that you may be able to reapply again until you get one that will be able to support your company or products.
Veterans and Education: Are Our Veterans Getting the Education Benefits They Deserve?
In honor of Veterans Day and those who have served our country, we’d like to take some time to look at the educational benefits available to veterans and the men and women who currently serve. Veterans returning from military service are enrolling in college programs in record numbers, but many of our veterans are finding the college experience far less than favorable. They’ve fought for our country honorably – they shouldn’t have to fight for their education benefits too.
Let’s take a look at the education benefits available and how colleges across the nation are working to improve the services they extend to our veterans all the way from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The implementation of the new GI Bill, renamed the Post-9/11 GI Bill, helps to connect American’s veterans to higher education by significantly expanding the education benefits available to veterans. The new GI Bill helps veterans to earn their degree by paying the full tuition and fees at over 4,000 colleges and providing a monthly living and book and supply stipend.
But many still find that the government’s education programs for service members are inadequate. A loophole in the Bill can often make student loans non-deferrable. Loans can be deferred during times of military service, but when student loans are held by multiple banks, the deferment process can often be undermined. Roy Brown and Eli Williamson, two Army vets, decided to help. Brown and Williamson created Leave No Veteran Behind, a non-profit organization that helps struggling veterans manage their debt and pay off their loans. Loans that veterans take out before entering the service and classes that are interrupted by deployment, for example, are not covered under the GI Bill. The pair recently helped 26-year Air Force veteran Doris Barren, now 51, pay off her entire $5,000 student loan. As they see it, it’s one down, one million to go.
The “culture shock” of reclamation to the civilian world of college campuses is also difficult for veterans, a recent study from the National Survey of Student Engagement found. The transition from military to civilian life is unquestionably hard and the reported lack of support on college campuses can only make the transition more difficult. Of 11,000 veterans surveyed, many reported feeling “disconnected” from the school they attend. The report suggests that college campuses and administration seek out ways of more effectively engaging veterans and providing them with “supportive environments that promote success.” Brian Hawthorne, a student veteran who served twice in Iraq with the Army and is now a graduate student at George Washington University urges educators to understand the differences between veterans and traditional college students, and to provide student veterans with the network of support systems they need.
Many colleges are trying to combat these issues and make the higher education process and experience easier for veterans in hopes that, one day, organizations like Leave No Veteran Behind will be out of work. Colleges have traditionally given honor students and athletes first dibs on classes or “priority registration.” Now, across the nation, student veterans are being given the same opportunity. Prominent ground colleges, like the University of Arizona, are giving veterans the opportunity to register for classes early, ensuring that the classes they want and need to take are available. In 2009, the state of California mandated that all state schools give veterans and current service members priority registration. Additionally, online schools offer veterans a multitude of education opportunities with flexible class scheduling and extensive student services.
A number of corporations are also trying to increase the availability of education benefits for veterans by donating millions of dollars to veteran education programs. Microsoft has given $2 million in cash and $6 million in cutting-edge software to organizations that provide veteran education, skill training and job placement. The money will also be used for services such as career counseling and childcare. An officer in the Navy for nine years, Ross Janson is one veteran who has taken advantage of the Microsoft funding. Janson is taking computer and technology courses at Veterans Inc., one veteran’s organization that received Microsoft funding, to prepare himself for a civilian job in an increasingly tech-driven economy.
Department store super-power Wal-Mart has also contributed, giving $10 million over a five-year period to non-profit organizations that offer veterans job training and higher education or continuing education opportunities. J.C. Penny recently gave $1 million for 5,000 veterans to purchase business clothes for their new civilian workplace. Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, the gaming company which produces popular video games like Call of Duty, was persuaded by the sheer number of unemployed veterans to establish a $1 million foundation to support them. The company recently announced an additional $1 million gift.
Student Veterans of America, a student run organization which helps student veterans transition into college and earn their degree, is one of the countless student-run organizations that many colleges offer to their veterans. There are currently 300 college chapters and Michael Dakduk, the deputy executive director of the organization, hopes that the number of chapters nationwide continues to expand. Through his work, Dudak says what amazes him the most is the number of veterans “succeeding, despite the obstacles.”
Starting A Home-Based Business – The Tools For Guaranteed Success
Thousands of enthusiastic people are starting home-based businesses every single day, but 99% of those people will lose their motivation and eventually give up, assuming there really is no way to earn a full-time income from the comfort of their own homes. This is an unfortunate situation, but it is not really a surprising one, as nobody really takes the time to learn the real requirements that are needed to achieve success with a home-based business.
If you do in fact have a strong desire to start a business from home and work online towards earning a healthy income, then it can be done, but without the right tools to get the job done right, you cannot achieve any sort of real success. There are thousands of “opportunities” out there that promise big income with all of their “tools” and their “support”, but the truth is nothing really works quite like you hoped for, and the reason is simply because nobody will come out and tell you exactly how its done, until now.
If you want to build a real business and work it from home, you only need to focus on four pillars for success, they include:
1 – Product creation
2 – Traffic Building
3 – List Building
4 – Relationship Building
Let’s take a closer look at each of these pillars and you will then be empowered with everything you need to build a successful home-based business.
1 – Product Creation
If you want to make the most money possible, the plain truth is that you must create your own products. A great way to create in-demand products is to create what are known as “information products”. Find a niche with plenty of hungry buyers and write ebooks, create video courses, and build consulting programs that you can sell for lots of money. Trust me, people are paying big bucks for high quality information and help with their problems.
2 – Traffic Building
The bottom line is that you have to drive lots of quality traffic to your online business if you want to make money. This is where many people fall short, simply because they don’t know how to do it or they don’t know what to do for results. There are many great ways to drive very targeted leads to your business, article marketing being one of the best ways.
3 – List Building
A list is like a diary of your customers and those who have shown interest in your business, and if you want to make big money, you have to build a list from day one. There are many great ways to build a relatively big list in little time, so find the top ways to drive that traffic and you are well on your way to success.
4 – Relationship Building
In order to achieve success, you have to build relationships with those who are on your list. Luckily, there are some services called ‘autoresponders’ that will send out emails to everyone on your list in an automated fashion. This is truly a necessary tool in making your business as hands-free as possible and ultimately getting as much business as possible.