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Joan’s Boomer Blog

Helping Boomers Find Wealth, Health and Happiness in the Second Half of Life

Archive for the ‘Starting a Home Based Business’ Category


I’ve read many articles lately about how Americans are scaling back their lifestyle because of the economy. They are using coupons, shopping sales and expecting price cuts before they will shop. Americans are now cooking at home more to save money, buying items at Goodwill and finding out they don’t need as much money to live. Another article I read said that many looking for new careers or are changing careers, now opt for making less money but creating or taking a job that is more spiritually fulfilling to them personally.

I really think the current economy is offering people a glimpse of a new way to live their lives. Perhaps the economic downturn forced many to cut out eating in restaurants several times a week or shopping for expensive clothing, but I believe people are discovering a certain financial freedom in being able to live on less money and not risk falling into debt again. Eating home cooked meals around the family dinner table, learning to shop sales and find bargains or finding a designer jacket at a yard sale or a Goodwill store creates a satisfaction in people that their lives were missing before in the mindless rush to spend more and more money.

Now the economic downturn is perhaps offering people a second chance to do something fulfilling with their lives. They are taking jobs that pay less but offer more satisfaction like working with non-profits or volunteering. I know of some women who lost their jobs recently and so decided to pursue other, more artistic careers. One woman lost her management job but now knits and crochets baby items to sell on the internet. Another sells things she makes at craft fairs and art shows after losing a better paying job through lay offs. Now that they have learned to live on less through necessity, they are thrilled that they scaled back their lifestyles. This has allowed them to do what they truly love.

Baby boomers have also been forced to rethink their retirement plans, remaining in the workforce for longer. If they find work they love to do, though, this could help them actually live longer, more fulfilling lives. My husband and I have scaled back our retirement plans but we’ve decided we would rather live on less and be financially secure in our senior years.

I know another person who couldn’t find a job, trimmed back his lifestyle to the bare bones and now he is able to work part time and volunteer with local animal shelter groups. Another took a less paying job working with a local non-profit.

Some of these people thought they would scale back temporarily and then go back to their previous way of life once times were better. However, now that they have found more satisfaction in life and the way they manage their finances, most say they would never return to working only for money and finding their life’s satisfaction in spending sprees.

From what I’ve read, economists and businesses don’t really expect people to ever return to the spend, spend, spend lifestyles they had before. To me, this seems like a good thing.

Perhaps the bad economy will spur people to rethink how they live their lives and help them find more satisfaction, both spiritually and financially.

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How to Make Your Own Recipe Book with Tastebook

Posted by JE Jones on Sep-6-2009

Would you like to make your own recipe book in minutes? Are you looking for a unique home business, fundraiser or holiday gift idea? Do you have dozens of family recipe favorites or your own creations you’d like to share with family or sell on your cooking blog or website? Even if you don’t have your own recipes with Tastebook, it’s always easy to create your own recipe book to sell or give as a gift.

With Tastebook, you can also create your own recipe page and browse through thousands of recipes from contributors and Tastebook partners like Southern Living, Food Network and Better Homes and Gardens.

Tastebook also offers a terrific recipe website. Sign up with Tastebook is free and includes a free recipe newsletter too.

There are over 50 million foodies and culinary enthusiasts on the Internet, creating a ready market for you to sell the cookbook your cookbook. With Tastebook, you can:

  • Create and Publish beautiful hardcover cookbooks in minutes.
  • Create a widget to sell your cookbook on your blog or website. Recipes book prices start at $19.95 and you receive a 15% commission on all your sales.
  • Also, if you upload recipes to the site, you get links back to your blog or website for each recipe.
  • Or Make your own recipe book and give the gift of your family recipes to friends and relatives.
  • Create a Tastebook recipe books as fundraisers too!
  • Shop from other Tastebook users cookbooks as well.
  • Create your own recipe box on Tastebook to organize all your favorite recipes.

Now is the time to start making a unique holiday gift for friends and family - and for yourself too. Organize those family recipes and make your own recipe book for relatives, your children and grandchildren. Plus, a Tastebook is a great way to make some extra money with those family favorites.

Join Now - It’s Free - and start creating your own Tastebook Recipe book in minutes.


In the current bad economy, one of the money making ideas that is on the rise is work at home or direct selling. I saw a news report this morning that women especially, who have lost their jobs, are turning to direct selling and work at home businesses like Avon and other companies. Here are some tips on choosing the right work at home opportunity money making idea for you and a couple of ideas:

1. What are you interested in?

Do you like cooking and baking? Companies like Watkins offer quality cooking and baking products, as well as eco-friendly cleaning products. Avon offers quality skin care and make up, plus a wide array of other products. Are you interested in health? There are many great health and wellness products out there that truly help people live healthier, happier lives, and the sale of health products is on the rise, even in this bad economy.

2. Once you choose 4-5 companies you’d like to promote, check out the sign up fees involved.

If you’re building a new business, even if it’s working at home, you’ll have a few start up costs. However, don’t invest hundreds of dollars in any business until you find out if it’s for you and if you can be successful at it. Certainly don’t spend money on business building programs or advertising right away either. There are many ways to promote your business for free so try these before you spend any money.

Some work at home business opportunities are free to join, others have a fee (Avon, for instance, costs just $20 to join as a representative), whether it’s a one time cost or an annual fee to belong to the business. Decide what you can spend, if anything, and stick to that. You may want to invest in a few catalogs or perhaps a website (some businesses provide free websites), if you plan to sell on the Internet but again, many of these money making ideas can be done on a shoestring budget. For instance, you can create a blog to promote your business for free.

Using health as an example, you could create a health tips blog like mine chat with others who also love health or are looking for ideas for healthy weightloss for instance, or healthy recipes. Blogspot blogs are free to create and you can put ads on them with no problem.

Some business opportunities offer free websites, just for joining, and the moment you sign up, you have your own business website.

3.  Check out the company’s reputation. How long has it been in business? Check with forums to see if there have been complaints about the company. I was recently researching Acai berry products and found several people talking about the downside of belonging to MonAvie - namely the products are expensive and the ingredients are undisclosed. Look for an honest and straightforward company to deal with.

4. How do you want to market your business? Do you like giving home parties or would you prefer to sell your products online? Watkins has an entire set up for home parties, called “Good Tastings” and even awards for representatives who have the most in a month or sell the most products. Mary Kaye and Tupperware also offer home party systems for selling.

You can also sign up for a company website and then link it to your blog. Be aware that these “replicator” sites do not do well in the search engines so you need a blog or website with original content to hook your business site to.

Most companies have policies about what you can say about them on your blogs or websites so read these thoroughly before deciding on either the company or an internet promotion as a way of doing business.

5. What is your personality? Do you like people and selling? If you’re passionate about your products and you like talking to people, you’re well on your way to a great money making idea. or you like the idea of running your own business and working for yourself, making your own hours? If you aren’t a self-starter, then working at home isn’t for you.

Despite the economy and perhaps because of fears about what is happening with health care reform, more and more people are interested in health products, especially alternative health. More people are also cooking at home so businesses like Watkins and Tupperware are doing well. Avon also does well as women seek to save money on skin care, make up and other products.

6.  What sort of products to you use and enjoy? With the right money making idea for you, you can also get your own products at a discount. One reason I joined Avon as a rep is because I use and enjoy all their products.

7.  Consider affiliate programs for products you use and would enjoy promoting. Are there products you like? The company probably has an affiliate program which will offer you links and banners to post on your website or blog. Companies like Linkshare and Commission Junction have hundreds of companies to choose from and your earnings go into one lump sum to be paid to you, rather than many small checks.

If you’re looking for money making ideas, (and who isn’t?), it’s even possible to create multiple streams on income from several different sources, like I have. Just remember, though, to be successful at working at home, you must be ready to commit time and energy to making it work. No money making idea works by itself but it is possible to earn several hundred dollars a month to supplement income with about 25 hours a week.

Boomer Blog - Get Healthy With Whole Food Nutrition

Posted by JE Jones on Apr-18-2009

I’m a whole food nutritional supplement convert. I used to take a pile of vitamins every morning, mostly isolated vitamins, like B complex, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These were isolated nutrients and possibly even  artificially created. There is a new trend in nutrition and healthy living, however, that advocated whole food nutrition and whole food supplements to give you all the hundreds of micronutrients, phytonutrients, omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics, all as they occur naturally in whole foods.

Some whole food nutritional supplements even contain superfoods like acai berry, noni fruit and chia seeds.

Where can you buy powerful whole food nutritional products and still save money too?

I use Dr. Mercols’s Whole Food MultiVitamin Plus Minerals as my favorite whole food nutritional supplement. As a reader of my Tips for Boomer Years Blog, you’ll know I advocate adding superfoods to your diet like green veggies, broccoli, kale and spinach, nuts and berries like blueberries and probiotics. Dr. Mercola’s Whole Food Supplement contains 25 whole, live foods like fruits, herbs and veggies

Whole food nutritional supplements offer great health benefits such as:

  • Helps slow the effects of aging
  • Helps protect the body from illness and diseases
  • Works at the cellular level to build optimum health
  • Gives increased energy
  • Helps build strong tissues, bones and muscles
  • Keeps the brain healthy
  • and More!

I trust Dr. Mercola’s products because they offer the best quality for the money. Whether it’s whole food nutritional supplements, digestive enzymes, safe cookware, natural health books or anything else related to health, Dr. Mercola backs up his products with research and information. Dr. Mercola also offers a terrific email newsletter with the latest in natural health information. Sign up for the newsletter is free.

More about whole food supplements

How to Succeed with Your MLM Company

Posted by JE Jones on Mar-10-2009

Every once in a while a friend tells me about something they are doing and I’m so impressed, I want to let others know about it. My friend Jerry Collins is part of a great mentoring program to help others succeed with their MLM businesses, no matter which business it is.

Here’s a great little blurb from Jerry about his Mentoring business, Success in Any Business

One Of THE Biggest Reasons People Succeed In MLM…

Jerry Collins

Jerry Collins

They have a Mentor.

  • What
  • How
  • Why

WHAT

Ever since we came out of the caves, people have followed successful people. First, for survival….Second, for survival….Third, for survival….It’s the same, today. Pioneers blaze the path, most people follow that established path to success. Success In Any Business is such a path! A group of mentors willing to give freely of their time and effort. It doesn’t matter what online or offline business you are in.

HOW

Down load the fr.e.e eBook, read it immediately, absorb it, and write down any questions. Success In Any Business

WHY

Your burning desire is all the why needed. Most people will do what’s necessary to succeed. But some don’t. They let their doubts and fears prevent their success. Just Do It!

Success In Any Business

Want to know more about me. Find it at my blog url below.

The be$t to your success.

Jerry L. Collins

http://rascallyalways.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/JerryLeeCollins
http://twitter.com/jerrylcollins

Jerry L. Collins
Know truth; Be Fr.e.e

P.S. George Carlin - “Weather forecast
for tonight: dark.” Find the light for your
online business at:
http://tinyurl.com/amn6y6

If you watch the news, you see endless talk of the bad economy and financial crisis. Now, I see stories too about how the bad economy is causing health problems as stress takes its toll. Worry, depression and stress can wear you down, no matter what the cause and finances are a part of our lives, let’s face it. What you need is a 30 day plan to financial freedom. Many people thrive in this and any economy and here’s how many of them do it.

Instead of worrying about economic crisis, try this 30 day plan to financial freedom:

1.  Start by evaluating your financial situation to see if there is something you can do to put yourself on a sounder footing. I would recommend reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker. This book will give you a new, no-nonsense way of planning your finances so you, too, can be a millionaire, no matter what the current economy is.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

2. Keep a gratitude journal – To keep your spirits up and focus on more positive things, there’s nothing more uplifting than realizing you have much to be grateful for. Instead of dwelling on economic crisis, think of all the good in your life. “What you focus on expands” so what do you want more of in your life?

3. When your mind turns to negative thoughts, and it will just out of habit, return to your gratitude journal. Reach for a better feeling thought. Remember, it takes 30 days to break a habit and for many people, negative thinking is just a habit they can break. Focus on positives to create more of that in your life.

4. Resist the urge to TALK about how bad things are. Take any action you may need to take to better your personal situation but nothing is gained and much is lost by dwelling on negativity with friends and relatives.

5. Picture yourself in a great economy! Your customers are spending money on your products, they are visiting your website and liking what they see, money is flowing in and YOUR economy is in an upturn. If you need to make extra money to fill in your budget, during these tense economic times, many people are looking for extra income and work at home opportunities. Maybe you’re a person who wants their own business. If so, start working at it on the side. Marketing your business opportunity in a bad economy is actually easier than it is in a perceived good economy when things are going well for people.

6. Rent uplifting or funny movies. Watch The Secret, if you haven’t already. Other good movies, The Peaceful Warrior, What the Bleep Do We Know? and Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life. What sort of comedies to do you like? Go rent some today and watch them frequently.

7. Read books on the law of attraction: Any book by Ester and Jerry Hicks, who also have a new book on the law of attraction and money), or read books by Dr. Wayne Dyer. If you go to Amazon and look for “law of attraction” dozens of titles will pop up. If you don’t want to purchase them, try the library or discount book stores. Read a chapter a day.

8. Avoid stress – Take care of your health - get plenty of sleep and exercise to relieve stress and make sure you’re eating right. Stress lowers the immune system and you don’t want to get sick.

Remember, you can CHOOSE to think better thoughts, to see the positives in your life instead of worrying about financial crisis. “Nothing is good or bad. But thinking makes it so,” said William Shakespeare. I read that in a positive thinking book years ago and I think of it often. It isn’t what happens to us in life that is either good or bad, it’s how we interpret it with our thoughts and how we choose to act on it.

Follow this 30 day financial plan and see what inspirations come to you. You will begin to see ways to improve your financial situation. It’s your thoughts, moment by moment, which create your future. Control your thoughts and feelings NOW, in this present moment and these, in turn, create a better financial future for you and your family.



Do you want to start your home business to build retirement income but have no clue how to find the right business for you? When I wanted to start my own home based business, I was lucky. I was already using products that provided a home business opportunity and they were in a area of health, where I had some knowledge and a passion for knowing more.

I liked helping people to have better health, so expanding to selling these health products seemed a natural to me.

Are you currently using any product that you might be able to build a business around? Or perhaps there are products you would like to use which offer a home business opportunity. This is a great place to start.

However, if you have no clue about which business you want to get into, here are some tips on choosing the right home business.

1.  Make a list of your interests. I know this was mentioned in goal setting but it’s also a good strategy when you’re starting your own home based business. You want to choose a business that you will enjoy. Is there a hobby or craft you’ve always had a passion for? Are you interested in health or sports?

2.  Once you have a list of your interests, research the market in this area. Are there hundreds of blogs, websites and products relating to this? Do you think there is a demand for products or information in the area of your interest? Do you think there is potential for profit in this area? It’s important, besides loving your home business, to actually make money at it.

3.  Don’t settle on the first business that comes to mind, research lots of options. Read books and articles and check out all sorts of business ideas. Researching how to start your own business has never been easier with the internet at your fingertips.

4.  Once you’ve done your research on your areas of interest, make a list of the types of businesses that interest you. Check out forums and social networks. It’s important, if you sign up for an MLM type home business, that you have a good group of people to work with who will support you and provide you with information.

5.  Make a list of the sorts of equipment you’ll need to start your own home business. You will probably find you have most of what you need if you own a computer and printer. You may also need a fax machine. Remember to keep records of any money you spend as these will be tax deductions for you.

6.  If you’re going to sign up with an MLM business and sell a product, check into the company thoroughly. Does it cost to sign up? Is there a required auto ship policy? Do they provide a free website and training for you? I wouldn’t advise jumping into any product as a home business that wants to charge you an exorbitant fee up front.

7.  If you are starting your own home business as retirement income and your spouse wants to be part if it, discuss all aspects of the business with him or her so you both know what to expect. You want to find a home business you’ll both enjoy and which meets both your criteria for what you want to do in retirement.

Starting your own home business requires good research upfront so that you choose the right now for you. Once you lay your groundwork, then you can change your focus from finding a business to creating success in your business.


Free? I love free when it comes to resources and when I was starting my own home business, I learned a lot from Ann Sieg’s 35 page free ebook entitled, “The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing”. I would recommend this ebook to anyone who wants to start their own home based business as it can save you lots of heartache and help you on your way to success.

It’s a sad fact that 95% of those who start a home business fail. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Imagine all those who sign up for a home based business opportunity with great hopes and enthusiasm and belief in their product. Why don’t these people succeed in promoting their home businesses?

If you are planning on starting your own home based business to build retirement income and want to promote it online via network marketing, 7 Great Lies of Internet Marketing, is a must read. When you do choose a business opportunity for your home based business, this free ebook will change the way you look at the “training” you’re given by your upline or your business training back office.

The home based businesses I promote pretty much listed all the elements listed in The 7 Great Lies ebook in their training material. However, besides giving you the 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing, Ann Sieg also tells you what to do to combat these lies and be successful.

Ann Sieg’s ebook is definately ruffling some network marketing feathers as she challenges the old school style of marketing. See if these Great Lies of Network Marketing sound familiar to you:

Lie #1 – Everyone is your prospect!
Lie #2 – What you’re doing isn’t sales. You just share products with people.
Lie #3 – Anybody can do this!
Lie #4 – We’ll build your business for you.
Lie #5 – We have the best product out there so people can’t help but buy it.
Lie #6 – If you’re not succeeding it’s because you just don’t have enough belief!
Lie #7 – Try our “proven system” and you can’t help but succeed.

If you’re starting your own home business, you will run into all these reasons why you can’t fail. It isn’t the fault of your particular company. It’s just the way “it’s always been done.”

Unless you want to be one of the 95% who fail at your home business, it’s time to change the way it’s always been done.

The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing tells you want you need to do as well if you want a successful network marketing home business. Here’s something I learned and use every day in my home business.

1. Make your business about offering solutions. Become an expert and a problem solver.

There are hundreds of business opportunities out there. People aren’t interested in another “biz op” presentation so forget that! If you are the expert and the problem solver, people seek YOU out and ask about your product or opportunity.

Your product or business offers the solution to someone’s problem, otherwise nobody would want it in the first place. Whatever that problem is, become an expert on it. I’m most familiar with health products so I’ll use that as an example. What health problem does your product help to solve? What uses do people find for your product? Each of these uses offers a solution to a problem.

My two products are Holy Tea and Uri Life. Holy Tea is a safe, natural detox tea that helps people lose weight and keep all the disease and illness-causing toxins flushed from their bodies. So Holy Tea solves many problems for people. Uri Life is a whole nutrition, whole food product that helps build healthy bodies at the cellular level through nutrition. Just about everybody wants to be healthier or has a health issue they are dealing with.

To become an expert at your problem, write articles for Ezinearticles.com, start a blog or website, or write a monthly newsletter. You want people to believe in your authority on the subject and value your opinion and advice.

You can see that it doesn’t really matter what product you sell. The product itself becomes almost irrelevant.

The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing explains that chasing after friends and family to present your business opportunity is only an invitation to frustration and failure in your home business. If you’re a professional and an expert, customers and business partners will seek you out and there is no need to chase after anyone.

The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing is packed with great information, whether you’re just starting your own home based business or whether you’ve been building your business for some time. No matter the level of success you’ve achieve, you can become even more successful.

Becoming successful at a home business and at internet marketing is not easy. Your product or your business won’t magically grow - you do have to learn some marketing skills but once you master a few basic marketing strategies, building your business to success will be a whole lot easier!

Click here for more information on The 7 Great Lies of Internet Marketing

Another great free resource:


Are you asking yourself, “Is it time to start my own home based business?” Is retirement looming while news of economic crisis gives you the jitters? Maybe retirement is approaching and you’re just looking for a new and different challenge in your life, a challenge that will give you a good supplemental income.

There are pros and cons to starting your own home business but now is a great time to explore the possibilities.

Starting Your Own Home Business for Retirement Income – The Pros

1. You can start your business while you’re still working your regular job.

Starting a home based business to supplement your retirement income is easy to do part time at first. In fact, while you still have your regular income, you can do your research, set up an organized home office and draw up your plan for success.

2. It’s easy to find a solid work at home opportunity.

This is where your research comes in. There are hundreds of work at home businesses out there and finding the right one for you is not difficult.

3. You can be your own boss.

Starting your own home based business allows you to be fully in control. If you want to get up and work at 3 am in your pjs you can. If you want to take a break to go to exercise class or walk your dogs, like I do, you can do that too.

4. You can save money by starting your own home business.

Add up what you spend on gas, wear and tear on your car, clothes for work, eating out for lunch or even dinner and you’ll see that working at home can actually save you money. When you’re retired, it would be nice to go to work in your own home office.

5. Starting your own home based business can be done for free or for very little cost.

Many home business opportunities are free to get into and there are lots of ways to market for free as well.

6. In times of perceived economic crisis, more people are interested in starting their own home business for extra or retirement income.

Others are like you, looking for ways to supplement their income and perhaps make even more money than they did at their regular jobs. If your home business involves offering your opportunity to others, then this is an excellent time.

7. There is serious money to be made by starting your own home business.

It may take time to put together the home business which will make you the money you want or need for retirement, but it can be done. I advocate the multiple streams of income way of building business. You build one source of income until it’s producing, then you apply your successful method to building another stream of income, and so on.

8. You can put your home business on autopilot.

After you’ve built your home business, may aspects can be put on autopilot so you are making money even in your sleep!

Starting Your Own Home Business – The Cons

1. Many home businesses fail.

Let’s face it, everyone starts their home business with great expectations but an extremely high percentage of these fail. Would you be one of these?

2. There are lots of get rich quick schemes out there.

Doing your research is very important! Don’t sign up for anything that requires a big outlay of cash from you. Don’t sign up for advertising or programs that are costly until you’ve explored all the free options.

3. It takes time to build your own home business.

Making money from a home business doesn’t happen overnight, no matter what sales pages might tell you. It requires patience and commitment to start and build your own home business.

As you can see, the pros far out-weight the cons for starting your own home business. If you’re approaching retirement, or even if you’re retired now, start doing your research into products and businesses to find the right one for you.

Stay tuned for more information on how to find the right home business for you.