Mobile Computer Training

Startup Costs: $2,000 - $10,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.

Prevent employees from having to leave their office by taking computer training to them.

Business Overview

Most computer training schools require students to come to their location for training classes. But for companies that have upgraded or purchased new computers and software, this is often not practical, especially if there are five to ten or more employees who are in need of training or retraining. Likewise, not everyone who purchases a new computer, software, or other hardware devices has time to attend classes to learn how to use the equipment. Herein lies the opportunity. Capitalizing on your computer, software, and marketing experience, you can start a mobile computer training service and train students on-on-one, or in a group format at their homes, businesses, or office. The proliferation of technological advances, and the constant new stream of software applications and hardware devices means that there will always be lots of people in need of training or skills upgrading, so they can get the most benefit from their computer equipment and programs. Advertise your service with fliers, in newspaper classifieds, the Yellow Pages, and by networking at business and social functions.

Used CD Shop

Share a love of cheap and legally-purchased music with your customers.

Business Overview

If you love music, consider starting a used CD shop. The business can be established in a storefront location or alternately in a sales kiosk located within a busy mall or public market. To initially establish an inventory of CDs for the business, place classified advertisements in the local community newspaper offering to purchase whole or partial CD collections. Currently, secondhand music CDs are retailing for $5 to $12 each, and as rule of thumb, owners of secondhand CD shops mark up all products by 100 percent for retailing purposes.

Dollar Store

Get a great deal with a dollar store that brings in big bucks. Business Overview Dollar or discount stores are popping up everywhere across North America, and that can only mean one of two things: Competition is too heavy and there will soon be a thinning process, or dollar storeowners are making money and expanding into new geographic areas of the country to capitalize on consumer demand. Given the popularity of dollar stores, and the fact that these stores require careful planning and a large startup investment, it's most likely that the second option will ring true. Competition is stiff, but there seems to be unlimited consumer demand for bargains and discount retail stores. The main objective in the discount retailing industry is two-fold. The first is to source and establish alliances with manufacturers of low-cost products, and the second is that the products have to be of reasonable quality and have a useful purpose. The best products to sell via discount stores fit the following profile: * Inexpensive, retailing for less than $5 * Kitchen products, toys, and household products * Less-expensive versions of popular name-brand product The Market Your customers are anyone looking for a bargain

Network Marketing

Find a product you love and start selling to your friends and their network.

Business Overview

Network marketing is one of the hottest retail industries out there. It functions on the idea that you sell products to people who in turn sell to other people who sell to other people . . . and so on. Network marketing programs feature a minimal upfront investment--usually a few hundred dollars or less for the purchase of a product sample kit--which gives you the opportunity to sell the product line directly to family, friends and other contacts. Most network programs also ask that you recruit other sales reps--those same family members, friends and acquaintances. These sales rep recruits constitute your 'downline,' and their sales generate income for you. Then whoever they recruit becomes part of their downline as well as yours, generating income for them as well as for you. So the more people you bring on board, the better your income potential. If you're a sales-savvy type who can convince others of the beauty of this plan and keep them selling sales memberships (as well as products), you can earn a substantial amount of money. And you've got lots of network marketing plans to choose from. The most popular sell health supplements and beauty aids, but you can go with everything from long-distance phone services to fine art prints. The advantages to this business are that start-up costs are minimal, hours are flexible, you can start part-time, and you can work from home. About the only thing you need in this business is a sense of salesmanship. If you've got a background in sales, you're ahead of the game, but if not, you can still succeed. Just make sure you believe in the products and the company you're working with. Honest enthusiasm goes a long way toward convincing others to buy.

The Market

Your customers will be anybody and everybody you know or meet. Most network marketers start off soliciting friends and family. If there are others working for the same company in your area, they may have organized weekly meetings at which salespeople and prospects gather to cheer each other on and sign up new members. If so, make it a point to attend with your own prospects. It's harder for people to decline your invitation to join in a room full of other enthusiastic newbies. In this business, it's important to keep your distributors selling. Don't sell them a membership and ignore them, or they're liable to drop down their link in the chain. Talk to them often about how they're doing. Go with them on sales calls to offer moral support and enthusiasm and help sign up prospects. Many network marketers sell via the party plan. It's easy and it's fun. Have a host or hostess invite friends to sample your products. You sell products, sign people up, and the party-giver gets a free gift or a discount on her purchases.

Needed Equipment

You don't need any special tools or equipment, except for a phone to keep in touch with your distributors, parent company and prospects, and a car to go out and sign people up and attend the weekly pep-talk meetings that are a feature of this business.

Is That a Business Credit Card in Your Wallet?

If it is, forget the Credit Card Act--you're as vulnerable as ever to sky-high rates, erratic billing and unexpected fees.

How important are credit cards to small-business owners?

According to the SBA's annual report to the president, they represent about 70 percent of small-business lending by the nation's largest banks.

More than 85 percent of small businesses use at least one credit card forbusiness, according to a 2009 National Federation of Independent Business report.

And a National Small Business Association poll showed credit cards as the top source of small-business capital.

So, passage of the Credit Card Act last year--a bill designed to stop the unfair and deceptive practices by many of the largest card issuers--should spell relief for small businesses, right?

Wrong. If that's a business credit card in your wallet, you're still fair game to credit card companies on the hunt for income opportunities. The new regulations stipulated that card companies report recommendations on protecting small businesses to Congress by April, but according to the small-business group, that deadline came and went without any action.

In the meantime, the pillaging continues. A whopping 75 percent of small-business respondents have been socked with higher interest rates, lower credit limits, or higher fees in the last six months, the association reports. More than a quarter of them are paying more than 20 percent interest--more than six times the prime rate. Nearly 60 percent reported receiving bills after they're due. And almost half say their due date randomly changes. Polls by theindependent business federation showed that almost 15 percent of those who'd been hit with a change in card terms suffered the worst change of all: outright cancellation.

This is exactly what happened in the consumer market. "Between its passage and when the law went into effect in February of this year, banks seized the window of opportunity to engage in a shameful frenzy of gouging," says Lauren Bowne, staff attorney for ConsumersUnion.org . "Even customers with perfect bill-paying records were targeted. Being a day late or a dollar short on a single payment could trigger $35 to $40 in late fees and a 20-point rate hike--overnight a cardholder could go from paying 10 percent interest to over 30 percent."

So where does all this leave the small-business owner? In a word, vulnerable. Sure, you could use personal credit cards, but your accountant would advise against it: It could lower your personal credit score and complicate an audit. Your lawyer would be against it, too: Commingling personal and business funds can threaten corporate protection. Even if Congress does step in on behalf of small business, history suggests that credit issuers won't lay down their guns until the eleventh hour. Schwark Satyavolu, CEO of BillShrink.com , offers one glimmer of hope, noting that some business card issuers, such as Capital One, are voluntarily doing the right thing and adopting some Card Act provisions.

If you're wondering how your business plastic stacks up, dig out your old fart glasses and read the fine print in your card agreement. Based on the Fed's reading of the biggest abuses, here's what you want to see:

Reasonable notice of rate or fee increases. Consumer issuers are required to provide 45-day notice of important changes in terms and give the cardholder the option to cancel the card.

Increased rates apply to new charges only. Before the reform, unannounced rate increases--often as high as 25 percent in a month--applied to carried balances, not just new charges.

Restrictions on over-the-limit fees. Consumer issuers must notify borrowers if a transaction will exceed their limit.

Limits on when rates can go up on new cards. Rates and fees, except those in teaser deals, cannot change for 12 months from the date of issuance unless a consumer is more than 60 days in arrears.

Rules about billing dates. Consumers must receive their bills on the same day of each month and 21 days before due.

Stipulations about how payments are applied. Before reform, many issuers chose to apply payments first to the portion of the bill with the lowest interest rate. Now they have to do just the opposite.

Rules about what balances are subject to interest charges. The new lawprohibits a "two-cycle average daily balance method" of calculating finance charges--expensive if you carry a card balance only occasionally.

Save Serious Money With a Business Energy Audit.

Whether it's a home-based biz or an office high-rise, plugging energy leaks can bring measurable savings.

Sluggish sales and hard-to-get loans may blight the business landscape, but cutting energy waste can bring a big payoff to a small company. To shave liabilities off your profit-and-loss statement, aim to slash your power consumption instead of your workforce or the crucial projects that could help your company expand.

An energy audit creates a portrait of the energy demands that matter to your operations--as well as those you can do without--and it can lead to skinny electricity bills and fat tax breaks.

"We all have incentives to manage our utility bill, but many people don't try because they don't know how," says Geoff Overland, who runs IT and data-center programs for Wisconsin's statewide Focus on Energy program. "By efficiently managing our energy, we have an immediate impact on our bottom line."

DIY or Hire a Pro?
Although you won't find a one-size-fits-all approach to an energy audit, you will have to assign someone to be in charge of the project.

The Belkin Conserve Socket puts connected electronics on a simple timer.If your headquarters is at home or in a similarly small space, free online tools for residential audits will walk you through the process. Utility companies, Energy Star and similar programs, and groups such as the Residential Energy Services Network offer checklists and online calculators.

Once you gather a years' worth of utility bills, spending about half an hour with Enercom Energy Depot software will break down your consumption and suggest ways to trim it.

Pacific Gas & Electric on the West Coast, Duke Energy in the South, and other utility companies also provide web-based audit tools for small businesses operating in spaces ranging from an apartment complex to a small warehouse. If your business has multiple locations, dozens of employees, or specialized needs beyond those of the usual small office or shop, seek a professional auditor through your local utility.

Checklists and First Steps
A comprehensive energy-audit checklist takes into account the structure of the workplace, the lighting, and all machines, from the boiler room to the workstations. The Federal Energy Management Program checklist should suffice for an in-house audit at a small company.

Among the major first steps is to examine doorways, windows, and insulation for leaks of cool or hot air. A building shouldn't "breathe" unless you've opened a window for air. Heating and cooling are the biggest building energy hogs, so perform regular tune-ups and updates on heating and air conditioning systems, and seek Energy Star-rated Equipment.

Since lighting accounts for one-tenth of an electric bill, swapping old incandescent bulbs for fluorescent or LED lighting makes a big difference. Welcome light in from the windows, and install occupancy sensors that shut off lights when employees vacate the room.

Electronics
Consumer electronics account for one-fifth of home energy use, according to the government, but no hard-and-fast figure exists for small businesses. The more your company relies on hardware, the more energy it tends to use.

The Windows 7 OS features updated power-saving settings."The IT workload is growing almost as fast, if not faster, than any other workload in the U.S.," Overland says.

To measure exactly how much each gadget and appliance in your workplace costs in watts and dollars, devices such as the Watts Up or the Kill-a-Watt cost around $100, and some are integrated into power strips. Some utility companies lend watt meters to small businesses for several weeks at no charge.

Studies show that, in a home, electronic devices waste up to one-fifth of their energy consumption on standby power , plugged in but not in use--an easy opportunity for savings.

A typical computer can use 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity or more per year, Overland says. If you pay 8 cents per kilowatt-hour, that's $40 per year to run just one computer. Multiply that by two or three if you don't turn off the PC at night.

Too often, people disable the power-saving settings when they buy a new PC. Instead, take a minute to crank up those settings to an aggressive level on your operating system.

In Windows 7's Control Panel, for example, choose Power Options and select the Power Saver plan to turn off a display after 5 minutes of inactivity and then put the PC to sleep after 15 minutes (or even 5 minutes). Advanced options provide more controls, such as setting a laptop to sleep when you close its lid.

Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard provides similar options on the Energy Saver pane under System Preferences. Free downloads that go a step further include the Google Desktop Energy Saver gadget for Windows, which displays how much energy all users online are conserving.

Put Electronics on an Energy Diet
Among the simplest methods for reducing your devices' electrical load is keeping them plugged into a surge-protecting power strip that can flip off at the end of the day. Power strips with occupancy sensors , such as those from Belkin, shut down attached peripherals when you step away from a PC.

Switching out old equipment, such as CRT monitors for flat-screen LCDs, may cost more up front but almost always brings long-term power savings. Look for the Energy Star label, which marks everything from air conditioning units to computers to multifunction printers and scanners. EPEAT ratings of energy and environmental design rank desktops, displays, thin clients, and laptops.

To put an existing PC on double duty (or more), Ncomputing offers multiuser tools for PCs that enable one computer to serve more than one staffer simultaneously.

Power-controlling devices can reduce the energy consumed by big, old appliances, such as an aging refrigerator in the office kitchen.

In the Data Center
The Kill-a-Watt spells out in dollars and carbon emissions what your electronics are consuming. Businesses that maintain large storage needs or that manage a data center have additional energy concerns. For them,virtualization is a blessing. Overland has seen virtualization save companies $280 and 3500 kilowatt-hours per year per server, thanks to the reduction in server, cooling, and UPS power. Plus, a blade or blade chassis is a wise replacement for other physical servers.

In addition, to optimize a data center for efficiency , you should consolidate equipment, establish proper airflow management, improve power distribution, and use efficient power supplies and protocol data units (PDUs).

Energy and Money Saved
A business renting 2000 square feet of office space in San Francisco could save $1360 by optimizing its electronic devices' power settings, purchasing Energy Star equipment, and using fluorescent lighting, according to PG&E's SmartEnergy Analyzer.

If you work at home, look for consumer tax credits for upgrading windows, doors, and heating and cooling systems, as well as for installing solar, wind, fuel cell, or geothermal energy systems.

Commercial-building owners can enjoy federal tax breaks of $1.80 per square foot if they halve their yearly energy costs. States including California offer additional efficiency incentives and rebates.