10 best ways to start a business

Good business ideas are all around you! Here are just a few ways to find the real opportunities to start your own business.

Business ideas are all around you.

They are lurking in your garage, in your basement, in your kitchen, and in your children's room. You'll find them in magazine ads, at your neighbor's house and at work.

They are right there in the vegetables you brought in from the yard... in the stack of papers next to your laser printer... in the back of your truck... and at the back of your mind.

You don't need to be a genius or an MBA to spot those ideas and turn them into profits, either. Identifying business opportunities is often as easy as identifying problems many people share and finding a way to solve them.

1. Do what you love to do


Businesses don't just happen. They are made. Whether you plan to profit by twisting balloons into smile-generating shapes or orchestrating the growth of multimillion dollar, multinational companies, your success relies on what you bring to the business. If you love what you do, your passion for the business will drive you to be knowledgeable, creative and persistent. On the other hand, if your feeling for what you do is lukewarm, 


your success will be, too.

2. Start With The Easy Stuff: Eliminate Expenses

 Don’t rent an office! – work from home. Or better yet work from the best free office with locations everywhere: Starbucks. If you need to meet with a client and are worried about seeming small time without an office, don’t be. Just meet them at a restaurant for a lunch meeting. This is what people with the nicest offices do anyway.

 Don’t hire lawyers, technical people, graphic designers, or assistants (see below)

Don’t hire any employees! – do it all yourself until you have some $ coming in the door.

3. Turn old standbys into new products

Truly new concepts are few and far between. Most new products or new business ideas are simply spin-offs of old ones. Inline skates is one good example. Essentially, they are ice skates on wheels. Or, depending on your point of view, streamlined roller-skates. Other new business ideas are nothing more than new ways of marketing mundane products. Take1800flowers.com, for example. Florists were around as relatively small, local stores for years --but then Jim McCann, who started with a single retail shop in 1976,  acquired the phone number 1-800-Flowers and developed a network of florists. The company saw an opportunity to grow online, and started selling through the early commercial online services, and then the Internet.

You may not have the money, management ability, contacts or desire to launch a major new product like inline skates or the energy or desire to turn your single store location into a multimillion-dollar sales organization. But you don't have to launch anything that large to start a business or introduce a new product.  You need to think about what people want to buy and how they would like to buy it.

Years ago when my kids were little, I made money selling beanbags. The twist? I designed them in the shape of frogs and I filled them with birdseed instead of beans to make them pliable and less lumpy to the touch. To attract attention at craft shows, I displayed them in various human poses (sitting up, laying on their side resting their head on their hand, or hugging each other, for instance). I could produce them quickly and kept my costs low by making the frogs from inexpensive fabric remnants. That allowed me to price the frogs low enough to make them great impulse buys for parents who wanted to buy a small, inexpensive gift for a child.

You can spin almost any skill or industry knowledge into marketable new products or services. 

A neighbor turned his skill at fixing cars into a repair and tune-up service. His angle? He was mobile. Customers didn't have to drop their car off at the shop. Instead, the "shop" (a van outfitted with tools and auto parts) came to them. Another acquaintance built a business by purchasing large quantities of chemicals and repackaging them in smaller quantities. 

4. Look for mundane money-makers

You don't need to create exciting new products or services to go into business, either. Millions of business owners profit by selling routine and sometimes unglamorous services such as window washing, car repair, sandwich making, building maintenance, house cleaning and plumbing. The key to making money with the mundane is to sell something your customers can't do, don't want to do, don't have the time to do, or can't get done well elsewhere.

Tip: one way to making really big money with mundane services is to develop a unique and reproducible method for marketing and delivering the service and then open up multiple offices, or franchise the concept. If you plan to franchise your idea or sell it as a business opportunity, retain an attorney early on who is familiar with franchise law and can help you steer clear of the pitfalls

5. Turn that hobby into cash

Do people ooh and ah at your handiwork? Whether you are a whiz at creating floral arrangements or at writing software, look for ways to turn your hobby into a business. You might want to manufacture your items in quantity, license them to other manufacturers, sell them by mail order, at flea markets or on consignment, or open your own retail outlet selling supplies to others with similar interests. 

Ask the reference librarian at your public library to help you find trade magazines pertaining to your hobby, and read those to generate new business ideas.

6. Turn a former employer into a valuable source of new business

Just because you leave a company doesn't mean it doesn't need your services. Companies often retain the services of former workers on a freelance or consulting basis. That way they get the benefit of trained personnel without having to pay payroll taxes and benefits. If you leave a company on good terms, ask about contract or freelance opportunities. Don't stop with contacts who work with the former employer, either. Call your former employer's suppliers and customers and tell them about your capabilities. Call their competitors, too. Stress your industry knowledge, contacts and skills. You may soon find that the income you earn exceeds what you made as an employee. 

7. Modify one of your existing products

Sometimes all it takes to create a "new" product is a slight change in an existing product. 

Harrison-Hoge Industries is a mail order company in Port Jefferson, NY, that sells fishing lures, inflatable boats and other outdoor gear. To expand their line, the company added a wide-brimmed, canvas hat called the Campesino to its catalog. The hat was a big success, but the owners of the company thought there might be more they could do with it. And there was.

They discovered they could adapt the hat to sell in specialized markets just by changing the hat band. As a result, they began to supply the Museum of Natural History and the Guggenheim Museum (both in New York City) with hats. Each museum's hat has its own distinctive hat band.

8. Reach out and teach someone

Do you  have a  skill  others want  to  acquire? Do  you  have  a  knack  for  explaining things so others can understand them? If so, don't give your expertise away. Start  charging  for it!

For  instance, if you  are a karate  expert, you  might teach  at  a  karate school  or open your own karate school. If you're a talented artist, you could teach art at home or in a school. 

Tip:: Make extra  money  selling  books,  supplies, or  other items  your  students will need to  buy to complete the course.

9. Make a website for your business

 Don’t pay a premium for a top end domain name, there are plenty of good ones left.

Test out your ideas by writing to a blog, you’ll get feedback on what people like and don’t like

 Don’t pay a premium for a top end domain name, there are plenty of good ones left

 When you’re ready to have your own domain, register it at domain.com and add this as a custom domain to your WordPress or Tumblr site.

 Get a free business website at www.wordpress.com or tumblr.com. It won’t be your own domain (it will be something like yourbusiness.wordpress.com) but…

 Get a professional website design for free with a wordpress theme that you can install with a few clicks (no programming knowledge needed)

10. Always be learning about business

 Go to a meetup.com groups in your city related to business/entrepreneurship

 Read all the best business books by getting them from the library

 Get 3 of the top 10 books on building wealth for free in PDF

 Make friends with other entrepreneurs and share material.

I hope this material, though theory, might help you in realty. Please feel free to comment, either good or bad, it might help in improving the blog.

10 ways to fight poverty

Top 10 Ways To Fight Poverty in America by Leslie Graham

There are immediate and longer-term ways to join the movement to end poverty in the U.S. Consider donating new and gently used clothes, books, toys, and cars (ok, maybe not new cars), for instance, or join an organizing or legislative campaign committed to poverty eradication and fulfilling the human rights of our nation's poor. What follows is a non-exhaustive list; please tell us how you've been successful in fighting poverty!

1. Recognize our shared humanity: Our desire to erase the poor through public policy only denies all of us full access to the government programs and services we expect. Too many of us do our damndest to not see the poor, or to blame them for their lot. This is psychologically reassuring, denying the reality that any one of us is at risk for losing our job or having a catastrophic accident, or being paid less than our co-workers, or making heat-of-the-moment choices that might lead to an unplanned pregnancy - all risks that can lead to rising costs, unpayable bills, prolonged unemployment, hunger, eviction or foreclosure. The current recession will kick millions of Americans (back) into poverty - are you one of the 4 million on "shaky ground"? Either way, opening your mind to your linked fate with poorer Americans is the critical first step in fighting poverty.

2. Educate Yourself! There are a handful of intertwined issues that compound disadvantage for poor Americans: a nationwide lack of affordable housing leads to displacement and lack of access to good jobs. The same can be said for our country's sorry state of public education, college un-affordability, dependency on cars and lack of public transportation systems linking jobs and residential neighborhoods. Racial injustice leads to housing end employment discrimination, denying low-income people of color full access to safe neighborhoods and well-paying, secure jobs, which reinforces their entrapment in low-wage work and in dangerous neighborhoods. In the latter the criminal justice system has become the de facto guardian for too many young black men. Domestic violence and policies restricting access to contraception and abortion disproportionately hurt low-income women. Through reading and outreach you can deepen your understanding of the anti-poverty aspects of workers' rights, immigrants' rights, women's rights, reproductive justice, environmental justice, racial justice and economic human rights movements.

3. Reframe the debate: You're going to see the phrase "economic human rights" (see Article 11) a lot around here. This is a somewhat dormant movement that's been revived in recent years, as anti-poverty and human rights activists coalesce around the reality that living in deprivation quashes people's human rights. That is, due to a lack of money and resources, people also lack access to good jobs, secure housing, quality education, adequate nutrition and good health, and full participation in society. Economic human rights activists fight for the fulfillment of these rights to housing, education, work, food and health, framing poverty as both a cause and consequence of human rights violations. It's powerful, and fits well with the concepts of social inclusion/exclusion. Think about it.

4. Speak Out! "Stand Up and Speak Out" is an annual global action against worldwide poverty and inequality. We need to be doing the same about domestic poverty. Speaking up and speaking out is what motivates all of us here at Change.org; it's the impetus behind the rise of poverty simulations in cities to raise awareness about poverty. Being vocal and being active about poverty and social inequality is a minimum daily activity for each of us in the fight to end poverty.

5. Join a campaign to end poverty:  Umbrella groups like the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign post actions needing support, as well as list member organizations nationwide that have their own initiatives and need for volunteers, donations and your commitment. See for different rights-based movements through which you can fight poverty.

6. Take legislative action: Most campaigns include a legislative advocacy component. Citizen-driven resources like GovTrack.us have search engines where you can research and track anti-poverty legislation. Support national and local non-profits such as the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the Louisiana Association of Non-Profits or MA Interfaith Worker Justice in their efforts to develop and drive pro-poor, anti-poverty legislation in areas such as affordable housing and education, living wages, food security, universal healthcare, child care, Gulf Coast recovery, adult literacy, early childhood education, prisoner re-entry, and sanctuary for undocumented workers.

7. Volunteer: With kids, families, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, women, and the mentally ill; in shelters, community centers, after school programs, prisons, and employment centers; teach literacy, resume development, job training courses, ESL classes, and computer classes; coach sports; serve food; provide counseling; help low-income Americans apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit this spring.

8. Donate: money, toys, clothes (especially sizes L/XL for women!) - including suits, food, cars, and furniture.

9. Join Boycotts & Support Unions: If you can afford it, join boycotts of corporations that exploit workers or prey on low-income communities. Furthermore, unions offer higher wages, benefits and economic security to workers in all economic brackets. For low-wage workers, union wages can make the different between living below the poverty line or rising above it. Support the AFL-CIO and Change to Win labor federations, and the Employee Free Choice Act, which could come up for a vote this spring.

10. Support Gulf Coast recovery: Katrina was the "tipping point" in the public's wholesale rejection of Bush. Pollster John Zogby thinks it will be the "defining moment" for at least a generation. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest disasters in American history, and it has permanently displaced almost 70,000 low-income New Orleanians (never mind their neighbors across the Gulf Coast) - that's almost 20% of the city's pre-storm population! Our nation was horrified by the depth of poverty and gross government negligence on display after the flood, yet in less than six months the phrase "Katrina fatigue" was in our lexicon. New Orleans was one of the poorest cities in the country prior to the 2005 storms. Its post-storm population is now more affluent, on average - and also more white. Close to 5,000 units of subsidized housing have been demolished; thousands more remain vacant and damaged. Less than 40% of renters across Louisiana now have access to affordable units; the homeless population in New Orleans alone has doubled - while most of the agencies that serve them are gone. The public hospital remains shuttered and slated for demolition to make way for a newer version of an existing operating hospital. The city is one of the deadliest in the country. Mobilizing around New Orleans and Gulf Coast recovery is a signature test of our commitment to fighting poverty and inequality.

10 ways to fight global warming

The debate is over. Scientists agree that planet Earth is in the middle of a warming cycle and human activities that dump CO2 into the atmosphere are helping to turn up the heat. With melting glaciers, more intense weather patterns and vanishing species, we're already starting to see the consequences of rising temperatures. How we choose to deal with the impacts of this problem is going to shape the future of all life on our planet. By taking individual action we may not be able to stop global warming, but we can certainly slow it down. Here are 10 simple things that you can do today to fight global warming.

1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents light bulbs (CFLs). It may not sound like much, but CFLs last up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs. Replacing just one can save 150 pounds of greenhouse gases per year.
 

2. Drive less. It may sound difficult, but it really isn't. Plan ahead and combine your trips. Take public transportation to work once per week, or better yet, walk or ride a bicycle if possible. Every mile you don't drive keeps one pound of CO2 out of the atmosphere, and every gallon of gas you don't use keeps 20 pounds out of the atmosphere.

 
3. Unplug appliances and electronic devices when you're not using them. This doesn't include your refrigerator, of course, but it does include your stove, washer and dryer, microwave, television and computers-even your toaster! Even turned off, appliances and electronic devices continue to draw electricity. In fact, as much as 18 tons of CO2 per year is used in the U.S. just to light up clocks and keep memory chips working. Keeping your appliances and electronic devices turned off and unplugged when you're not using them saves thousands of pounds of CO2 per year (and saves you money).
 
4. Plant a tree. Deforestation is responsible for 1/4 of the carbon emission in our environment. A single tree will absorb 1 ton of CO2 during its lifetime, while it provides food and shelter for wildlife, reduces your air conditioning bill and pumps fresh oxygen back into the atmosphere.
 

5. Recycle. If your community doesn't offer curbside pick up, find out where you can drop off your recyclables. Recycling just half of your household waste annually saves 2,400 pounds of CO2.

 
6. Use less hot water. Wash your clothes in cold water and turn down the setting on your hot water heater to save 500 pounds of CO2 per year. By installing a low-flow showerhead, you can save as mush as 350 pounds of CO2 per year.
 
7. Adjust your thermostat. Turning it up 2 degrees in the summer and turning it down 2 degrees in the winter will save 2,000 pounds of CO2 per year.
 

8. Keep your tires properly inflated. Rising prices at the pump make this one a no-brainer. Buy yourself a $3.00 tire gauge and check your tire pressure. If your tires need more air, it's free! Proper tire pressure translates into better gas mileage and you'll save 20 pounds of CO2 for every gallon of gas you don't use.

 

9. Buy fresh organic food from local producers. Organic soil traps and stores CO2 much more efficiently than soils on conventional farms. Fresh foods require 10 times less energy to produce than frozen foods and buying locally helps saves energy and keeps the local economy healthy.

10. Educate yourself and spread the word. See Al Gore's new movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" or check out the book by the same name. Visit www.climatecrisis.net to assess your carbon impact and learn about more ways to fight global warming. Let local, state and federal officials know that you're concerned about the impacts of this issue.

10 ways to detect computer malware

Cyber-criminals are putting forth every effort to make malware difficult to detect. Successfully, I might add. Ever optimistic, I thought I would have a go at providing information on how to make their job a little tougher.

Note: This article is also available as a download, which includes both a PDF and a PowerPoint version of this information.

Baselining is an important reference

Knowing exactly what is running on a computer is paramount to learning what shouldn’t be. Creating a reference baseline is the best way I’ve found to accomplish this. Let’s look at three applications that do just that.

1: Microsoft Process Explorer (formerly Sysinternals)

"Process Explorer" provides an excellent way to determine what processes are running on a computer. It also describes the function of each process.

More important, you can use Process Explorer to create a baseline of the running processes used by the computer when it’s operating correctly. If for some reason the computer starts behaving poorly, run Process Explorer again and compare the scans. Any differences will be good places to start looking for malware.

2: Trend Micro’s HiJackThis

"HiJackThis" is Process Explorer on steroids, making the application somewhat daunting to those of us not completely familiar with operating systems. Still, running HiJackThis before having malware problems creates a great reference baseline, making it easy to spot changes.

If it’s too late to run a baseline scan, do not fear. Several Web sites offer online applications that will automatically analyze the log file from HiJackThis, pointing out possible conflicts. Two that I use areHiJackThis.de Security and NetworkTechs.com. If you would rather have trained experts help, I would recommend WindowSecurity.com’sHiJackThis forum.

3: Kaspersky’s GetSystemInfo

Kaspersky has an application similar to HiJackThis called "GetSystemInfo". I like the fact that Kaspersky has an online parser. Just upload the log file and the parser will point out any disparities.

GetSystemInfo, like the other scanners, is a good way to keep track of what’s on the computer, and if need be, it can help find any malware that happens to sneak in.

Be careful: As I alluded to earlier, removing processes suggested by the scanners is not for the faint of heart. It requires in-depth knowledge of operating systems or being able to compare before and after scans.

Next, I’d like to discuss two vulnerability scanners.

It’s simple: No vulnerabilities, no malware

Anti-malware includes any program that combats malware, whether it’s real-time protection or detection and removal of existing malware. Vulnerability scanners proactively detect vulnerabilities so that malware can’t gain a foothold. I’d rather update applications than chase malware any day.

4: Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is a vulnerability scanner that detects insecure configuration settings and checks all installed Microsoft products for missing security updates. I recommend using MBSA when upper management needs convincing. Making a case for needing a vulnerability scanner is sometimes easier if the product is from the OEM.

5: Secunia inspection scanners

Secunia’s scanners are similar to MBSA when it comes to Microsoft products. But unlike MBSA, Secunia products also scan hundreds of third-party applications, which gives Secunia a distinct advantage.

All the Secunia scanners, online and client-side, have an intuitive way of determining what is wrong and how to rectify it. They usually offer a link to the application’s Web page, where the update can be downloaded.

Not always simple

Remember when I said, “It’s simple: No vulnerabilities, no malware”? Well, it’s not exactly that easy. It would be, except for those nasty things called zero-day exploits and zero-day viruses. That’s where antivirus applications come into play, especially if they use heuristics.

6: Antivirus programs

Lately, antivirus software is getting little respect. Like everyone, I get frustrated when my antivirus program misses malcode that other scanners mange to find. Still, I would not run a computer without antivirus. It’s too risky. I subscribe to the layered approach when it comes to security.

Choosing the correct antivirus application is personal. Comments come fast and furious when someone asks TechRepublic members which one is the best. A majority feel that any of the free versions are fine for nonbusiness use. I use Avast or Comodo on Windows machines.

Anti-malware enforcers

The next class of anti-malware is capable of both detecting and removing malware. I’m sure you are wondering why not just use these from the start. I wish it was that simple.

Scanners use signature files and heuristics to detect malware. Malware developers know all about each and can morph their code, which then nullifies signature files and confuses heuristics. That’s why malware scanners aren’t the cure-all answer. Maybe someday.

More caution: I want to emphasize that you need to be careful when picking malware scanners. The bad guys like to disguise malware (antivirus 2009) as a malware scanner, claiming it will solve all your problems. All four of the scanners I have chosen are recommended by experts.

7: Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool

Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is a good general malware removal tool, simply because Microsoft should know whether the scanned code is theirs or not. Three things I like about MSRT are:

• The scan and removal process is automated.
• Windows Update keeps the signature file database current automatically.
• It has the advantage of being an OEM product, thus it’s less intrusive and more likely to be accepted by management.

8: SUPERAntiSpyware

SUPERAntiSpyware is another general purpose scanner that does a good job of detecting and removing most malware. I have used it on several occasions and found it to be more than adequate.

A number of TechRepublic members have mentioned to me that SUPERAntiSpyware was the only scanner they found capable of completely removing antivirus 2009 (malware).

9: Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) malware scanner was the most successful of the four I tested. I was first introduced to it by world-renowned malware expert Dr. Jose Nazario of Arbor Networks. For a detailed explanation of how MBAM works, refer to my post Malware scanners: MBAM is best of breed.

Still, MBAM does not catch everything. As I pointed out in the MBAM article, it misses some of the more sophisticated malware, especially rootkits. When that happens, I turn to the next malware scanner.

10: GMER

In Rootkits: Is removing them even possible?, I explained why it’s hard to find rootkit malware. Fortunately, GMER is one of the best when it comes to detecting and removing rootkits — enough so that it’s recommended by Dr. Nazario.

Final thoughts

Using the above anti-malware techniques will go a long way in making it tough for malware developers, especially if you:

• Make sure all software on your computer is up to date.
• Run a baseline scan and save the log file. (You may need it later.)
• Scan for malware on a regular basis, since sophisticated malware runs quietly.

10 ways to save fuel

We all know India is facing a severe fuel crisis. In view of this, the PCRA (Petroleum Conservation Research Association) is encouraging fuel conservation with the help of advertisements.

In the following points, I have considered all transport vehicles as cars for generalization. So, here I go with my 10 tips for saving fuel:

1. Visit a petrol pump only if your car has little or no fuel. I don't find any reason of buying fuel if your car already has sufficient fuel. This method shall directly or indirectly save valuable fuel of the respective petrol pump. You can bypass this advice in emergencies. 
2. Turn off your car in slow traffic and at traffic signals. It is estimated that you can save about 20% of fuel in this process.
3. Minimize the use of brakes. The more frequently you apply brakes, the more fuel you spend. You can avoid braking by maintaining a constant speed of your vehicle.
4. Encourage car pooling. This is a very effective way of saving fuel as well as reducing traffic on the roads.
5. If possible, use electric-powered cars.
6. Always insist on buying cars having an excellent mileage.
7. Don't be a fan of Michael Schumacher! Drive at a constant speed. The faster you drive, the faster your fuel vanishes. Tests on Indian cars prove that you can get upto 40% extra mileage at 45-55 km/hr. as against 80 km/hr.
8. Use public transport systems as much as possible.
9. Place your right hand on your heart and say the following - "I solemnly swear that I will conserve fuel as much as possible and try to use it economically. I shall dedicate my mind, body, heart and soul for the conservation of fuel."
10. Spread awareness for fuel conservation amongst your friends and relatives.