General Business and Finance Blog

One of the most important things that you can do is to take care of your own personal finances.  You can do this in a variety of ways but perhaps the best way is to hire a certified public accountant who can help you every step along the way to manage your money.  If you live in Philadelphia personal taxes are probably a big issue for you like they are for people who live in many other parts of the country.  However if you’re looking for an accountant Philadelphia is likely going to be a very good place to start searching as Philadelphia has a long and interesting history involving money and taxation.

Many notable people like Benjamin Franklin at one time called Philadelphia home.  Franklin of course was famous for his frugality and for his general aptitude in handling money.  If you live in Franklin’s home city thing you should take a page from his book and do your best to manage your money the best way possible.  For many people this will mean hiring a certified public accountant to help you manage your money and pay your taxes.  For other people this might mean learning how to use software like Quickbooks as part of an effort to get better at handling money.  Perhaps you might venture to do both and learn Quickbooks and hire an accountant to help you balance your books.  Whenever you choose to do managing your money the best way possible is always a good idea.

While looking at planning your retirement, you may have noticed there are a wide variety of retirement accounts available to choose form. This article will give a detailed breakdown and comparison of the different retirement accounts to help you decide which is the best choice based on your circumstances.

Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

The Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax deductible defined contribution retirement account. This means that taxes are not paid that year for any money deposited in your IRA. Instead, withdrawals made from the account upon retirement are taxed as income.

Pros:

Tax deferred until withdrawal. Individual, customized control of investments. Tax deferral of investment growth

Cons:

Very low yearly contribution allowance of ,000. 10% withdrawal penalty. Lack of liquidity if the contributor needs the money for another purpose.

An individual Retirement Account allows the account holder to make investments using the funds in their retirement account. This means they can allocate the funds across a variety of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The importance of this is that any growth in these investments is tax deferred until withdrawal along with all funds in the account.

The negative side of this tax deferral is that the growth of investments will be taxed at your income tax rate rather than capital gains which is 15%. For the tax advantage to really come through, the funds in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) must be allowed to have time for growth. In general, it is advantageous when the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is allowed to grow for more than 20 years before withdrawal for the tax deferral to be advantageous.

A disadvantage of the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is the low deposit limit of only ,000 a year with a catch-up addition of ,000 a year allowed for individuals 50 or older. Also, funds can be difficult to withdraw from an IRA before the designated age of 59 ½ is reached. To see a more detailed analysis of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

When is a Roth IRA for me?

The Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is an account that is not tax deferred; therefore taxes are paid on any money before it is deposited in the Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA). This can be advantageous for individuals who expect to have a higher income upon retirement so would rather pay the current lower tax rate than a future expected higher tax rate.

When is a SEP IRA for me?

The Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Account (SEP IRA) is an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) specifically meant for self-employed individuals and their employees. The account is shared among all members involved and uses a profit-sharing model. The contribution limits for an SEP IRA are the lesser of 25% of income or ,000 in 2009. All members of the SEP IRA are required to make the same contribution.

A SEP IRA can be advantageous to a business owner due to its higher contribution allowance. It is not really an option for individual retirees who do not own a business of their own. All contribution made to the SEP IRA are made by the employer and not by employees themselves. Thus, the business owner must evaluate whether the tax benefits of expensing these costs and the increased benefits to their employees are worth the cost of increasing their own retirement contributions.

Comparison of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) to 401k

401k and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) are similar in that they both are tax-deferred retirement accounts which can increase in value over time before funds are withdrawn and they both have restrictions on fund withdrawal. One difference is that the contribution limit is only ,000 a year for an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) while it is ,500. A 401k also has the possibility of employer contributions in addition to your personal contributions.

In general, it is a good idea to prefer your 401k plan over your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) due to the higher limits and employer contributions. Before using this as a hard and fast rule, it is best to review what types of investments are made within your employer sponsored plan and your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and what type of contributions are made by your employer.

Comparison of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) to Retirement Annuity

Both an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and a Retirement Annuity are tax deferred retirement accounts. Unlike an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) which has a ,000 contribution limit, a retirement annuity has no contribution limits. Both accounts have a 10% penalty for early withdrawal.

The main feature a retirement annuity has that an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) does not is its variety of guarantees. These guarantees include a guarantee to receive a minimum income per year after retirement and guarantees that the accounts value will be at a minimum level in the future. But these features come at a cost of about 3% a year in fees.

It is generally a poor idea to invest in a retirement annuity rather than an Individual Retirement Account due to these high fees charged. If the benefits being offered are worth the 3% annual fee due to your circumstances, a retirement annuity would be something to consider looking into.

401K

A 401k is a retirement account sponsored by your employer. It is a defined contribution plan where you contribute a certain portion of your income into the account.

Pros:

Tax deferred until withdrawal Possibility of additional contributions from employers Tax deferral of investment growth

Cons:

Withdrawal penalties of 10% with certain exceptions. Lack of liquidity if the contributor needs the money for another purpose.

401k and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) have a variety of similarities. They are both tax deferred plans to taxes are only paid on withdrawals from the account, allowing a tax-free buildup of funds and investment returns. This tax deferred features of both retirement accounts is advantageous to retirees who expect a lower income upon retirement than the income they receive during their careers.

A very large advantage of a 401k retirement account is that your employers may have a benefit where they will add funds to your account or match funds you add to the account. This is the primary advantage that a 401k has over an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) but is highly dependent on what your employer contributes.

As with the Individual Retirement Account (IRA), the 401k has a negative side if the account holder does not allow the account to be active for more than 20 years. This is due to the growth within the retirement account’s investments being taxed at your income rate upon withdrawal rather than the customary 15% capital gains tax on investments. The tax advantages on investment growth are only seen after a long period of time.

When is a Roth 401k for me?

A Roth 401k, unlike a standard 401k retirement account, is taxed before the funds are placed into the account and withdrawals are made tax free. As with a Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA), the Roth 401k is advantageous to individuals who expect their income upon retirement to be higher than their career income, therefore the tax-deferral of a standard 401k can be a negative to them.

To find out more in-depth information about 401k retirement accounts, read our article about 401k.

Comparison of 401k to Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

401k and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA) are similar in that they both are tax-deferred retirement accounts which can increase in value over time before funds are withdrawn and they both have restrictions on fund withdrawal. One difference is that the contribution limit is only ,000 a year for an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) while it is ,500. A 401k also has the possibility of employer contributions in addition to your personal contributions.

In general, it is a good idea to prefer your 401k plan over your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) due to the higher limits and employer contributions. Before using this as a hard and fast rule, it is best to review what types of investments are made within your employer sponsored plan and your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and what type of contributions are made by your employer.

Comparison of 401k to Retirement Annuity

401k and Retirement Annuities are both tax-deferred accounts in which the funds are only taxed upon withdrawal. 401k retirement accounts have an annual limit of ,500 while a retirement annuity has no annual limit.

The main feature a retirement annuity has that a 401k does not is its variety of guarantees. These guarantees include a guarantee to receive a minimum income per year after retirement and guarantees that the accounts value will be at a minimum level in the future. But these features come at a cost of about 3% a year in fees.

It is generally a poor idea to invest in a retirement annuity rather than 401k due to these high fees charged. If the benefits being offered are worth the 3% annual fee due to your circumstances, a retirement annuity would be something to consider looking into.

Retirement Annuity

A retirement annuity is a defined contribution retirement account sold exclusively by life insurance companies. The earnings within a retirement annuity are tax deferred until withdrawal. Insurance companies can offer a variety of guarantees with their retirement annuity products, but these benefits come with extremely high fees.

Pros:

Tax deferred growth within account Guaranteed benefits No limits like a 401k or Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

Cons:

Extremely high fees Lack of liquidity, 10% early withdrawal penalty

The main benefits of retirement annuities are the guarantees that life insurance companies provide. These can include a guarantee that you will receive a minimum income per year after retirement and guarantees that the accounts value will be at a certain level in the future. The income earned within an annuity is tax deferred upon withdrawal providing a tax shelter for potential investment growth.

These benefits come at a cost. The fees charged on annuities can be extremely large and are highly criticized in the financial world. The total amount of fees charged on an annuity are around 3% a year, a far cry from the 1% a year charged by mutual funds directly. To read a more in-depth breakdown of retirement annuities and the fees charged, read our article on Retirement Annuities.

Retirement Annuities become advantageous when an individual is willing to deal with the 3% fees to acquire the potential guarantees.

Comparison of Retirement Annuity to Individual Retirement Account (IRA)

Both an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and a Retirement Annuity are tax deferred retirement accounts. Unlike an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) which has a ,000 contribution limit, a retirement annuity has no contribution limits. Both accounts have a 10% penalty for early withdrawal.

The main feature a retirement annuity has that an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) does not is its variety of guarantees. These guarantees include a guarantee to receive a minimum income per year after retirement and guarantees that the accounts value will be at a minimum level in the future. But these features come at a cost of about 3% a year in fees.

It is generally a poor idea to invest in a retirement annuity rather than an Individual Retirement Account due to these high fees charged. If the benefits being offered are worth the 3% annual fee due to your circumstances, a retirement annuity would be something to consider looking into.

Comparison of Retirement Annuity to 401k

401k and Retirement Annuities are both tax-deferred accounts in which the funds are only taxed upon withdrawal. 401k retirement accounts have an annual limit of ,500 while a retirement annuity has no annual limit.

The main feature a retirement annuity has that a 401k does not is its variety of guarantees. These guarantees include a guarantee to receive a minimum income per year after retirement and guarantees that the accounts value will be at a minimum level in the future. But these features come at a cost of about 3% a year in fees.

It is generally a poor idea to invest in a retirement annuity rather than 401k due to these high fees charged. If the benefits being offered are worth the 3% annual fee due to your circumstances, a retirement annuity would be something to consider looking into.

Retirement Accounts Conclusions

Overall 401k retirement accounts provide the best variety of features for retirement. Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are very similar to 401ks but lack the benefits of employer contributions and have lower contribution limits. It is best to deposit all funds available into your 401k until the limit is reached and if your income allows it, contribute the remainder into your Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

Retirement annuities are widely criticized and rightfully so. They provide a few features that may entice individuals to contribute but those features come at a very hefty price that isn’t associated with any other type of account. Retirement annuities should only be used if your individual life circumstances make the features they provide a worthwhile sacrifice of 3% in fees every year.

In addition, each type of 401k and Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is different based on who is providing the account. This would be either your employer for a 401k or a financial institution for your Individual Retirement Account (IRA). They all provide different ways in which to manage the investments within the fund itself.

Only general recommendations can be given about which of these three main types of retirement accounts are best for individuals. Decisions must be made in an informed way while taking into account very specific circumstances of the individuals planning their retirement and deciding which retirement accounts are right for them.

You can read more about retirement planning and retirement investing and how these accounts fit into your overall retirement goals.

Getting More Focused — It’s All About You
Jeanna Pool from Catalyst Creative writes a great ezine on marketing each month. In January she shared 5 Great Marketing Tips for 2006. Number 1 was “Stop Focusing on You”. She declares 2006 the year of the client and exhorts you to focus totally on your clients and their needs. I think she’s right on. And I think she’s completely wrong. Why right and wrong?
Because if you’ve been in business for awhile and have great products and great services and aren’t getting the results you want, you may be too focused on your clients and not focused enough on yourself. Last week, I encouraged your to revisit your vision of your business and ask yourself why you started your business in the first place. Now I want you to focus even more on what you want. What exactly do you want out of your business? Do you want more money? If so, how much? Write down a number. Do you want more flexible hours? If so, write out exactly the schedule you’d like. Do you want to change the world? If so, write out specifically how that would look.
Why all this focus on you? Because if you aren’t absolutely clear on what you want, how are you going to know if you are successful? How are you going help your clients if you aren’t taking care of yourself as well. Maybe you need to be making $150,000 a year to provide your family with the life that you wanted. You want to send your kids to college. You want to retire while you are still in active and in good health. Or maybe you want to just make an extra $20,000 a year working part-time while you take care of your children until they are in school. Or perhaps your goal is to make a million dollars a year and live a really incredible life. Defining this is very important. Why?
Because what you want will shape your business. It will determine who your customers are and how you will help them. If you want $5,000,000 in sales, your products and methods are going to be a whole lot different than if you want $50,000 in sales. If you want to work only afternoons, that is going to shape your business as well. If you want to sell your business and retire in five years, that’s going to affect your decisions as well. So right now, get out a paper and pen and get ready to write.
Did you get your pen and paper out? Answer the question, “What do I want out of my business?” Write in as much detail exactly what you want your business to give you. Be as specific as possible. Write as much as you can. Think income, lifestyle, schedule, partners, travel, location, employees. What exactly do you want? Throughout the week, add to this and revise it. Compare where you are right now to what you really want. How large is the gap? Next week, I’ll help you create a plan to narrow the gap with: Why Business Plans Don’t Work — How to Create an Effective Action Plan

Money is not everything. There are travelers’ checks, money orders, and credit cards. When you start your own business, there’s a way for you to obtain much-needed capital, too. This way is called small business financing credit card.
Small business financing credit card, also known as small business starter credit cards, is a great way to keep your personal and business finances separate. Personal Credit Card Versus Small Business Financing Credit Card
In the past and even at present, lots of entrepreneurs rely on their personal credit to get their business up and running. The problem with this is that they carry the debt from their business into their personal credit cards. Ultimately, they end up hurting their personal credit scores.
This is where small business financing credit cards come in. They offer higher credit limit. Additionally, they keep business and personal expense separate, thereby making it painless to track tax deductions. More importantly, you may write off your small business financing credit card’s finance charges and annual fees. Why Get a Small Business Financing Credit Card1. Build Credit
A small business financing credit card is a good way to build a financial history. Your business is a start-up; it’s unknown. This makes it difficult for your business to obtain loans. A small business financing credit card will remedy this. It will provide banks with the spending footprints they need to reassure themselves you’re a responsible borrower.2. Avoid Intermingling
When it comes to managing your expense, there’s one thing you should always do. Segregate, segregate, segregate. Do not mix business and personal transactions. This might later on create tax and money management problems. 3. Prevent Shoebox Accounting
It is always a nightmare to track business expenditures. With a small business financing credit card, however, you can turn the nightmare into one you can easily snap out of. Your credit card company will provide you with a year-end statement where you can find your transactions summarized, itemized, and categorized. With such a report available, there’s no need to keep a shoebox stacked with receipts. 4. Special Rewards
The credit card industry is so competitive providers fall over themselves to lure borrowers. Accordingly, a reward and discount program for small business credit card users was developed. Every time you use your small business financing credit card, you qualify for discounts and rewards, ranging from office supplies and plane tickets to phone services. How to Manage Your Small Business Financing Credit Card Effectively
Credit cards, whether personal or corporate, will always be open to potential abuse. Effectively manage your small business financing credit card by:1. Limiting card hopping
Sure, you qualify for multiple cards, but this does not mean you should sign up. You shouldn’t. This will only tempt you to overspend. It will hurt your credit rating, too.2. Steering clear of cash advances
Never use this credit card feature unless you need to bail yourself out of jail. It comes with whooping credit card fees and interest costs.3. Avoiding late payments
The more delinquent your payments are, the higher the fees and interest rates you would be saddled with. Moreover, late payments hurt your credit reputation.4. Using grace
Many companies offer a 21-day grace period to clients before asking them to pay for purchases. Turn this to your advantage by drawing up a schedule of your purchases and payments.
Use your small business financing credit card prudently. Remember, credit cards should be a financial safety net, not a trap.

One may wish to venture into a neatly-chalked out business. They could also look for adding a property to expand thier business. There are others who are bent on reformatting their finance through a remortgage. There are many sites and firms now, which can effectively cater to the ever-expanding visions of such men. The time for commercial mortgage or business finance deals has well and truly arrived with a bang. The UK mortgage market offers handsome deals irrespective of whether you are an established businessman or a small business owner who is just starting out. Business finance can be made available on diverse property-sets. This can include offices, pubs, restaurants, shops, hotel, industrial manufacturing units, and factories and so on. Commercial mortgages have thier own intricacy though. A simple residential mortgage is pleasantly deprived of any kind of complex transaction. Business finance often indulges in a lot of scrutinising. Business finance does not exhibit the flexible and competitive cost structure as witnessed in the residential mortgage market. Lenders are just getting adapted to the new techniques of fixed rate money for small and medium size enterprises. Even those businesses which have sole traders or are defunctory or have a bad credit history need not worry hugely. A scheme or another is always avaliable which makes money borrowing possible for such units. Many top of the line advisors help with counseling and offer suitable advice. Their services are paramount before entering a deal. They speak of the do’s and don?ts in clear parlances. For instance, they suggest the importance of not blocking money with dead plots. Commercial mortgages can allow borrower to get up to 85% of property value financed. Borrowing amount can range between 25000 pounds to 5000000 pounds. It is a self certified loan and generally need attestation from the borrower for a possible default scenario. Though the sub-prime crisis in US has made the lenders a little more discerning, bad credit profile customers are still finding it easy to gain access to such loans. Approval or rejection is meted out immediately, which implies the borrowers do not have to suffer from having to wait to be informed about the fate of their application. Commercial mortgage units can be also put on rent. This makes them partially exempt from the Capital Gains Tax. The clause is simple; the properties can only be let out for commercial purposes. In distant or proximal future, when an owner feels like selling the property, he will have to consider the price fetched as gross. Net price can only be traced after clearing away the mortgage debts, subtracting the 15% down payment and further subtracting the Capital Gains Tax. Buy to let commercial remortgages can help an owner pay his EMI?s through the rent receipts.

Home businesses are extremely popular these days and their popularity continues to grow. Individuals are expressing an interest in this type of work as it provides them with a certain level of freedom that a normal 9 to 5 job may not provide them. They can work from home, stay home with their children, avoid long commutes and be their own boss. When considering these aspects, it is easy to see why this type of work is such a popular choice. For those who wish to learn more about home business success stories as they contemplate getting involved in this line of work, there are a few places where such stories can be found.

Read Home Business Success Stories on the Internet

The Internet is a wealth of knowledge just waiting for interested parties to take advantage thereof. There are many websites, forums and chat rooms which detail this type of business and provide an avenue in which home business owners can chat with one another and perhaps pick up good tips as well. Home business success stories are also readily available on websites relating to this topic and one is sure to find a number of stories to bide their time with.

Purchase Home Business Books

Books which relate to home businesses are also continuing to grow in number. Since more and more individuals are starting their own home businesses, there are more individuals who are writing books about the subject and detailing their success stories relating to such. Home business books are beneficial for a few different reasons. One who reads home business books will find that these books describe the business for the reader. This will provide the reader with valuable information as to running a home business. Also, home business books are beneficial as they provide success stories for the reader. These types of success stories are ones which will provide the reader with the confidence that they too can start up and run a successful home business. One will find a large variety of books which detail home businesses as well as home business success stories.

Friends and Family Members

Lastly, home business success stories can be gained from friends and family members as well. Since home businesses are so popular, one may know someone close to them who runs a home business and they can listen to the success stories told by these individuals. Home business success stories provided by friends and family members are quite valuable as they are coming from a trusted source and many times the individual inquiring about such stories have seen the success stories personally.

Conclusion

Learning about home business success stories is a great thing to do as it provides individuals not only with tips for their own businesses but the confidence to pursue their goals and dreams relating to running their own home business.

So what are your prospects should you decide to start a home business? What type of business should you get into, who will be your market and how far can you take it? For many of us wanting to start a business we can run from home, it almost seems like a pipe dream. What we don’t realize is that given the right materials, market, skills and timing, we could take an idea, skill or hobby and turn it into a money-making machine.
What is a home business?
By definition, a home business is any money-earning venture that involves the sale of products and services strictly from a home setting. Virtually anyone can go into a home business, provided he or she has the necessary equipment, materials, skills and know-how required.
From chicken pot pies to massages and wine to virtual assistance to specialized services to MLM, home businesses have thrived and created an industry of their own.
Starting a home business
People will probably tell you that you should never go into business without passion. However, on the practical side, it’s wiser if you go into a business you understand and are ready for. It may be a small home business you’ll be running but it will still cost you in terms of time, money and effort. To ensure that you start a home business on the right foot, here are important considerations you should keep in mind:
Money, money, money
Assuming that you have the skills and training to start a business, consider your finances. Can you handle the cost of starting a business? Although there are home businesses that have been launched with next to nothing, you’ll find that there are certain expenses that you will have to shell out money for. These include equipment, registrations, advertising, even construction.
Granted that your bank account can handle the cost, consider if you have enough to sustain the business. This is to ensure that you can afford to buy additional equipment and materials or hire additional manpower in case you need to expand.
Your home business and the law
Most home businesses start as sole proprietorship or partnership. If you’ll be running your business with a group, you might have to apply as a corporation. Depending on the type of business you’ll be building, there may be permits and licenses required. Some businesses, for example, might even require you to have certifications or specialized training. Check with your local government for laws and regulations you might have to comply with.
Do you need insurance?
That depends on the type of business you go into. Generally, you’ll need insurance if you foresee you’ll need some sort of protection, either to cover for your products, services or for employees you will be hiring. Insurance can add to your cost but it can save you from huge expenses in case something goes wrong.
Advertising and your home business
Whoever said you don’t need to promote your home business doesn’t have an inkling how it works. First of all, the biggest challenge you will have as a home business owner is recognition.
There is still some sort of prejudice that many uninformed consumers associate with businesses run from homes. Your goal is to ensure that people see you as a professional with a serious approach and a business that has something reliable and valuable to offer. As such, you’ll have to put as much thought in your home business advertising as you would in a traditional business venture.

This report presents a comprehensive picture of the contribution of small enterprises in Ireland. The report contains data on the contribution of small businesses in industry, services and construction, as well as statistics on the labor, the knowledge-based economy and workforce. It also includes international comparisons. In the report, a small business is defined as an enterprise which employs fewer than 50 people. Statistics on medium (50-249 persons) and large enterprises (250 or more people) are included for comparison. Highlights of the report are: Industry: Production and employment dominated by medium and large enterprises * In 2005, four of the five industrial companies (81%) were small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. This company employs 50,000 people, slightly more than one fifth of total industrial employment. * The larger companies (50 or more persons) employed 181,100 people in 2005 and generated 93% of the total turnover in the industry. * The vast majority of small industrial firms were Irish owned (95%). Nearly 42% of larger companies are foreign-owned. Services: More than 380,000 employees of small businesses in the service sector * In the service sector, almost all companies (98%) were small. There were 82,100 small businesses, employing over 380,000 people in the service sector in 2005. That was more than half of total employment in this sector. * Small businesses account for nearly half (49%) of total turnover in the services sector, and generates a turnover of nearly ? 81.6bn in 2005. * Nearly half of small businesses in the service sector are the property of the family (47%). The vast majority of these family businesses employed fewer than 10 people. Construction: Small businesses occupied two thirds of all people who work in construction * According to the Quarterly National Household Survey, there were 253,200 employed in construction in the fourth quarter of 2005. Of these, 211,000 have indicated that they worked in small businesses (fewer than 50 employees), while 24,500 have indicated that they worked in large enterprises (50 or more employees). A further 17,600 not specify the number of employees to their jobs. * Among the 253,200 people employed in the construction industry, more than 65% worked for very small concerns employing less tha ten people. Salaries and wages: 54% of private sector employees in small firms earned between ? 10 – ? 20 per hour in 2006 * The average hourly wage in small businesses were ? 15.22 in 2006 compared to ? 19.38 in companies with 50 or more workers in 2006. * The average annual salary for employees in a small business amounted to ? 32,453 in 2006. The average wage in large enterprises was ? 44,794 per year. Knowledge-based economy: the larger companies have shown higher levels of e-government activities * Small businesses generally not more modern information and communication technology than larger companies. * Almost all companies with 10 or more employees were connected to the Internet that two-thirds of businesses with fewer than 10 employees to use the Internet. Size of work: almost 56% of employment in small workplaces * In all areas, 56% of jobs in workplaces where fewer than 50 persons were employed in the second quarter of 2007. A total of 1175800 people worked in small workplaces. Of these, 839,300 were employees, 216,600 are self-employed and 107,900 are self-employed with employees. These figures include agriculture and the public sector and the economy. * Among the 316,300 non-Irish nationals in employment in the second quarter of 2007, less than half (47%) worked in small workplaces. EU comparison, the value added in small construction firms in Ireland was three times the EU average in 2005 * Almost three-quarters of production in Ireland turnover was generated by large companies, while the EU average was 60%. * In 2005, Ireland is recorded but the gross value added per employee of ? 51,600 in the distribution of services. The EU average was ? 33,000 per employee. * The gross value added per employee in the construction industry in Ireland was significantly higher than the EU average for all types of employment dimension.

Dear aspiring entrepreneur,

Before we get started, I want to be very blunt and completely honest with you.  If you are looking for a “get rich quick” scheme or are looking to make $1000 by next week, then you need to leave this page!  The information I am about to share with you is only for people who are SERIOUS about making a living as an Internet Marketer and a Home Business Entrepreneur.  So, if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, then good luck to you with your future endeavors and maybe I’ll see you again in the future.

On the flip side, if you ARE ready to become a SERIOUS Internet Marketer and a Home Business Entrepreneur, then please read on.  Over the next few minutes, I am going to expose to you the TRUTH behind Internet Marketing and Working from Home.  I am going to tell you what it takes to become a successful Internet Marketer and I am also going to tell you what most Internet Marketing Guru’s fail to explain to you.

Internet Marketing can be simply explained as using various websites, search engines, and Internet Marketing tools to “market” (or sell) products, services, and information to people over the Internet.  Almost everyone you and I know uses the Internet in some form or another; whether it is to check their email, log on to their favorite social networking site, or to buy and sell something on an auction website.  People from all walks of life and of all ages use the Internet on a daily basis and in today’s troubling times, millions of people are now using the Internet for a NEW purpose; to make money!

The Home Business industry is a multi-million dollar a year industry!  Thousands of people are starting their own business from home each and every day and the number keep growing month after month.  Now why do you think this is?  Well there are a few reasons for it.  Home Businesses are:

With a home business, you never have to worry about:

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the freedom to do whatever you want WHENEVER you want?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have the car or home of your dreams without having to worry about whether or not you can afford it?  And, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to provide for your family without having to run yourself into the ground to do it?  Well, ALL these things are possible when you start you own Home Business.

So how do Internet Marketing and owning a Home Business tie into each other?  Quite simply, to be a successful Home Business owner, you MUST know how to be an Internet Marketer.  This is the TRUTH that other Internet Marketing Gurus fail to mention!  You have absolutely no chance whatsoever of running a successful Home Business, if you cannot market it over the Internet; plain and simple!

The simple fact that you have stumbled upon this article means that you are either a) interested in becoming an Internet Marketer, b) interested in starting a Home Business, or c) you were just looking for something to read.  Chances are, options A and B are correct.  And if so, that means that you have most likely been searching for an opportunity for quite some time now.  You may have even tried an opportunity or two before.  Now let me ask you something; did it fail?  It probably did, right?  WHY???

Simply because, 99.9% of the opportunities found on the Internet today are SCAMS.  I’m sorry to say this but they are.  Some Internet Guru uses his masterful mind and dreams up some unbelievable opportunity and decides to market it.  It is so good and gets you so excited that you would be crazy not to become part of it!  So you get suckered in like everyone else.  And like everyone else, you successfully get scammed.  Here’s how it works:

These Internet Gurus have one sole purpose in mind and that is to make money.  Not because they want you to succeed as they have, not because they have a fool-proof system, and not because they find enjoyment in helping other!  All they care about is selling you their e-book for some astronomical amount of money!  Once they do that, their job is done.  They could care less whether or not you know how to market their opportunity.  They could care less whether or not you take the time to read their “million page” e-book.  The only thing they care about is taking your money!  Congratulations…you have just successfully been scammed.  That is the TRUE meaning behind the phrase “get rich quick.”  You don’t get rich quick, THEY DO!

Sounds familiar doesn’t it?  Of course it does.  This sort of thing happens every day to millions of unsuspecting people trying to make a living for themselves.  To be honest, it’s quite the lucrative business practice.  If I knew how to be a cold hearted, money hungry, ignorant scam artist the I’D dream up some masterful plan to scam innocent people.  But frankly, that’s just now me.  I’d rather work hard, smart, and honest.

So please, don’t get sucked in by another scam artist.  Stop wasting your time and money on e-books that are so lengthy and confusing that you have to keep reading them over and over again just to get the picture.  Stop getting left out in the cold and start a REAL Home Business!

A real Home Business requires several things:

Think of a Home Business as a fast food franchise opening up a new store.  What does that franchise need in order to accomplish this?  They need money.  They need to pay to have the new store build or they need to pay rental fees or remodeling fees.  They need to pay for equipment and supplies, and they need to pay employees to run the new store.

This same principal holds true with a Home Business.  In order for it to be successful, it will require you to invest your time and money.  Your investment will pay for products and services needed to successfully run your business.  It will also pay for advertising and marketing so other people can purchase those products and services from you.

A real Home Business also requires duplication.  Lets go back to the fast food store for a second.  So they’ve opened the new store .  It looks exactly like every other one of its kind.  They provide the same options and benefits as ever other store EXCEPT for one thing.  This particular store is only open on the weekends.  Now how successful do you think this store is going to be?  They are only open 2 days a week unlike the other stores which are open 7.  Do you think they are going to be as productive and profitable?  Probably not!  Here’s why.

Even though the new that there was already a system in place that was GUARANTEED to work, that was PR OVEN to be profitable, they decided for some reason to try something else.  They thought by doing something different and their way, it would be more productive.  Does that make any sense?

Duplication is by far the most powerful tool that make a Home Business successful.  All you have to do is follow the step by step system that other successful Home Business owners are already doing.  Their system works, they make money with it, they know what they are doing, all you have to do is copy it.  That’s it!  It can’t get any easier than that!

So what now?  How do I get started?

The answer is simple…I have a system in place that makes me a successful Home Business owner and all you have to do is “duplicate” what I am doing.  Starting you own Home Business is easy and can be very profitable if you have a system that works.  Well now you do; MINE!  That being said, let me introduce you to the “Rags 2 Riches System.”

This system was developed by Chad Rissanen, a very successful Home Business owner who discovered a way to make an incredible income from home.  His system can be accessed 100% FREE of charge by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.  Once you fill out the form on his website, you will get instant access to his incredible system for FREE.  He walks you through the system step by step, with audio commentary, how to set up and start you OWN Home Business simply by copying what he is doing.  There is a small investment involved to get everything up and running but I can tell you its far less than what those Internet Gurus are charging for their services.

So, if you’re ready to start your own business then I STRONGLY suggest you visit the link below.  You could have your new Home Business up and running in a few short hours.  DON’T DELAY…get started now and I’ll see you at the top!

Regards,

Dustin Kratochwill

A successful Internet Marketer

PS:  Did you know that almost 90% of Home Business failures are do to the fact that most people FAILED to act?!  They simply got scared and ran away because things got to hard or complicated.  Don’t be one of those people.  This system is PROVEN to work and all you have to do is copy it!  How much easier can it get?

CLICK HERE to get started on the road to success!