protect your investment by researching a company before spending money online!

Lets face it, we would all love to freedom of being able to work from home! To start a passive business that will take less hours of your day allowing your to spend more time with family, or doing what you love! But what about those systems that sound too good to be true? What about all those people that have been scammed with home business opportunities and work from home failures?

Most Americans would love to own their own business and be their own boss, I know I did! I actually invested about $40,000 of my retirement and savings trying to build a home based business. Most of those transactions were spent on marketing costs for whichever home business I bought into. I lost most of that money! 

This post is about the facts of working from home, and protecting yourself before buying a work from home business, online or internet marketing, get rich quick schemes or other template based website or business. These are very risky! As a consumer you have to realize that there are people online that are willing to try and take your money! These people will usually be great salesman, with great pitches, and all kinds of options to help you get rich. 

The facts are that online business is not simple, and neither is marketing! In order to make money online you must have a quality website, that's built correctly, and promoted correctly. Wed design and marketing are two separate college professions, and neither of them are common knowledge! 

What I;m getting at is there are several online business opportunities and ways to make money. However as a consumer you should always take the time to learn and teach yourself about an opportunity before you commit. There are several free online resources that consumers can utilize before making and transactions to ensure your work from home safety! 

Rather than risking thousands of dollars, take the time to protect yourself. Research any company(s) that you're considering doing business with. See how other consumers feel about their products and services. Check to see if there are any complaints on the company, the nature of those complaints and how they were resolved. Here are my favorite 2 sites for checking a businesses' credibility:

• www.bbb.com
• www.ripoffreport.com

Remember, again, that in order to really protect your finances and your investments that YOU still need to be the one who makes the ultimate decision and decide who you do business with. Meaning that you should consider what you see, but don't make your decisions solely based off of one complaint or bad report. Consider that companies like Wal Mart have hundred of thousands of complaints! They've never robbed me personally, so I cant make a conclusion that they are a bad company. Remember that these consumer sites aren't government ran organizations, there are little to no regulations about what can be posted. This can lead to some false accusations, or unverified claims. Most companies are offered the ability to rebuttal and defend themselves which may provide more insight into the nature of the complaint. 

the BBB and how it helps small business owners

Have you heard about the BBB or the better business bureau? Most people have, and we wanted to take some time to bring awareness to the better business bureau and how it can help small business owners!

The BBB is a resource for consumers to report issues that they may have with a company, and then allow the BBB to attempt to resolve the issue for both parties. The BBB gives each business a grade based on the number of complaints that company has received and how they have handled those complaints.

The better business bureau is one of the oldest and most reliable consumer sites on the internet. It's common knowledge that you shouldn't trust everything that you read online, and it's always true. Consider that WalMart has millions of complaints, but they do BILLIONS of transactions in a day!

The BBB will help show you which companies have a good track record and which ones might not have a good grade. Remember that the BBB is not a government ran organization, its actually a private company that was started to keep track of companies that do less than perfect business.

At any rate please take the time to look up any businesses before working with them. The better business bureau is one of many consumer sites that are free for all. It only takes a few minutes to look around online and make sure the company you are dealing with is legitimate, it could save you thousands of dollars in the long run!

Billco Enterprises

BillCo Enterprises

Have you heard about Billco Enterprises? It's a new website I'm building for consumers that are dedicated to their finances. If you've read my story than you know that I have invested and lost thousands of dollars trying to make money online and investing in stocks.

The result was that I lost about $40,000 dollars on a series of schemes to make money online that actually didn't work. Then I started this blog in the hopes of making a little money with affiliates and ad revenue. And now im starting a new wordpress website as well!

Billco Enterprises just launched, and will  be a website dedicated to finance. Learn more about saving and investing your money, how to save money or learn about funding and how to get out of debt. Billco has it all when it comes to financial related information and services. 

Use billco to learn more about marketing, online business, the stock market, binary options, investing and the companies and firms online that are the most trusted in the financial and lending industries. 

Check them out online now at www.billcoenterprises.com

5 things small business owners and entrepreneurs need to know.

5 things small business owners need to know!

Here's a quick article on small business and what small business owners need to know about. 

These 5 tips will help small business owners and entrepreneurs stay focused, reach their goals, keep costs low and manage the stresses of owning a business.

If you've ever had to worry about covering payroll, utilities, and office on top of your home life and bills then you know what we are talking about! As a small business grows it is very important to be prepared! So here it is!

1)You Need A Business Plan!A business needs a business plan! Make a business plan and outline what your business is about, how your business will make money and which tools/resources you will need as a business owner. 

2.)Keep your business and personal finances separate: Make sure that your personal income and your business aren't sharing the same accounts. It's very easy to mix your finances and wind up over spending or running out of money! 

3.)Cut costs: Take the time to get the best rates and prices on the purchases and investments you make with your business. Consider using cloud systems and or phone to save money on office supplies and expensive business phone plans.  

4.) Be ready to grow!: Make sure that you are sticking to your goals and business plan, but also make sure that your are constantly learning, progressing and preparing for future growth and development.  

5.)Re-Invest!: Make sure that your business plan leaves room for growth and development. Save portions of your earning and put them away to re invest when needed. You never know when you will have a slow month, or when you might need to hire a new employee!

Is it a scam?

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Have you though about making money online? Possible investing in some type of an opportunity to make money? Everyone has heard about the joys of making money and owning your own business. Making a passive income and "living the american dream." Have you ever asked yourself "is it a scam?" then your just like me!

I have heard about hundreds of business opportunities. Talked to several companies about investing and making money online. I always loved the idea of making money and owning a business online. The idea seemed so attractive that I decided to start trying a few out.

If you've been reading my this blog then you already know a little about my story. I have wasted and been taken for thousands. I'm writing this article because I always asked myself "is it a scam?" right before whipping out my bank card and charging a couple hundred dollars to try it out.

The point is that if you feel or wonder about something being legit or not you need to take a few minutes to educate yourself. Learn about the history of that company. Check with consumer review sites, scam sites, and the better business bureau.

Most opportunities sound amazing, and it's very easy to be taken. Some of these scam businesses will even make you feel like it's your fault if the business or opportunity doesn't work. Some consumers accept that and move on, others go a step further. The customers who go to the next level are the ones that make complaints and report these companies, they arent always accurate reviews but you will start to see if a company or business has a history of complaints.

If you see a company that has several complaints or you feel like they might be a scam then RUN. Why risk your money when there is so much competition our there? There are always other companies offering similar or better services. So if you feel like a company or business might be a scam or if you have to ask yourself if the business is a scam you need to take some time to research!

You will thank yourself later!

The linkshare affiliate program

Linkshare affiliate program:

Linkshare is an online affiliate that links consumers with their favorite brands through third party websites and blogs. Linkshare is A platform that the affiliate marketer would use to track and display advertisements for major companies and brands. When those ads are clicked on and sales are made the affiliate marketer will split the revenue generated with Linkshare who made it all possible! 

Linkshare has been voted as one of the best online affiliate programs and a great way to make some extra money on the side. Its free to sign up, all you have to do is visit their site and fill out an application. The process takes just a few minutes and will allow you to start using their program. 

With Linkshare you are required to fill out and submit either a w-8 or w-9 tax form. The form will be used to report your earnings to the IRS as Linkshare pays your commissions each month. You will need to report the income you generate through linkshare on your taxes at the end of the year. 

The best part about linkshare are their clients. They work with all the major brands allowing you to promote great products that people actually want! Checkout some of the top clients that allow you to make money from home, or supplement your blog or websites revenue! 

Reliable Business CO scam? Took me for over $2k

Realiable Business Co. SCAM!?

Is Reliable Business Co. a scam?

I can say that Reliable Business Co. took me for TWO THOUSAND ($2000.00 USD) dollars after setting me up with their bogus make money scheme. I was contacted by one of their salesman and agreed to sign up with one of their "programs."

They charged me for a small fee up front, maybe a few hundred. Then talked me out of another $1995.00. They would avoid, or ignore my calls for the most part when I called asking about the status of my investments and or any profits from the business. It didn't take long before there was zero contact, and I am out of all the money I spent without a functioning website or any support on how to find, use or promote that site.

Reliable business Co. ultimately spoke a good game and then ran off as soon as they had my money. It's because of scam companies, and rip off companies like Reliable business co. that I was forced to learn about blogging and online marketing.

It seems like some of these "work from home" companies might even share my contact information. Possible calling from several different companies, offering several different systems. I can honestly say that I do not remember each and every detail as I have tried several systems.

Reliable Business Co. Scam

What I can tell you is that companies just like Reliable Business Co. have taken over fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) of my life savings and wasted it! I say wasted it because after all of the marketing, promotions and websites and so on I haven't generated any revenue let alone any profits!

I realize that some business might lose money, but it is not responsible or legitimate for companies like Reliable Business solutions to call you and sell an "easy" business that is sure to generate thousands of dollars. It's not right because it is NOT TRUE!

My final opinion is that there are some opportunities that are working for people online, but my experience is that it has not worked for me. And Reliable Business Co. is another example of a business that took my money and did absolutely nothing for me!

Check with the BBB before doing business online!

When people really make money online....

Learning how to make money online the right way! 

Someone once told me that when people really make money online they must have learned the basics of the internet, and then have something of value. It really didn't make too much sense to me at the time. I believed that plenty of people were making extra income with their own business. So I trusted the work from home systems that promised to help a rookie like myself make money! I purchased several training courses, blogs, websites, marketing, search engine marketing, guaranteed traffic and much much more. Learn about the facts of working from home or running an online business before you start one. Do not trust the work from home systems that claim  to make it simple and do it all for you!

At the end of the day I lost thousands of dollars and couldn't keep track of it all. Each program sounded perfect and most of them didn't make a single conversion or sale! I realized I had been taken when I remembered what that person I referred to had told me. "that when people really make money online they must have learned the basics of the internet, and then have something of value." I trusted other people with the money and to make decisions and complete the work it can take to make money online, yet I still didn't know enough to check that the work was completed and that things were working correctly.

This led me to start digging and looking up the programs that have worked, and others that haven't. From the training courses and reading I started learning how to use search engines and read articles. And I am finally starting to learn about the internet, how to make a simple blog or website, and how to "get it out there."

I always referred to the marketing of my websites and blogs as "getting it out there" because I really didn't understand search engines and how people would need to find me in order to actually buy or order something! Now I realize the different options that an online business owner has to choose from when marketing and promoting their business. I have found it easiest to start applying the concepts to a real life analogy.

For example, a search engine is like the phone book for the internet. The phone book lists businesses under their respective categories and then order them alphabetically, but you need to contact them and register your business in order to be listerd. So in order to get your business into the online phone books (search engines) you also need to contact them and let them know that you exist!

The internet is like a highway, full of users bouncing from one site to the next. So why not use an "internet billboard" to promote your business and services along this internet highway with millions of users flowing by? YOU CAN! There's a process of exchanging banners with other website owners or purchasing marketing space from other website owners. Placing a big banner on a website will prompt that websites users to see and click the banner which will lead them right to your site!

Tracking and monetizing your website or blog are important too. You need to be able to monitor and learn what works and doesn't! I am starting to learn when and how people find my blog. I'm also learning that its not easy to get thousands of visitors to a website! It takes time, know how, and experience or a really big budget. I have been able to turn some revenue off of ads and clicks using clickbank so I am learning that 100 people hitting a website might only make a few dollars. It seems that it will take a couple hundred visitors per day as well adding a couple different ways to make money off of a site. Affiliate marketing, ad revenue, and selling products are my three goals at the moment.

Its taken several months and several thousand dollars to start learning how to use the internet and blogs correctly. And will likely take many more months and years of learning but I can finally say that I agree that when people really make money online they must have learned the basics of the internet, and then have something of value. If you build it, and build it correctly THEY will come! If THEY come then I will be able to turn that traffic into revenue the right way!

Protect yourself and research your online businesses before you get started. Make sure that you do understand the basics before committing to anything. Salesman are there to create urgency and pressure you into listening to them, but a good salesman will appreciate someone who is safe and takes the time to understand what they are getting themselves into. Click the banners below and use these free online resources to do a background check on any company before you start doing business with them. Learn about the facts of working from home or running an online business before you start one. Do not trust the work from home systems that claim  to make it simple and do it all for you!

The Better Business Bureau

RipOffReport.com: check any business' credentials for free!

Fraudulent binary option and trading companies

Read this before you invest in Binary Options the way I did!

Have you ever heard about or thought about binary options? Making money with the stock market? Maybe you have considered investing a little money to see how it all works? That's exactly what I did!
As a part of my quest to make money online, and with good investments I decided to start trading stocks and binary options with comapnies like OptionXO.com. I talked to a gentleman who coaxed me into investing a couple thousand dollars that he ultimately lost in a day! 

We all know about the fair risks when it comes to making an investment. There's a difference between being scammed and making a bad investment.... Right?? 

 I considered the risk and reward and made the choice to start learning about the trades, how they work, and how I might be able to make money with binary options and other stock investments. I looked around online, filled out some applications and spoke to a few companies.

Wall Street scam artists?

I realize that it does take money to make money and a piece of me wanted to believe that the outfit was honest. I made several deposits and really made very little back. The overall was that I lost several thousand US dollars. Bascially vanished online POOF! :(I wound up trying several companies to "invest" always knowing there was some risk up-front. I LOST about $30k or so in just under 8 months. Typically in $504.00 or $1008.00 increments. Sometimes 3-4 times a DAY! 

I looked up BBB complaints and other online consumer resource sites. Rip Off report and so on, the reports and consumer statements were never good. Obviously people are aware of the way these guys operate. I really didn't read about or see any people that actually made real profits with the business. There were some un-biased reports that simply suggesting caution and obviously has other companies that rate a little better.
Could be a good run of bad luck? Maybe a shifty salesman or two? Who knows, but I would say that from my experience online stock trading, binary options, and other "trading" software, tutorials, or "sales" have not been profitable and are NOT a good option if you are looking to work from home or generate a profit as your own boss.

What is ClickBank and how does it work?

Adding the content is easy, the click bank system will have full tutorials describing the best ways to monetize your web space. The ClickBank system is very similar to other online programs such as Google AdSense. The concept is along the same lines as the affiliate marketing business plans.

Through ClickBanks network of users and promoters they have created a market place that allows knowledge to be posted and shared. The content created through click bank is made available to users all over the world. A ClickBank user is basically providing accurate and relevant content, that is unique and best of all FREE! Internet users will search for just about anything and will often land on some sort of ClickBank affiliated web space which also provides advertisements!

ClickBank's system is very attractive to business owners looking for a great way to promote. Displaying their ads in these high traffic web spaces will bring good revenue that ClickBank will share with you! And why not!? ClickBank allows the users to do all the work, and then split the revenue off of it!

Learn More about ClickBank
"Since 1998, ClickBank has delivered on this simple premise by giving people all over the world the freedom to monetize their unique know-how and experience. Thousands of these “infopreneurs” are using ClickBank’s publishing and promotional SaaS platform every day to turn their passions, hobbies, and work experiences into an additional source of income."                                      -ClickBank.

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is the process of an affiliate marketer promoting an established company's products or services. The affiliate business model allows the two to work together without the typical restrictions of an employee/employer relationship.

Often times a business or an establishment will develop an affiliate based program that offers it's customers the ability to make a few buck by referring their friends or family. The business or company offering the affiliate program will provide a system to track sales and commissions. Often times using a custom link or URL to keep track of all the sales and who gets credit.

The most common affiliate program is Amazon, the online retail giant. Amazon has a very detailed and supportive associates system. They have steered away from the term affiliate in favor of associates. A Google search will pull up Amazon's affiliate page that links to each of their programs and marketing resources. Amazon offers multiple associates programs for industrial based marketing as well as local consumer based marketing. See the Amazon affiliates/associates page to learn more.

The affiliate marketing business model is pretty common and most companies or businesses offer some sort of membership and or rewards program. These programs are typically offline, and derive from the same type of affiliate business plan.

Although there are several third part companies that will charge set up fees to create an affiliate business for you, the majority will not work! Caution yourself when paying someone to create any sort of online business, especially an online business! Amazon is not fond of the companies that call and mis-represent themselves as actual partners of amazon.

Remember that most affiliate systems were created to give back for spreading the word about a businesses products or services. The affiliate business model is attractive for business' that are spending hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on marketing each year. Creating an affiliate based program will likely increase the companies revenue and profits without hiring new employees or taking on new overhead. Offering the customer a reward also brings a sort of loyalty.

The affiliate marketing business model is a big reason why amazon can sell millions of products in a day. When you connect consumers with their favorite products while allowing them to make some money off of it might be the best marketing plan ever imagined!

As a marketer remember that it is an affiliate program before it's a job or a business. In order to create an income or a living off of affiliate marketing you will have to be one of the best! Creating a blog or website that gets thousands of REAL VISITORS a day is not easy! It's more likely that you will make a few bucks here and there, and that's what most affiliate programs are created for.

Getting approved for AdSense

In order to get your blog approved to display ads from vendors like AdSense you might need to qualify first. The descriptions and limitations are pretty unclear, but in general they need to make sure that your blog is a quality marketing space for their vendors.

Consider that when an ad is displayed on your site and then click on someone will be charged. It's your ad agents job to make sure that their paying customers' ads are being displayed in quality areas of your blog. Take some time to write several posts and articles before applying. Also make sure that you read the terms and conditions, be sure to keep it clean! Often times the rules and regulations are updated without notice in addition to the fact they the rules can be pretty unclear to begin with.

Read other blogs that are out there online and be sure to keep your content original. If you are recycling or re posting others' content this is the quickest and easiest way to get your blog suspended. Also consider that content is king. The more you write and the more you write about the better off you will be. Search engines will actually pay more attention and give your blog more traffic if you have good relevant content. This will also increase the value of the ads placed on your site and increase the amounts of money you will be able to make.

Blogging

Blogging seems to be one of the best ways to promote a business and also make some extra money on the side. After years of studying and research I have found that online marketing is all about content. The more you blog, or post to your blog, the more attention you will get!

So how do you make money off of a blog? Consider that a blog is just like a website. You can add images, content and even custom coding to improve the look and behaviors. This means that you can sell marketing space (banners, articles, links) or you can attach a program like most major search engines offer or any other program that will pay you for helping them promote. See CPA networks and AFFILIATE MARKETING

Adding the ability to make money with a blog or site is referred to as "monetizing" that blog or site. The more you are able to provide the better. Typically a website will generate leads, sell marketing space, generate ad revenue or sell products. Once your blog is monetized all you have to do is promote it!

A great blog will be able to do it all! Take some time to learn about how to blog and then consider which system is best for you. Some systems will offer a quick easy set up with little to no costs. Other programs will require quite a bit of technical knowledge.

Online business warnings

Beware of online scams! 

Have you ever found yourself wondering about some online businesses and thinking how nice it would be if they actually worked. Most people are VERY cautious about online businesses and making money from home. And you should be! Learn if your business is a legitimate work from home system by doing a little research, and keep these online business safety tips in mind.

1. Is There A Cost? Why? Take some time to research what the opportunity is. Make a mini business plan and assume what the costs should be compared to what the company is asking for. Keep in mind that if your looking for a JOB there should be no charges or fees to get hired! 
2. How Will You Be Able To Make Money? Ask yourself how you can make money. Do you need to sell something, promote something? If so consider how difficult that is and make sure you're really up for the challenge. 
3. See Examples! Ask the company to provide you with examples, most businesses should be able to easily provide a list of clients that are satisfied with the services provided. Although it would be nice to talk to customers most will not want to be constantly bothered. Its more likely that you can see the business and search Google to see how popular it is. A site that is ranked well should pull back several thousand good listings. 
4. Avoid Testimonials! I have noticed a DIRECT CORRELATION with companies that have "testimonials" on their websites and brochures. THEY DON'T WORK! Its always so enticing when you see an olf guy next to a red Ferrari and some hot blonde, but its ridiculous! A guy with that much money will not be posing and showing off for a tiny web development company. In fact most wealthy people would rather not flaunt everything they have! 
5. Never send cash, wire, check, or money orders! These methods of payment are dangerous! Instead, use a major credit or debit card! You are protected as a consumer from fraudulent charges and scams. If someone disappears with your cash there's nothing you can do! If you order something online and never get the item, or the item is not what you ordered the credit card companies and the banks will insure your purchase and then pursue the vendor for costs. 

Hope this helps! Feel free to comment or ask any questions below. Remember that most businesses are failing in this economy. I have invested over 50k in opportunities that DID NOT WORK. Take some time and use some common sense to protect yourself before making any financial OR TIME CONSUMING work. Your time and money is valuable!

Working from home

This blog will be dedicated to working from home. The concept of staying in your home and being able to make a living has always been intriguing! This blog will be dedicated to entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to work from home, or learn how to promote online.

I've been retired for YEARS, giving me the chance to stay home and learn the internet. Im almost 80 now, so of course we didn't grow up on computers. Someone like myself has had to learn it all from scratch, and I certainly have a lot more learning to do!

Follow this blog and learn more about the work from home business opportunities that I've spent time and money on. I will be posting articles about each business opportunity as well as the features I feel were both good, and bad!

The truth is that Ive spent THOUSANDS of dollars on work from home systems that all I had to do was "promote." They always make it seem easy but years later here I am still trying to learn this marketing thing ;)

For this blog we will be attaching AdSense so you will see plenty of ads displayed. For now these ads will be the only source of income attached to this opportunity. Look for progress along the way as I will post my earning as well as the traffic Im able to generate.

Lets hope that the major search engines and all the services they offer can make a difference in comparison to all the high cost opportunities Ive tried in the past. Most businesses I have entertained sounded great. Often times giving me the impression that I was about to take part in the next Microsoft!

As you can imagine these opportunities are just like people say, "too good to be true!" Although I have seen small amounts of revenue from a few opportunities it seems that you must control your own site, content and social media pages in order to make any progress as a business owner online.

I have learned that tracking the site is one of the most important aspects, you need to see what is working and what isn't. There was a point that I really believed that anyone who owned a website online must be making great money! You hear about all of these kids getting rich off of a great idea and going viral on social media. The fact is that it couldn't be any further from the truth. The internet has probably seem more failed businesses opportunities and less than legitimate schemes than any other marketplace.

Another part of business I have learned is that saving money is just like making money! Most of the businesses I entertained were ran by third party companies trying to get a piece of my hard work and marketing dollars. Skipping the middle man now, I am hoping to work directly with search engines, social media, and other free services to keep the cost low and avoid any forms of hosting or regular maintenance costs. Less cost equals more profit if we are able to generate any revenue!