prosperityseeker

I read somewhere that 50% of all small businesses will succeed and the other half won’t. Why is this?  What is it that sets some small business owners apart from others who simply can’t make it work? Do they have a magic formula?  I think that they have certain success characteristics that propel them forward and guarantee that their businesses will suceeed. In essence, successful small business owners :

• Are prepared to do it all. Owning your own business requires specific skills. Successful business people are knowledgeable about marketing, accounting, etc. In fact, many of them happily |complete mundane tasks as well as more specified tasks as well.

• They think prosperity and not lack. They are committed to exceeding their financial income goals and realize that prosperity is coming to them as a reward for their effort.

• They may have times of self doubt but they get past the doubt and take action.

• Successful small business owners are innovative and are the driving force behind their momentum. They work hard to accomplish their goals and do what needs to be done to make things happen.

• They are energetic, open minded and enjoy taking calculated risks.

• They have a sense of confidence and strong self esteem without being arrogant.

Do you really want to succeed in your quest for financial freedom? Do you want to avoid many of the pitfalls that others have experienced in the past? Do you want to get assistance you’re your financial plan? Do you want to improve your chances for success? If you answered yes then you should consider getting yourself a mentor.

A mentor is a teacher of sorts. They are someone that is willing to teach you valuable lessons that they have learned in their lives. You can have a mentor for your career, financial situations, etc. In essence, you can have a host of different mentors that can assist you with various areas. However, you absolutely must get one.

To find a good mentor, be observant. Ask around and find out who are the hard hitters in your field. Learn all you can about them. Then, ask them for help. Simply call them on the phone, introduce yourself and tell them that youl would like to be mentored by them.

Sometimes they’ll say no and sometimes they’ll say yes. However, you never know unless you ask. If you can’t find someone to mentor you then you aren’t looking hard enough. Just keep at it until you find someone. Then, when you do, soak up their knowledge like a sponge. Learn all you can. Take their suggestions seriously and implement your plan. In no time at all, you’ll supercharge your success.

Now, make it happen.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a credit card for those with poor credit, I have to tell you that this may not be a good idea. Yes, you are likely to find a company that will give you  a credit card but you are also likely to be charged an excessive amount of money for the “privilege of having this card.” Instead, you are better off paying down your credit and using csh baby. Not only will doing this significantly raise your credit score but it will give you peace of mind and will prevent you from backsliding into more and more debt.

Consider this. Let’s say that you do find a credit card for those with bad credit. You then use it to buy a nice polka dot dress on sale and then you use it to buy a green hat and blue shoes. The next thing you know, your credit card for those with poor credit is to the max and you arent’ able to pay the minimum balance. As such, you get late and you are charged the default rate. Now, this sucks big time.

On the other hand, let’s say that you pass on the credit card and use cash instead. In this instance, you are less likely to buy the dress, shoes, and what not and if you do, you make cut backs somewhere else so that you can stay within your budget. The result? You don’t add to your debt.

So, my advice is to only take out a credit card for those with bad credit if you plan on paying your balance in full and being responsible. Otherwise, leave that card exactly where it is or you could very well find yourself in even more debt.

There is no doubt about it. Debt can be scary and frustrating. It not only robs your peace but it can also wreak havoc on your relationships. In fact, many couples fight constantly about debt and it causes a lot of mistrust and frustration. The key to dealing with this is to realize that this is only a temporary situation. You can get past all of these issues if you have faith and work hard to accomplishing your goals.

Now, you can’t just have faith and keep doing the stupid things you were doing before to get you in this financial mess. Instead, you have to change your ways and make a commitment to deal with this situation.

You can’t let temporary setbacks cause you to lose focus and you can’t let the past dictate the future. Take me for instance, I have over $300,000 in debt including student loans, mortgage, credit card debt, etc.

Although I get frustrated, I know that my family and I will get out of this financial mess with time if we deal with it, make changes and do what we need to do. And, if we can do it, so can you!

If you are having a hard time making ends meet due to unemployment, cutbacks or simply because of too much debt, I understand and I feel your pain. It can be frustrating when you don’t have the funds to cover your every day costs. In fact, it can be downright heartbreaking.

What some people do is simply not deal with it. They let their bills continue to pile up and their morale gets lower and lower and lower. Well, I am here to tell you that you absolutely must stop wallowing in your bad situation. You must change this situation for the best.

You must stop wallowing in self pity and really bust your butt to make your financial dreams a reality. After all, you are in control of your destiny. You alone can make things better. Here are some tips for making ends meet:

• Make it up in your mind that you will succeed. You will increase cash flow and you will find the perfect job for you. You simply have to keep looking and never, ever, ever give up your dreams.
• Meet people. Get out there and meet people. The more people you meet, the more likely you are to meet someone that can help you. Attend networking lunches, get involved in your community and let everyone know that you aren’t afraid to work hard.
• Start looking for better opportunities, Send out those resumes and cover letters and follow up with prospects and prove why you are perfect for them.
• Take on a part time job. There is no shame in taking on a part time job. In fact, you may find that a part time gig helps you get past the hard times.
• Keep your job search seriously. Put 6-8 hours into looking for a job. Not just “surfing the net” but actually looking. In fact, you may even want to put in 40 hours or more “searching for a good job.”

After all, no opportunity is going to just find you – you have to find it.

If you’re like me, you are always looking for clever and creative ways to make more and more money. I mean just about everyone needs more money. More money would not only help you get out of debt but improve your overall quality of life. Right?

Well, have you ever stopped and really thought how your negative thoughts are keeping you from getting moola. I mean, how many days do you sit and think negative thoughts like, “I’m so broke.” “I will never be able to afford that.” “Everyone is so luck with money but not I.” (Or whatever it is that you tell yourself). Well, I am here to tell you that this is not acceptable at all.

You have to stop this negative thinking about your current financial condition and replace them with positive thoughts. Instead of thinking I I am broke.” Think “My financial condition is improving every single day.” Instead of feeling bad that someone received some blessing that you didn’t. Don’t feel bad. Instead say, “That is proof that prosperity is all around me.”

By doing this, you can and will improve your financial condition and your situation for the best. You will receive prosperity and your situation will improve. You just have to start with your mind first. Change you rmind and watch your life change for the best. Once you do, it will be smooth sailing from that point on. Prosperity will surround and engulf you.

Just about everyone is running scared. They’re scared of the economy and making dumb decisions with their money. For instance, I know one lady that took all her investments out of the market and put them in her mattress because she was scared that the market was about to crash. Yes, it is tough seeing your portfolio dwindle but you can’t let fear control your life. Instead, you have to stand up and take backthe power. You have to not be scared about the economy. Here are some tips:

• Stop watching negative news.  The news will scare anybody. Well, don’t let it. Stop worrying about negative news. Instead, only concentrate on the positive things. Whenever you hear information about the economy getting worst, tune it out and replace with a positive affirmation like “That might be their appearance but this is not the way that it really is. Things are getting better every single day and I will prosper.”
• Understand the risks. Yes, you should understand the risks of your investments. Depending on when you’ll need your money, you may be able to ride out these tough times. Or, you may be better off investing in safer investments like bond or Treasuries. It basically depends on your risk factors. To ignore this just doesn’t make good economic sense.
• Pick a goal. Concentrate on one goal at a time. If you have an excessive amount of debt, instead of worrying about investing your money, it might be better to concentrate on investing it into paying off debt. Not only will this give you a higher return but it will improve your financial mindset and confidence as well.
• Go automatic. Instead of worrying about every drop in the market, stop caring about it. Set your payments on automatic and forget about it. For instance, let’s say that your goal is to save for retirement. Well, choose a suitable mutual fund, have the amount deducted every month to your retirement fund and don’t worry about it. Stop being scared about every little drop and concentrate on making more money instead.

I’m a freelance writer and I have been in business for 10 years. I have about $10000 in outstanding client invoices. This is huge people. Although I have tried to recoup my money, I really haven’t tried that hard. Many of them have stopped responding to my inquiries and I have even found some of my work posted on their websites even though I still maintain the copywriters to their work. This is unacceptable and in 2009 I plan on taking massive action. I intend to get the money that is owed me once and for all. After all, it is my money, I worked for it and I deserve to be paid.If you allow others to take advantage of you by not paying you for services rendered, you will never crush debt and make your financial goals.

Here’s what I plan on doing:

1.    Create a better billing system. That’s right. I will go through all delinquent invoices and find out who owes me what, how late the payments are and then act quickly before the situation gets even worse. 

2.    Bombard them with invoices. Every 25 days, I will send them another invoice. Each month, I will get a bit nastier with my messages until finally I send them the dreaded collection account letter. 

3.    Hire a collection agency. Next, I will hire collection agency to get me my money. There are many freelancers and other collection agencies that specialize in getting their clients paid up. Although you have to pay the 1/3 or ½ of the amount collected, that is still better than getting nothing. I, for one, hate collection agencies and am more likely to pay them off first so hopefully this will work in my favor. My plan is to hire them to take over after 4 months of unsuccessful attempts. 

4.    Take them to court. I will take these scum buckets to court. For about 40 bucks, I can take them to court and collect the money that is owed me. I don’t even need a lawyer to file. Once the case is rendered in my favor, they may have their wages garnished and I will get my money. 

Enough said.

Many folks ignore the warning signs and don’t think that they’re in any danger because of their credit cards. What they don’t realize is that any debt is too much debt and way too much debt can be bad for your health and happiness. But, how can you determine if you’ve got too much? It’s easy really.

Here is the test:

1. You can’t pay more than the minimum monthly payments on your cards.

2. You’re robbing Peter card to pay Paul Card.

3. You spend more time scrounging for new deals instead of making more income.

4. You’re considering taking out a payday loan or car title loan to pay your bills.

5. You’ve had to borrow money from family members to cover credit card bills.

6. You hide your credit card debt from yourself or your spouse.

7. Your credit report is the pits or you are scared to look at it because you know you owe way too much.

If you answer yes to any of these, you’ve got to get a handle on your credit. You’ve got to get in control of your finances before they wreak even more havoc on your life.

Some tips for getting out of this mess are to:

• Figure out how much debt you’re in.
• Use cash only and don’t take on any more debt.
• Devise a workable plan and pay off your debt by paying more than the minimum, negotiating for a lower interest rate, consolidating your debt, etc.
• Pay your bills on time.
• Keep older credit card accounts (even if you rarely use them open) However, if you can’t keep from using them, it may be better to close them out altogether.
• Have faith, you can get it paid off if you work your plan.

If you’re looking for ways to make extra cash online, I hear you. There are many great things that you can do to make cash. Here are a few ideas to help you make some fast online cash.

1.    Sell stuff on eBay.  Just about everyone has something that they don’t want. It could be a holiday gift that someone gave you or it might just be something you’re tired of. Either way, you should definitely sell items you don’t want one Bay. Let me give you an example, a friend of mine paid $2000 for a fur coat over 15 years ago. She hardly even wore it and kept it in her closet. Well, she needed a bit of extra cash so she put it on eBay and received 1000 cash directly to her PayPal account. Not bad indeed.

2.    Write articles. Associated content is a company that pays you to write. They pay $3 - $20 per article and typically pay rather quickly.

3.    Make stuff. Zazzle is a site that allows you to take your photos and create mugs, tee-shirts, etc. You can then profit from them when someone buys. No overhead. Just a bit of time.  A friend of mine recently netted $40 for 10 minutes of time. Visit www.zazzle.com for additional information.

4.    Write reviews. If you have an established blog that has a PR of 1 or up, you can get paid for a review.  One site that pays bloggers is payperpost.com. If you would prefer not to have your own blog, you can post a review on www.epinions.com.

5.    Complain. There’s this brand new site called www.rantblogger.com and if you post a short complaint about something they may just publish you on their site. In return for your efforts, you get a whopping 5.00 or more. Not bad considering that it will probably take a few minutes to write an acceptable rant.