10 Cool Jobs that pays you to have Fun

A Dream Career Come True

Do what you love, as the saying goes, and the money will follow. But is it really possible to get paid to play? Believe it or not, with the right education and career training, you can work at the job you've always dreamed of. After all, if you find a job you love, work will always be fun! Here's a look at some of the coolest jobs around, and how you can land one yourself.

1. Chocolate Taster: Yes, your business card could read 'Professional Chocolate Taster" or "Freelance Consultant in the Chocolate Field." Chocolate tasters help chocolate makers develop new flavors, ensure quality, and perform market research. Extensive chocolate-tasting experience alone won't land you this dream job. Tasters recommend culinary school or pastry chef training, with an emphasis in business courses such as marketing and product development.

2. E-Commerce Entrepreneur: From photography to pet grooming, you can turn just about any hobby into a home business. E-commerce entrepreneurs sell products, services, and/or advertising space via a website "storefront." As an e-commerce entrepreneur, you have access to the ultimate market for any hobby--the world. An online marketing degree will help you find that market, and make a name for your business in cyberspace.

3. Fashion Buyer: You love to shop... why not get paid for it? Fashion buyers make their living attending fashion shows, spotting trends, and buying clothing that sells. Besides an eye for fashion, buyers typically have a fashion merchandising degree. Fashion schools offer courses in fashion design and industry trends, as well as business skills such as budgeting, inventory management, and negotiation.

4. Video Game Designer: All those hours spent playing video games can pay off--and pay well--in a video game design career. Video game designers are involved at every stage of a game's development, from concept to layout to programming. Graphic Design College offers the technical background you'll need to get into this cool career, including video game design courses in animation and 2D and 3D graphics.

5. Wardrobe Stylist: Stars aren't just born with glamour, their wardrobe stylists create it for them. Wardrobe stylists are image consultants with a fashion sense. They create the look that makes a celebrity shine on stage, on the red carpet, at photo shoots, or around town. Fashion design school can help you launch a career as a wardrobe stylist. Besides gaining a valuable credential, you'll make contacts in a business where networking is everything.

6. Movie Animator: A movie animator brings animated characters and fictional worlds to life using computer graphics technology. Industry pioneers Pixar and ILM have elevated movie animation to an art form, with applications that simulate facial expressions, natural textures, and movement. A career in movie animation begins with graphic arts training via an animation degree. Online graphic design courses for movie animators range from software programming to film production.

7. Sports Psychologist: "The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure," said legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi. As a sports psychologist, you could put this advice to work helping athletes achieve their full potential through psychological counseling. An online master degree in psychology can get you started in sports psychology. Many psychology schools offer sports-related courses such as motivation management and athletics counseling.

8. Sports Massage Therapist: Another crucial player in an athlete's support team is the sports massage therapist. Sports massage provides an extra edge for athletes, preventing injuries and keeping muscles in optimum condition. Massage therapy schools offer hands-on practice and training in anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, body mechanics, and basic business skills. Following massage therapy school, graduates take the national certification exam.

9. Sports Marketer: Sports fans know better than anyone how to inspire enthusiasm for the game. Those buzz-generating skills can lead to a career in sports marketing, promoting and managing athletes, teams, or sports events. Besides a passion for sports, sports marketers must earn at least a bachelor's degree in marketing, sports management, or business administration. For a real resume boost, consider an online MBA in sports marketing.

10. NASCAR Mechanic: The ultimate auto mechanic career can be found in the NASCAR pit stop. NASCAR mechanics are an integral part of the race team, ensuring that the vehicle operates at peak performance. The ability to do lightning speed maintenance on a racecar does not develop through sheer enthusiasm for the sport. NASCAR mechanics rely on specialized technician training in everything from basic automotive maintenance to fabricating and welding.

The best jobs are those that pay you to do what you would otherwise do for free. But the path from hobby to career is not always straightforward. You may come across your ideal job, or invent the position that fits your passions perfectly. Whichever course you choose, education and career training can bring you one step closer to a job you love.

Article by Clare Kaufman

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Cleaning Service Business

One of the biggest fears people have about starting a small business is the fear of having no real security.

But for natural entrepreneurs, security comes from designing your own life. My partner Richa and I discovered that we could create security when we put forth the effort to call our own shots and make key business decisions that made sense for our lives. Starting a house cleaning business helped us achieve real security.

We started our cleaning business over nine years ago. Our schedules now burst with other, more creative commitments, but we continue to clean houses and offices. Why? Because the work is steady, the pay is excellent, and we love getting the free time we want in order to pursue our personal goals.

When I first joined Richa as he started a house cleaning business I relished the idea of working for myself but I had no idea what I was getting into. Two things were bothering me a little. First, I was concerned with job security. Second, I secretly doubted my basic cleaning skills. Cleaning had always seemed like drudgery and I wondered if my skills were up to par with the pros. Richa reassured me that my basic skills were good enough. He guaranteed that the short working hours would give me time to spend the way I wanted. I was ready to take a leap of faith, so I decided to try it.

I made three discoveries:

Cleaning is not drudgery when you're getting paid well to do it.
Leaving behind neat, clean rooms is quite satisfying.
Not having a boss is fantastic.

I also found a new use for my research skills. Because I was determined to rank up there with the best of the professionals, I began to research cleaning tips and as a result, learned how to clean just about anything. Best of all, our diligence and excellent service has provided genuine job security all along.

Why do we think starting a house cleaning business is a great idea? Here are 11- reasons:

1. Unlimited income potential

You can grow your house cleaning business as big as you want. Many recent entrepreneurs have built up their house cleaning businesses up to 100k a year within one year. Try that with a JOB (just over broke). Cleaning franchises are booming nationwide, but franchises are a bad deal for the want-to-be professional cleaner. You sink into debt before you even get started. Franchises, while highly appropriate for oil lube shops and Internet cafes, are not a good idea for an entrepreneur who simply wants to start a cleaning business. Oil change shops and cafes are expensive and complicated businesses, cleaning is not.

2. Start bringing in money within two weeks.

You can discover interested clients within days. You can be giving quotes within a week. You can have jobs by week two. You can have a full-force house cleaning business within a few months.

3. Start on a shoestring budget

You can start a house cleaning business for well under $100. This business is one of the best for inexpensive start-ups. Believe it or not you can even start without a vacuum or a car. We did!

4. Be your own boss.

It is absolutely my favorite reason for starting a house cleaning business. My inner compass indicates that when I’m my own boss I’m going in the right direction. I'm sure you can relate. Nothing quite compares to the pride and excitement of calling the shots and being in charge of your own destiny. This is what America is all about, right? What is stopping you? Sure, you'll make mistakes, we all make them. But no one is going to scold you and you'll learn from your mistakes. Besides, as another entrepreneur once said, we have the most sympathetic boss in the world - ourselves!

5. Set your own hours.

We love this aspect of starting a house cleaning business even more than being our own boss. We take days off when we want and as often as we can get away with. We find that we each work smarter instead of harder because both of us are able to tap into our natural sense of responsibility. When you're empowered to take charge of your own schedule you take more pride in the work you do.

6. Get paid Everyday.

This is my second favorite benefit. every day we get at least one check if not several. You won't stress out about paying your bills on time. No waiting two weeks or a month to get paid. This makes your personal accounting system less stressful and a whole lot more enjoyable.

7. Cleaning is easy work, not technical or complicated.

If you prefer to use your brainpower on genuinely creative, significant pursuits, or even if you don't, starting a house cleaning business won't drain your brain. In fact, a lot of people find the gentle, repetitive tasks involved in cleaning to be meditative.

8. Professional cleaning is not emotionally or mentally exhausting.

This is Richa's favorite part of starting a house cleaning business. Richa initially started his business because he was frustrated with how emotionally draining his JOB was, making it very difficult for him to pursue his creative endeavors. He was tired a lot of the time and just couldn't get motivated. Within weeks of starting his first house cleaning business he was realizing a lifelong desire to compose music. He now has seven CDs of music published. Richa and I built a house ourselves with the free time and free mental space afforded by our part time house cleaning business.

9. Choose who you work with.

This is Second favorite on Richa's list. There has always been that one person who made life at work less than enjoyable if not a complete drag. If we discover we don't exactly click with a client, we have a system for replacing them within one week, sometimes sooner. You'll never feel trapped with an unwanted associate again.

10. Work close to home.

No long commute, no commute at all if you prefer. There is plenty of work near you, we drive maybe ten miles a day, and we do 80% of our work in one neighborhood. When Richa started his first house cleaning business he rode his bike and took public transportation to his clients' homes and offices. With a little foresight and planning, you can clean with no supplies of your own. We have met several other cleaners who get to work by bike and on foot as well.

11. Start additional cleaning services.

Maximize your profits by adding any of a dozen additional cleaning services. Carpet cleaning, steam cleaning, house sitting, pet sitting and plantscaping are all natural outgrowths of starting a cleaning business. You can mix house cleaning with office cleaning, or window cleaning with house cleaning, or for variety do all three.

Summary:

Starting a house cleaning business may not be glamorous, but because we did it, Richa and I have gained free time to do what we want to do, lower our stress levels, become more productive and happier, and we make a good living. For people with a sense of independence and a creative spirit, starting a house cleaning business is a wonderful way to provide you with genuine security.

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Virtual Assistant Business

Part of the allure of having a Virtual Assistant Business is the fact that we can work at home. But as most VA’s will tell you (I’m guessing…) working at home has its pitfalls as well. The myriad distractions of working in a home office can not be ignored, but some smart time-wise strategies can help. Here are my top 5.

(1) Give yourself a work schedule.

When I first started in 1999, I had absolutely no formal work schedule and often felt like I was driving the bus from Speed – 100 mph and about to crash. So I created a very loose schedule that allowed for flexibility to meet the needs of my clients and my family. I check my email first thing in the morning, before the kids get up, and make up a task list from any projects that have come in over night. I then leave the desk and get the kids ready for, and off to, school. Once home again, I grab a coffee and settle in for a few hours of solid work time. I get my ongoing projects finished up, get a start on new ones, and schedule the activities needed for work in my Outlook calendar and task bar. Breaking projects down into steps is a tremendous help and putting deadlines on them keeps me in line. I break for lunch and play with my 5 year old (who has an office with mine) and the dogs. We do some household chores, run errands, etc. over the lunch hour and get ourselves ready for the afternoon. Tailor your schedule to how you like to get things done. Be mindful of your body rhythm – are you an early riser or a night owl? Schedule your hardest tasks for the time of day you feel most alert.

(2) Be selective about answering the phone.

If you are in the middle of a project that requires your undivided attention, let the answering machine get the phone. Schedule a phone call time, where you can return calls to clients or prospective clients once or twice a day, so you are not constantly interrupting your work flow.

(3) Set your email program to pick up mail every 30 minutes or so.

You are getting your email in a timely manner, but are not so tempted to check it every 10 minutes (classic newbie thing – been there, done that). No one is expecting a response within 5 minutes of sending their email, and if they are see number 4.

(4) make sure your clients know your turnaround times.

Clients who are not familiar with the way a Virtual Assistant works may sometimes think that you are at their beck and call 24/7. For your own sanity, and theirs, make sure they know that emails are answered within XX hours, and your normal turnaround is XX days or XX hours. Try to discourage them from making everything “URGENT” by having a clause in your contract that sets a higher rate for urgent turnaround times (often less than 24 hours).

(5) Schedule down time.

Go for a walk. Sit on the deck. Getting out of the office/house for even a short time can recharge your batteries and give you the energy you need to grow your Virtual Assistant business.

Here are some more steps that help you get started.

1) Begin bidding on freelance projects. There are many sites online that allow employers to post freelance projects they need completed. You are then able to bid on those projects. Some sites offer this service free to those bidding and others charge a nominal fee. A few of my favorite sites are Elance.com and Guru.com. Your best bet is to bid on as many projects as you feel you are qualified to complete. This is an important step because it will allow you to see what it’s like to work on a project to project basis. It can also give you a clearer idea of what people are really looking for freelancers to work on and what services you might want to offer.

2) Once you start looking around the freelance sites and are getting an idea of what services you want to perform, you need to take an inventory of your work space. Your home office must have everything a typical administrative assistant’s desk would. You also need to make sure that you have a work area that is separate from all distractions. Just because you’re working at home doesn’t mean that you aren’t working just as hard, in fact you’ll be working twice as hard for awhile.

3) At this point, the best thing you can do for yourself is spend as much time as possible exploring other virtual assistants’ sites. This will allow you to see what you like and don’t like on their sites. You’ll also get a much better idea of what services you’d like to offer and what prices you can reasonably charge for your time. Note, I’m not advocating copying, stealing or plagiarizing in any manner, just look around a lot to see what you’re getting yourself into.

4) You’ll notice when you’re looking around all of these virtual assistant sites that many of these professionals have different certifications and belong to all sorts of different organizations. I would recommend looking into all of them that you run across. It’s really your decision on which ones you’d like to join or whether you want to spend the money on those at all. However, many of these organizations will help you with site development, marketing and promotion. Plus, some potential clients will be more comfortable working with you simply because you have their seal on your site.

5) Now, you’re ready to start getting to work on your website. You’ve got to be realistic with this. It is essential that your website look very professional and express your mission and services in a very straightforward manner. If you have web design experience and feel confident in your abilities, then by all means get to work on your site. If you’re not an HTML wiz, it can be very overwhelming. However, based on what web hosting service you use and/or software you have or choose to purchase, it can be fairly easy. Look for software that doesn’t require you to know HTML. Also, look for templates that will help you get started very quickly. I could go on forever about all the ins and outs of web design for those new to this arena, but I’ll leave at this…your website is your portal for customer communication, marketing and sales, it must be professional, so if that means you must throw a little money in for some web design help, it’s probably worth it!

Being a virtual assistant can give you all the benefits of working at home and being your own boss, but you must be aware of what you’re getting into ahead of time. Be as prepared as possible and you’ll be a success!

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Handicrafts Business

Crafts Business

If you're creative and enjoy working with your hands, a crafts business could be your path to financial independence. With a minimal investment, you can start grossing up to $100,000 a year doing something you love. This guide starts with an overview of the industry, looks at some specific crafts businesses, and then through the step-by-step process of setting up and running your new venture. You’ll learn about basic requirements and start-up costs, daily operations, and what to do when things don’t go according to plan. You’ll gain a solid understanding of the sales and marketing process, as well as how to track and manage the financial side of your business. Throughout the guide, you’ll hear from crafters who have built successful operations and are eager to share what they learned in the process. This guide from Entrepreneur.com is necessary before diving into this home business venture.

Assembly lines around the world are churning out mass-produced items that are purchased almost as fast as they can be made. But consumer acceptance of low-cost look-alike goods hasn’t eliminated the demand for handcrafted items—although those items are likely to have a much different function today than in the past.

Many handcrafted items are now valued as works of art, but historically their value was primarily utilitarian. For example, baskets and pottery were essential for transporting food, water and other items. And weaving produced fabrics that could be made into clothing and blankets.

Because of the industrial revolution, the need for functional handcrafted items is not as extensive as it once was. But Americans who want quality artistic and decorative items turn to modern-day craftspeople who produce a variety of items such as jewellery, ceramics, wood carvings, furniture, crocheted and knitted goods, decorated clothing, toys and much more.

What Is A Craft?

In this book, craft refers to any handmade item that can be given as a gift or sold—and if you’ve attended a crafts fair, you may have been surprised by what craftspeople sell and what people are willing to buy. The unpredictability of the crafts market is one of the intriguing and challenging aspects of the business.

In Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical, Paul J. Smith writes, “In its broadest sense craft refers to the creation of original objects through an artist’s disciplined manipulation of material. Historically craft was identified with producing objects that were necessary to life. Modern industrialized society eliminates the need to make by hand essentials for living. The term craft now must be defined in the context of a society that focuses on greater efficiency by technological achievement.”

The question of whether crafts are art or a separate medium may never be definitively answered. In The Crafts of the Modern World, Rose Slivka writes, “Throughout their long history, crafts have produced useful objects which are later considered fine art. Time has a way of overwhelming the functional value of an object that outlives the men who made and used it, with the power of its own objective presence—that life-invest quality of being that transcends and energizes. When this happens, such objects are forever honored for their own sakes—they are art.”

Of course, for someone wanting to start a crafts business, the question of whether the products are art may not be particularly important. A more critical question is whether you can make money.

The nature of the crafts industry makes it difficult to define and quantify, but industry experts estimate that sales revenues exceed $10 billion annually, and hundreds of thousands of working artisans earn their entire income from the crafts they produce. Most professional craftspeople start making their handcrafted goods as a hobby, and begin selling items to friends and family. From there, they typically expand to selling in crafts shows and fairs several times a year. Sometimes they’re content to keep this as something they do on the side; others are eager to move from part-time to full-time status. Still other artisans tackle their work as a full-time career from the beginning, often renting studio or retail space, or both.

Start-up costs for a crafts business range from literally a few dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on what you are making, what type of equipment and raw materials you need, and whether you already own equipment when you start. Crafters earn as little as a few dollars an hour (for part-time crafters who are not particularly interested in profits) to as much as $20 or $30 an hour and sometimes more if they learn how to market and manage their businesses efficiently.

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Freelance Home Employment

WHAT EXACTLY IS FREELANCE HOME EMPLOYMENT?

If you are looking for the ideal home employment opportunity then freelance jobs are definitely something you should consider. Freelance home employment allows you the independence of working for yourself and choosing your own hours while providing a relatively easy way to make a lot of money.

Freelance home employment enables employees to advertise positions they need freelance workers for and then find the right person with the necessary skills to complete the task. As a freelance worker you are able to apply for these freelance jobs and if you qualify for the position and you receive this freelance home employment then you will be able to complete the work in the comfort of your own home and set your own hours.

Freelance home employment enables you to use the skills you already have including writing, data entry, graphics, computer or administrative skills from the comfort of your own home and get paid great money.

The benefit of using a freelance jobs database service in finding freelance home employment is that it largely decreases your need for marketing. Marketing on the internet can be one of the most difficult aspects of running an online business. If you are able to go to a specific website and just apply, then all you need to know is how to type or perform the tasks of the job you are applying.

Freelance home employment is also much easier for people who want to work from home but do not have many computer skills to start up their own business online. The only real computer skills necessary in most cases is the ability to browse the internet, send emails, and data entry. You will browse the freelance jobs boards for positions available; either sends a message via board or via email to provide your interest for the position.

Once you have found freelance home employment you will need to agree on a freelance contract. This involves including the amount you will charge for the project, the time it will take you to deliver and your payment terms. Or just agree to the positions payment terms. You can even negotiate. If it is a long term project you may also want to set some milestones to chart your progress.

Freelance home employment involves searching freelance job boards for positions that you have the skills to fulfill, sending in a your desire to do the work and if you are chosen for the position you will set your own hours and work from the comfort of your own home to complete the freelance work. If you are looking at working from home this is definitely something you need to consider.

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Auto Detailing Business

Your Own Auto Detailing Business

Description of this Work at Home Job:

Clean cars inch by inch to return them to factory-new condition. Perform some jobs on a regular basis and others on a one-time basis for resale to a new buyer. Work closely with your client to understand all expectations. Every auto detailing job will be unique.

What is the Need for this Small Business Job?

Many people's cares are like a teenager's room, carpeted with months of magazines and fast-food packages and encompassed by a "bad" nonspecific odor. Other people like their cares to be in better than factory fresh condition.

As an owner of an auto detailing business, you will use sponges, hoses, vacuum cleaners, toothpicks and toothbrushes to pick up every crumb, polish every surface, and renew every visual feature of the car.

Your job as an auto detailing owner is to run a beauty salon, not a plastic surgeon's room. An auto detailer's job description does not include removing dents or significant interior or exterior work. Whether you go to the car, or the car comes to you, you'll need the same equipment. If you travel to the job, you'll need a vehicle to carry supplies. Your vehicle should become an example of your work and should sparkle like a showroom auto!

If the car comes to you, your setup and cleanup will be easier.

If you like cars (and working for yourself), an auto detailing service may be the business for you. It makes an ideal home based business!

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Gift Basket Service Business

Are you a creative person who likes to give every gift an extra-special touch? Then a gift-basket service is the perfect home based business for you. In today's fast-paced world, few people have time to find that gift that's just right. Both corporate customers and individuals have found gift baskets to be the ideal solution, creating a rapidly growing market that could mean big profits for you.

Start-up is easy. There are few equipment requirements and no need for a retail store, so starting it from home, full or part time, is ideal and you can set your own hours and workload.

Best of all, gift baskets are fun to create and practically sell themselves. Order your guide now!

Although gift baskets are one of today’s hottest businesses, with steady growth expected to continue well into the foreseeable future, they’re not at all new. In fact, gift baskets have been a traditional form of gift giving ever since humans figured out how to weave baskets. Throughout history, baskets filled with fruit, nuts, wild game and other foodstuff, flowers and other material tokens have been presented as a sign of affection or a gesture of goodwill. The contents could be consumed, and the container then used for cooking, storing and transporting food, or for some other practical or decorative purpose. It was a gift that had great value and essentially no waste.

Today, gift baskets are equally practical and infinitely more creative. They run the gamut from traditional Easter-style “goodie” baskets to baskets made especially for golfers, chocolate lovers, new homeowners and brides-to-be. Some people focus almost exclusively on the contents; others see the basket (or other container) as a very important part of the gift. In fact, a growing number of gift baskets aren’t baskets at all—they’re boxes, fruit crates, tote bags, hats, ceramic pots, mixing bowls and more, all filled with food, gifts and other collectible items designed to delight the recipient.

So who buys gift baskets and why? Just about everyone for every imaginable occasion. They buy pre-made baskets by occasion or theme, or baskets specially designed for a specific individual. They buy baskets from large chain stores, small specialty shops and home based basket makers—and they’ll buy them from you.

The market for gift baskets is great, and as long as people buy each other presents, you’ll have a steady stream of customers. You have a product that is in high demand and that people are familiar with. You don’t need to convince anyone that they should buy gift baskets—you just need to let them know that you are their best source, and that you can deliver the product they need when they need it. One thirteen-year veteran in the business told us she believes the industry is in its infancy, with the real growth yet to be experienced.

Your revenue will be limited only by how hard you want to work and how much you want your business to grow. You can easily gross $10,000 or more annually working part time from home, or $1 million and up operating a retail store or mail order business full time.

About half of your business will be holiday-based, and the majority of that will be Christmas-related. One of the fastest-growing segments of the gift basket industry is corporate holiday orders. When the Christmas rush is over, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Secretaries’ Day are the most profitable holidays. Most gift basket business owners see holidays as both a blessing and a curse. They can earn a lot of money making holiday baskets, but they have to work very hard during times of the year when they might prefer to do other things.

The bottom line on making gift baskets is that it’s a highly creative and gratifying occupation. It features all the best aspects of hands-on work, design, coordinating, and planning and customer service. Your product is something you take pleasure in making, your customers enjoy buying, and the recipients are delighted to receive.

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Medical Transcription Service

If you have a strong understanding of medical terminology and procedures, you can turn that expertise into a successful career in medical transcription.

Medical transcriptionists make good money transforming physicians' dictated medical records into written copy. Our start-up guide makes getting into this rapidly growing, lucrative field easy.

You'll learn how to reach potential clients, market yourself, how to use online services to obtain medical information, and much more.

Medical Claims Billing Business

The world of medical treatment has changed dramatically in the past few years. Doctors are overwhelmed by the maze of complicated claim forms and insurance policy procedures. They need time to focus on their patients, but with complicated billing procedures from private and government-administered insurance companies, HMOs and PPOs, they're often having to worry about whether they'll ever get paid for the services they provide. And this is where you come in: There's a growing need for outside help--a need that you can easily fill, working from your home.

As a medical claims biller, you can earn a good income managing claims for doctors and other health-care specialists. There's no special training or experience needed, and start-up costs are minimal. All you really need is a computer, a printer, a modem and claims processing software.

It's an ideal "starter" business because you decide its size and scope. You can specialize in certain fields--chiropractic, pediatric or dentistry, for example--and determine exactly how many health-care professionals you want to accept as clients.

This chapter explores the burgeoning field of medical billing, or medical claims processing, from passé paper claims to progressive—and profitable—computerized billing.

Think of this chapter as an investigative report—like those TV news magazine shows but without the commercials. We will explore the phenomenal growth of the medical billing field and the secrets of America’s health-care billing industry.

The Doctor’s Key

A medical billing service is the doctor’s key to getting paid. Despite the fact that the health-care industry is alive and well in America, most doctors and other health-care providers have no idea how to get themselves paid quickly and efficiently, if at all—either by insurers or by patients who are also waiting for that check to arrive in the mail. Private and government-administered insurance companies, HMOs, PPOs and a host of other mysteriously initialed plans have conspired to make physician reimbursements as elusive as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Doctors, once the lords of the health-care world, are fast becoming the underdogs. Not to worry—the medical billing service is on hand to save the day. A billing expert can dramatically increase the doctor’s immediate revenue.

Through the miracle of cyberspace, the biller electronically transmits insurance claims directly to the insurance company, or, in other words, into the company’s check-generating computers.

Amazingly, however, while electronic claims processing is the method for getting providers paid, most providers are still stuck in the Snail Mail Age. This makes electronic billing a thriving field with room for growth.

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Affiliate Commissions

The ideal world of affiliate marketing does not require having your own website, dealing with customers, refunds, product development and maintenance. This is one of the easiest ways of launching into an online business and earning more profits.

Assuming you are already into an affiliate program, what would be the next thing you would want to do? Double, or even triple, your commissions, right? How do you do that?

Here are some powerful tips on how to boost your affiliate program commissions overnight.

1. Know the best program and products to promote. Obviously, you would want to promote a program that will enable you to achieve the greatest profits in the shortest possible time.

There are several factors to consider in selecting such a program. Choose the ones that have a generous commission structure. Have products that fit in with your target audience. And that has a solid track record of paying their affiliate easily and on time. If you cannot seem to increase your commissions, dump that program and keep looking for a better one.

There are thousands of affiliate programs online which gives you the opportunity to be picky. You may want to select the best to avoid losing your advertising dollars.

Write free reports or short e-books to distribute from your site. There is a great possibility that you are competing with other affiliates that are promoting the same program. If you start writing short reports related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other affiliates.

In the reports, provide some valuable information for free. If possible, add some recommendations about the products. With e-books, you get credibility. Customers will see that and they will be encouraged to try out what you are offering.

2. Collect and save the email addresses of those who download your free e-books. It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first contact. You may have to send out your message more than six times to make a sale.

This is the simple reason why you should collect the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and e-books. You can make follow-ups on these contacts to remind them to make a purchase from you.

Get the contact information of a prospect before sending them to the vendor’s website. Keep in mind that you are providing free advertisement for the product owners. You get paid only when you make a sale. If you send prospects directly to the vendors, chances are they would be lost to you forever.

But when you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to be able to earn an ongoing commission instead of a one-time sale only.

Publish an online newsletter or Ezine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind publishing your own newsletter. This also allows you to develop a relationship based on trust with your subscribers.

This strategy is a delicate balance between providing useful information and a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to build a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.

3. Ask for higher than normal commission from merchants. If you are already successful with a particular promotion, you should try and approach the merchant and negotiate a percentage commission for your sales.

If the merchant is smart, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a valuable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a zero-risk investment to your merchant; so do not be shy about requesting an increase in your commissions. Just try to be reasonable about it.

Write strong pay Per Click ads. PPC search engine is the most effective means of advertising online. As an affiliate, you can make a small income just by managing PPC campaigns such as Google AdWords and Overture. Then you should try and monitor them to see which ads are more effective and which ones to dispose of.

Try out these strategies and see the difference it can make to your commission checks in a very short time.

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Data Entry Jobs

Legitimate Work for Legitimate Pay

When someone starts a home based business, expectations can best be described as skeptical. Most people starting any work at home endeavor have heard the word "scam" so often that even though they are willing to put their money into promises, they have no idea what these promises will entail. They either don't know or forget to read the fine print. It is putting the cart before the horse.

Let me take for example Data Entry or Type at Home. What is the job description? Have you read all of the sales page, or only the part where it says you can succeed? What are you going to be doing? What are they giving you to succeed in this type of business? Do they have a money back guarantee? How long is this guarantee for?

There have been many articles written about Data Entry or Type At Home, which are essentially the same for most companies, so the first thing you should be doing before signing up with any one is reading some of these articles. When starting any home business find out what it is you are going to be doing. Do your research. You would not go and buy a car, or appliance, or home, without doing some research on the product. Why would you put money into a home based business without researching?

Data Entry or Type At Home on the internet is most time nothing like what you would be doing if you worked this type of job in the real world. They are totally different. Data Entry or Type At Home on the Internet is simply typing the company’s ads and putting them into online forms at various advertising sites. You get paid by the number of "sales" your ads bring in to the company. You will get your own "ID" number with each company and that is the website address you put into the ad.

It is legitimate work, for legitimate pay. It is not a "scam". Why is this legitimate you should be asking. Because once you pay the fee to the Data Entry or Type at Home company you will receive training on how and where to place these ads, a list of hundred of companies wanting you to do this for them, and you will get complete support.

The pay varies from company to company, and on sales you make for that company. Sometimes you are paid through the Data Entry Company, sometimes from the companies you are advertising. But it should all be up front for you in the beginning. Most companies pay every two weeks, some pay once a month. You can set your pay up to be paid through PayPal with most companies, that way you don't have the inconvenience of waiting for a check to arrive and then having to cash it.

There are a few companies on cyberspace that do hire customer service, data entry, and other types of traditional office work. One such company is Ignotius. It is a newer company, although the owners have been in Internet Marketing for some time. It does come with a money back guarantee and it is worth looking into.

Remember not all Data Entry, Type at Home are "scams". They all take work and determination, but you can succeed with the right company.

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Earn $200/day Taking Simple Photos

Taking simple digital photographs and filling out forms is only one type of services that our "reps" perform for banking and insurance companies on a daily basis. My manual will introduce you to 12 additional, badly needed services (not all are photography related) that these institutions will pay you handsomely to perform. You are free to pick and choose the services that you are willing to perform. You will not find this kind of money making, "insider" information anywhere else!

Just look at your surrounding area! Count all of the businesses, cars, boats, planes, RVs, buildings, homes, heavy equipment, etc. that are financed, leased and insured through national companies. I can't stress enough how genuine this opportunity truly is!

There just aren't enough independent "reps" out there to meet the need. I have put together a simple, information packed, 36 page manual that will provide you with step-by-step instructions and the necessary resources you'll need to get started right-away!

Requirements: There are no educational or work history requirements. However, you must be at least 18 or older and possess basic computer and photographic skills (take snapshots per instructions). You should also know how to upload photos from your digital camera to your PC and attach these photos to emails. Your photos will be emailed to the companies that request them.

Equipment: You will need access to an inexpensive digital camera with at least 1 mega pixel of resolution and flash for cloudy days, interiors or evenings (no cell phone cameras), a phone (cell phone preferably, but not required), a PC or MAC with internet access, tape measure, clip board, and transportation to and from assignments. That's about it.

About This Industry

If someone from your hometown goes online and applies for a home loan from a national mortgage company in New York, Atlanta or Los Angeles. This mortgage company may require some digital photos and a few measurements of the property before processing the loan. It is simply not cost effective for them to fly someone to your hometown for this 15 minute photography and measuring job. This is where you'd come in. Are you starting to see the potential here? Thanks to internet and 1-800 companies, there is already an extreme shortage of local "reps" nationwide and the need is growing exponentially! Trust me; these companies will be happy to hear from you once you are ready to accept assignments!

To put all of this in perspective, just try to imagine ALL of the people in YOUR LOCAL AREA who are getting loans, leases or purchasing insurance ONLINE in a just one week's time. Very few people actually visit their "local" insurance, mortgage or loan company nowadays. However, someone still has to gather the photos and other information that these ONLINE companies REQUIRE in order to complete these transactions. Once again, this is where you come in! Are you starting to see how this all works, and why it is so necessary?

This simple, but specialized work can be done by men, women, students, seniors, retirees, etc. There is no cold calling, soliciting for work, or strange people coming to your home. There is no expensive photography equipment or special software needed. You do not have to lease an office or building. You can work right from your own home.

The 100+ NATIONAL COMPANIES (and growing) that I will introduce you to are actively seeking honest, reliable individuals in EVERY zip code in the United States (43,000). You can cover as many zip codes and work for as many companies as you can responsibly handle. These companies are NOT the actual lending, leasing and insurance institutions. These companies are contracted by these major institutions to gather the information (photos, reports, etc.) that they require. The more zip codes each of these companies can cover the more valuable they become to their clients.

You will be paid well to obtain this information. People just like you are getting paid $25, $50, and even $100 each and every time they take a few photos with their digital camera and fill out the accompanying reports (mostly online). It takes only 5 -15 minutes to complete each assignment. Some reps are doing 10+ assignments daily! These payments can add up fast!

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Online Paid Surveys

• Sit Back, Relax, and Get Paid for What You Think!!
• Online Companies will pay YOU from $5 to $125 for Each Survey!
• Get paid to participate in online focus groups $50 to $150 per hour!
• Get paid to try new products - keep the products and get paid too!
• Get paid to preview movie trailers $4 to $25 per hour!
• Get paid $5 to $95 per hour to take surveys offline!
• Get paid to travel! Earn $100's each month just for traveling!
• You get paid to drive your car $1000 to $3000 per month!

IT'S THE PERFECT JOB! Work from home and set your own hours. You're in control.

You can work whenever you'd like, morning, noon, night or midnight. Simply log in and select surveys to fill out, get paid for your time. Work for 30 minutes or three hours, it doesn't matter. You set your own hours!

PaidSurveysOnline.com and its partners bring you fresh opportunities to express your opinions, participate in online focus groups, try out new products, be heard AND be paid to boot!!! How would you like to sit in the comfort of your own home, fill out surveys online, and participate in online focus groups and get a nice big paycheck at the end of the month!!

This is a perfect opportunity for stay at home moms, students, or someone that just doesn't have time for a commute to a dead end, part time job. OR, for anyone who wants to sit in their pajamas and work at home!!

All the programs we list have been thoroughly checked out and are guaranteed to pay. We use these programs daily to make ourselves a monthly paycheck. These are all simple and easy ways to stay at home, and make a great income. Some people do it part-time for the extra $250-$500/month to pay their car payment. Others work full-time and make enough to quit their jobs! It's your choice.

Personally I love it! I take my son to school, come home and start taking surveys. Work for maybe an hour or two, then head off to the gym. Come home and do a few more surveys. Run out to do a few errands and pick up my son from school. Do a focus group or a few more surveys before dinner and I'm done for the day. I fit my work in whenever I can. The part I like best is I can do it for 5 minutes or a few hours. I can fit it in whenever I have time and I'm not tied down for long periods of time and I never have to leave the house!

Of course now everyone I know does online surveys for pay too! My mom is retired and really needs the extra money. My sister is just out of college and has a great job, but really needs a few hundred extra a month for the extras we all enjoy. My best friend just had a baby and when I told her what I was doing and how much I was making she tried it out before going back to work. She is so happy because now she stays home with her daughter and makes great money .and she spends wonderful quality time with her child. This is such a great job I know you will just love it.

Now you can get started making great money filling out online surveys too. You will receive instant access and can be working by tomorrow! You will have access to hundreds of companies that will pay you to sit home and give your opinion!

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Virtual Assistant Business

Part of the allure of having a Virtual Assistant business is the fact that we can work at home. But as most VA’s will tell you (I’m guessing…) working at home has its pitfalls as well. The myriad distractions of working in a home office can not be ignored, but some smart time-wise strategies can help. Here are my top 5.

(1) Give yourself a work schedule.

When I first started in 1999, I had absolutely no formal work schedule and often felt like I was driving the bus from Speed – 100 mph and about to crash. So I created a very loose schedule that allowed for flexibility to meet the needs of my clients and my family. I check my email first thing in the morning, before the kids get up, and make up a task list from any projects that have come in over night. I then leave the desk and get the kids ready for, and off to, school. Once home again, I grab a coffee and settle in for a few hours of solid work time. I get my ongoing projects finished up, get a start on new ones, and schedule the activities needed for work in my Outlook calendar and task bar. Breaking projects down into steps is a tremendous help and putting deadlines on them keeps me in line. I break for lunch and play with my 5 year old (who has an office with mine) and the dogs. We do some household chores, run errands, etc. over the lunch hour and get ourselves ready for the afternoon. Tailor your schedule to how you like to get things done. Be mindful of your body rhythm – are you an early riser or a night owl? Schedule your hardest tasks for the time of day you feel most alert.

(2) Be selective about answering the phone.

If you are in the middle of a project that requires your undivided attention, let the answering machine get the phone. Schedule a phone call time, where you can return calls to clients or prospective clients once or twice a day, so you are not constantly interrupting your work flow.

(3) Set your email program to pick up mail every 30 minutes or so.

You are getting your email in a timely manner, but are not so tempted to check it every 10 minutes (classic newbie thing – been there, done that). No one is expecting a response within 5 minutes of sending their email, and if they are see number 4.

(4) make sure your clients know your turnaround times.

Clients who are not familiar with the way a Virtual Assistant works may sometimes think that you are at their beck and call 24/7. For your own sanity, and theirs, make sure they know that emails are answered within XX hours, and your normal turnaround is XX days or XX hours. Try to discourage them from making everything “URGENT” by having a clause in your contract that sets a higher rate for urgent turnaround times (often less than 24 hours).

(5) Schedule down time.

Go for a walk. Sit on the deck. Getting out of the office/house for even a short time can recharge your batteries and give you the energy you need to grow your Virtual Assistant business.

Here are some more steps that help you get started.

1) Begin bidding on freelance projects. There are many sites online that allow employers to post freelance projects they need completed. You are then able to bid on those projects. Some sites offer this service free to those bidding and others charge a nominal fee. A few of my favorite sites are Elance.com and Guru.com. Your best bet is to bid on as many projects as you feel you are qualified to complete. This is an important step because it will allow you to see what it’s like to work on a project to project basis. It can also give you a clearer idea of what people are really looking for freelancers to work on and what services you might want to offer.

2) Once you start looking around the freelance sites and are getting an idea of what services you want to perform, you need to take an inventory of your work space. Your home office must have everything a typical administrative assistant’s desk would. You also need to make sure that you have a work area that is separate from all distractions. Just because you’re working at home doesn’t mean that you aren’t working just as hard, in fact you’ll be working twice as hard for awhile.

3) At this point, the best thing you can do for yourself is spend as much time as possible exploring other virtual assistants’ sites. This will allow you to see what you like and don’t like on their sites. You’ll also get a much better idea of what services you’d like to offer and what prices you can reasonably charge for your time. Note, I’m not advocating copying, stealing or plagiarizing in any manner, just look around a lot to see what you’re getting yourself into.

4) You’ll notice when you’re looking around all of these virtual assistant sites that many of these professionals have different certifications and belong to all sorts of different organizations. I would recommend looking into all of them that you run across. It’s really your decision on which ones you’d like to join or whether you want to spend the money on those at all. However, many of these organizations will help you with site development, marketing and promotion. Plus, some potential clients will be more comfortable working with you simply because you have their seal on your site.

5) Now, you’re ready to start getting to work on your website. You’ve got to be realistic with this. It is essential that your website look very professional and express your mission and services in a very straightforward manner. If you have web design experience and feel confident in your abilities, then by all means get to work on your site. If you’re not an HTML wiz, it can be very overwhelming. However, based on what web hosting service you use and/or software you have or choose to purchase, it can be fairly easy. Look for software that doesn’t require you to know HTML. Also, look for templates that will help you get started very quickly. I could go on forever about all the ins and outs of web design for those new to this arena, but I’ll leave at this…your website is your portal for customer communication, marketing and sales, it must be professional, so if that means you must throw a little money in for some web design help, it’s probably worth it!

Being a virtual assistant can give you all the benefits of working at home and being your own boss, but you must be aware of what you’re getting into ahead of time. Be as prepared as possible and you’ll be a success!

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