Do you know what Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... and Paul McCartney all have in common? Well, the simple truth is... they're all "Baby Boomers".

The "Baby Boomer" generation accounts for all of us born between January 1st 1946 and December 31st, 1963. Here's a few interesting facts about the baby boomers in general:

1. First, they control 70% of the entire net worth of the United States!

2. Second... they represent 27.5% of the population according to the last census, taken in 2000.

3. And third... once they start hitting 40... many of them...

Start Having Problems With Their Eyesight!

It's true!

According to the National Eye Institute's 2002 Report called "Vision Problems In The U.S.", there are 3,406,280 people over age 40, who have some kind of visual impairment!

And generally, for many folks... the older you get, the worse your eyesight gets. So here's a little tip if you're selling goods or services to older folks: Since you're likely to have a higher percentage of them who do have vision problems...

Make Sure Your Ads Are Easy To Read!

So, here's what you should do: Studies have shown, using a font called "Courier 10 BT" produces a larger ad response than other fonts. Now be careful, Courier 10 BT, is NOT the same as the "Courier New" font, you may already have on your computer. Not at all! See, the Courier 10 BT font, is a little darker. And this darker font, is easier to read... and this lifts the response to your ads.

Here's an example of the Courier 10 BT Font in action:go to: www.KingOfCopy.com It's sure not the prettiest font in the world -- it's more like the old-style fonts you used to have on your typewriters (Remember those?) -- but, it works like a charm... and you won't ever get in trouble for making your ads easier to read, right? Anyhow, if you want to guarantee your ads can get read and you can sell your goods and services, and you're working in a marketplace that may be visually challenged, use the Courier 10 BT font. And if you don't already have this font installed on your computer, feel free to download it here from me -- my gift to you for being a subscriber of mine.

This is a great font to use, especially in you Direct Mail sales letters, and... I've even seen it used effectively online. Don't, however, use it in your newspaper or magazine display ads, unless it happens to be the same font, articles are printed in. When you run display ads, you must use an editorial-style format using a font that matches the font "normal" articles are printed in (which for many papers is Times New Roman -- this font).

P.S. If you want to uncover more facts about the Baby Boomer marketplace, you can uncover them in a report I found, called "The Baby Boomers In 2003". I've uploaded it to my web site for you to download if you want, just click here to grab it now. www.KingOfCopy.com

P.P.S. Want to hear a few more facts about the Baby Boomers?

· They have an estimated annual spending power of $1 Trillion Dollars!

· They have a higher divorce rate, and a higher rate of "staying single" than prior generations...

· And... over 50% of them are living in the following 9 states: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey.

And... according to the latest stats... it looks like they'll be living to 79.5 years of age. Which is... Not Long Enough, If You Ask Me!

Craig Garber is America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter. You'll find hundreds of marketing tips to increase your sales, and his insanely popular FREE Direct-Response Marketing Tip Of The Week, on his website, www.KingOfCopy.com. Copyright © Craig Garber. All rights reserved.

How To Evaluate A New Business Opportunity By Mufad

If you are searching for ways to earn an income using the internet, you must have already come across many programs with unbelievable claims of overnight income. This article outlines 7 criteria that I use to evaluate any opportunity that presents itself before me.

* 1> Is there a Product in Demand

If you are thinking about a business on the internet, there has to be a product that has a huge demand and that can be sold on the internet. Many fly by night programs focus on building a downline and recruiting other people without having a solid product, there has to be a product that people can use. If the company has a product that you cannot understand, then stay away from such a company. Even if you have a product in demand, it has to be sellable online, For Example, if you try to sell Pepsi or Coke on the internet no one will buy it online, as they would prefer to buy such products in the super market. What type of products are sold only online? Domain registration, Website hosting, email etc -- these are a few examples of products that have a huge demand and that can be sold online.

* 2> Is it a Stable Company

A stable company means that the company promoting the product has to be a debt free company in existence for a period of many years. Avoid Here today gone tomorrow companies that try to sell the concept "get in at the top to make huge income." Look for companies that have been growing for a long time. Even better if you can find a stable company that has been selling its products for many years without the help of any affiliates, and has recently launched an affiliate marketing program.

* 3> Can it produce a good income for me

How many sales will you need to make to produce a sizeable income? Is the effort that you put in to make a sale justified by the compensation that you receive? You should study the compensation plan of the company and determine if it is worth promoting their products.

* 4> Is the product affordable

The end customer who purchases the product should find value for the price they are paying. It does not matter to the customer how many levels of up line are being paid commissions. The business opportunity should come second to the product value. If the same product is available elsewhere for a greatly reduced price, then it would be difficult selling such a product.

* 5> Can the product produce repeat sales

A one time sale will produce only a one time income. Products that keep producing repeated income are preferred to products that produce a one time income.

For example, if you sell an ebook information product you will have a one time profit from each client, where as if you were to sell monthly membership access to several ebooks that are updated every month, then you have an income that will continue every month as long as the member remains subscribed.

Products like domain registration, website hosting, email etc are excellent sticky products that will produce residual income because the value to the customer increases with time for the same cost. For example, when a person has built their website they are more likely to renew rather than loose their work, similarly when a person has branded their domain name and given their email address to their friends and associates, they will want to pay the recurring fee to continue using their domain and email.

* 6> Do they have a strong backend marketing system

The backend systems for the product you promote should be able to present the product to your client, automatically follow up on leads, provide live statistics so you can track your prospects and customers and generate your sales report any time you want. The latest trend in email marketing allows you to enter the email ids of your friends into the prospecting system and they automatically follow up with intelligently personalized emails sent from your email id so the replies can come to you. Intelligently personalized means that in addition to including the names of the prospects in each email, they have a system to track if the email is opened, if a link is clicked etc and the next email uses this information to send a different message for each follow-up.

* 7> Will you feel comfortable promoting this product

Given a product and a company that satisfies all the above criteria, this is the most important criteria that you should apply to determine if this company is right for you.

For Example, no matter how good the income, I would never feel comfortable promoting a product like Viagra! On the other hand, I would gladly promote a domain registration and hosting business as it ads to my reputation as a tech savvy online entrepreneur.

Conclusion:

To summarize, you should look for an affordable, in-demand product that can produce repeat sales for a stable company with a good income potential and excellent backend systems.

Just recently I came across one such company that sells .ws domain names with email and website builder, it has only just started its affiliate wing. They have spent over a quarter million dollars in making this 7 minute entertaining flash presentation at http://website.ws/wsbiz/show - I was impressed by their cutting edge technology.

Copyright © 2004 Mufad
Biz Whiz
About the Author...
Mufad is a successful online entrepreneur who quit his job and now makes a full time income from his website http://biz-whiz.com

If you're online, you're getting spammed. It's only a question of how much. Today, two thirds of all email is spam, and a good deal of it is deceptive, offensive, even dangerous. There's good news though: smart strategies you can start using today to dramatically reduce the amount of spam clogging your inbox. I first wrote about this topic nearly two and a half years ago... so this update is long overdue. I have new tips to share and can recommend new spam-fighting resources I've "battle tested" over the past 28 months. I don't want to jinx my luck by saying this, but I can tell you that I now live a relatively spam-free life. You can too.

You may be wondering just who's sending spam. Some spammers are just small-time "entrepreneurs" who've received bad advice about how to promote their businesses. However, the majority are evil people who are exploiting and destroying one of the greatest communication tools ever invented. Humorist Dave Barry of the Miami Herald calls spammers, "The mutant spawn of a bizarre reproductive act involving a telemarketer, Larry Flynt, a tapeworm, and an executive of the Third Class mail industry."

Here are seven smart things you can do to shield yourself from the continuing onslaught of spam:

Strategy #1: Protect your work email address

If you've been assigned a work email address like "somebody@companyname.com" it belongs on your business card and very few other places. Since that corporate email address usually follows some standard format based on your name (john.smith@company.com, jsmith@company.com, etc.) you're going to have a hard time changing it later on to escape from spam. Never use your work email address in "public" on the web - in an online discussion forum, on a "registration" form, etc. There are automated harvesting programs ("bots") that scour the web sucking up random email addresses and adding them to spam lists. For this reason, if your work email address is listed on your company web site, talk to your web administrator to have it "coded" so it's readable/clickable by a human being but not by a scourbot. Any competent webmaster should be able to do this for you. Here's a link to a nifty javascript encoder in case you want to roll your own "invisible" web-based email addresses.

Please know that the #1 source of spam is machine readable email addresses on web pages. A comprehensive study from the Center for Democracy & Technology, using "baited" email addresses reported that 97% of spam received was from was from web posting. The more popular the web page, the more unsolicited mail received. Now that blogging is becoming more popular, be sure that your email doesn't appear in somebody's web blog. Google your own email address to be sure. Also, if your ISP maintains a "member" directory, opt out of it.

Strategy #2: Have more than one email address

Even if spam didn't exist, it would still make very good sense to have - at a minimum - a separate personal email address for yourself. You can get a web-based email account you can access anywhere from Yahoo, Mail.com, Hotmail, and others. [Added motivation: remember that the work email account provided to you by your employer belongs to that employer - and your company has the full legal right to not only read your email messages but also take action against you based on what they see.] One very good spam-related reason for using multiple email addresses is to have "throw-aways." Keep at least your work email and one personal email address very clean (by limiting its distribution to your "inner circle") and use others for buying things online, "registering" for web services and publications, and for posting to online forums.

I recommend against using most webmail services, even their paid versions. Because no payment is required, Yahoo and Hotmail attract people who want to remain anonymous, and are therefore sometimes used to pull scams or make fraudulent purchases. Web merchants are starting to refuse sales to people with yahoo.com or hotmail.com or other no-charge webmail addresses. You're better off paying the nominal fees (about $20 per year or less) most paid services charge. Consider registering your own name as a domain. Once you own jones.com, you can make up email addresses based on it: barney@jones.com, mary@jones.com, etc. You may need some techie help getting this set up, but it's worth it. If you don't want to bother getting your own domain, a paid email service (with good blocking technology), worth checking out is AT&T Lab's ZoEmail.

Strategy #3: Use an email forwarding service

Even better than having multiple personal email accounts is using a free "mail forwarding" service. There are about half a dozen no-charge forwarding services available, including one called Spam Motel (spam checks in… it doesn't check out). Here's how it works (text from the Spam Motel documentation): Whenever you are online and about to give out your e-mail address - STOP! Do you really want to do this? Spam Motel has a better way. Simply type a short reminder memo to yourself, including why and to whom the e-mail address is being given. Spam Motel records this memo, and the date and time, and quickly sends you a special "disposable" address to use instead of your real one. The new address is automatically placed into the "clipboard" memory of Windows, where it can be pasted into any online form that you are filling out. E-mails sent to this special address are forwarded to your regular e-mail account, along with your reminder memo, which appears at the top of the e-mail message. From now on, you'll know exactly when and where the sender or spammer got your e-mail address. But just knowing this information is not enough. So we give you the power to stop spam sent to any of these special addresses. This is done through the Log Page - your online control and information page - where you can delete any of the addresses you've given out. You can also suspend and resume forwarding for each address at any time. Your real e-mail address is never given out, just the special ones you create using Spam Motel. Other forwarding services similar to Spam Motel are Spamex, Sneakemail, and Despammed. Take your pick. They're all good. My personal preference is Spamex, even though it's a paid service ($20/year).

Strategy #4: Use an "odd" email address

If you make up a new email address with some non-alpha characters like "xyz#321@domain.com" you'll get less random spam. That's because of a new insidious spammer tactic called "dictionary spamming." Since it costs next to nothing for these lowlifes to blitz out tens of millions of messages overnight, they just make up addresses with the hope that one in a thousand will be "real" and get through. They'll often try first name initials plus last names (e.g. jjones@something.com). They'll also mix-n-match different popular domains (a domain is the part of your email address after the "@"). If you had an old account like "fredflintstone@aol.com" but cancelled it because it was overrun by unsolicited email (AOL users especially get a lot of spam), and opened a new account at Earthlink: "fredflintstone@earthlink.net" you'll probably get spammed even if you never give out that new address. It therefore makes sense to start completely fresh as "fredflintstone3000BC@earthlink.net" - you're going to have to notify everybody about your new email address anyway. Also, the longer the address you choose, the less dictionary spam you'll get. They start with single letters, then two letter/number combinations, then three, etc. Most spammers get shut down at some point before their full blast is delivered during these "brute force" alphabet attacks, so zzz's get less mail server spam than aaa's.

Strategy #5: Use adjustable spam filters

Many Internet service providers (ISP's) offer different levels of filtering for your inbound email. However, don't expect miracles. At their more liberal settings, most spam will still leak through. At their tightest, most of your legitimate emails will get caught, mixed in with the spam, and possibly lost. You sure don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater - so experiment a little and see which middle setting works best for you. For many people, an alternative approach that works well is to autosort incoming email into different inbox folders based on a "whitelist" (a list of friendly email senders whom you wish to continue communicating with). Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and most other email programs make this easy to do. A whitelist approach is also better than a personal blacklist. It rarely pays to add people to a "junk senders list." The "from" address in most spam emails is forged so you'll rarely get spam from the same "sender" twice.

Unfortunately, server-level blocking and filtering has gotten out of hand. Much of it is done without your consent or knowledge. Many company IT departments have tightened down the screws so tightly that virtually no HTML mail can get through; not even the newsletters and bulletins you've requested. As you can imagine, legitimate publishers like me are having an increasingly hard time getting our HTML mail delivered to subscribers. Even my own mail host, Verio (now my ex-host) blocked me from getting my own copy of the Urbach Letter. Sheesh. No alert that the trapped mail was being discarded. No option to change it. When I complained, they said there was nothing they could do. But there *was* something *I* could do: find a new mail host... who understands that I want to maintain control over which messages I receive or not. Hasta la vista Verio. I won't be back. Since I'm still on the rant, you should know that after I'm done writing each issue, I still have to spend an hour or more running it through "Spam Assassin" test filters and editing out "bad" words. I can't even tell you what those words are. Listing them here would ensure you'd never get this issue.

Strategy #6: Napsterize your email.

I started off this article by bragging about how little spam I get. That's largely because of a program called MailFrontier based on "peer-to-peer" technology (like the original Napster). When you get a spam message, you highlight it and click a button. The message is instantly analyzed and added to a centralized database. Meanwhile, all your incoming messages are scanned to see if they match the profile of spam caught by somebody else on the MailFrontier peer-to-peer network. If it matches, it's filtered out and placed in a spam folder in your inbox. Very cool. By the way, I used to use a competitive program, Cloudmark's SpamNet, but found it had some minor operational problems. But both MainFrontier (formerly known as Matador) and SpamNet are very effective weapons in the war against spam. Millions of strangers cooperating anonymously to eliminate spam from their lives. Got to love that concept.

A word about Challenge/Response. MailFrontier has an additional spam-fighting option I recommend you ignore... unless you're totally overrun by spam and are willing to inconvenience all the friends and businesspeople who send you emails. You can set the program to send out a "challenge" message to everyone not already in your address book or on your whitelist. They'll have to respond to your challenge in order to have their original message delivered. Can you see why I'm recommending against this, other than as a last resort? Many people just won't be bothered to play the challenge/response game with you. Life is short enough as it is. Oh, the technology is clever. It requires a real, live human being to confirm the messages, either by presenting a graphic: "How many puppies are in this picture?" or by the more business-like option of showing a scrambled letter/number image and asking the recipient to type it in a box. In theory, people should only have to jump through this hoop once, and then their emails will get recognized from then on.

Besides the anti-spam programs I've mentioned so far, there are others that have received good reviews and are worth considering (although I can't endorse them myself). I've heard that the latest versions of McAfee Internet Security Suite 6.0 ($70) and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2005 (also $70) are quite good -- and provide the all-in-one solution many folks seek (antispam + antivirus + firewall).

Strategy #7 Fight back!

Topping the "dangerous spam" list are phishing scams. From an FTC Consumer Alert: "Internet scammers casting about for people's financial information have a new way to lure unsuspecting victims: They go 'phishing.' Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with - for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to "update" or "validate" your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don't respond. The message directs you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate organization's site, but it isn't. The purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name."

The bulletin goes on to list some tips to avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam. Think you're too smart to fall for this? Think again. Why don't you take this Phishing IQ Test? It's a quick 10-question quiz to see how well you recognize bogus messages. Not so easy, is it? There's another reason I like MailFrontier. Part of its peer-to-peer analysis tracks phishing scams, and provides and optional taskbar icon that operates similarly to WeatherBug. But instead of a tornado warning, you'll get immediate notification of a fast-spreading phishing or fraud outbreak. By the way, if you do receive a questionable email, forward it on to uce@ftc.gov.

Avoid signing up for freebies or online contests. These often exist solely to collect and resell email addresses. Besides, your chances of wining anything worthwhile are infinitesimal.

A note on spyware and virus spam

Right now, 4 out of 5 computers are infested with spyware. One is five has a virus infection. That's according to the National Cyber Security Alliance, in a just-released study. While most spyware comes from installing file-sharing programs and "ad sponsored" utilities, and from visiting dodgy web sites, address book spam is responsible for most virus infections. The NCSA study showed that most people (85%) have a virus scanner installed, but only a small number keep their virus definitions up to date. Hopefully, you're smarter than that.

Final words...

Everything in this letter has been a suggestion, except this last thing, which is an ORDER: Never, Never, Never buy anything from a spam message, no matter how attractive it seems. These tapeworm spammers work on very small numbers - if only one person out of several thousand responds, they consider it a big success - so you're actually doing a lot of damage to others if you buy something (plus you're probably going to get ripped off). Don't even click on any links in the spam - especially not on the "remove me from your list" link or button. All that does is confirm that your email address is connected to a live human being, ensuring that you'll be spammed even more in the future.

By the way, you may have noticed I haven't said a word about CAN-SPAM, the U.S. law supposedly regulating spam that's been in place since January 1, 2004. Have you noticed any reduction in the amount of spam you receive because of this law? Me neither. So far, all it's done is make life a little more difficult for legitimate publishers. However, it does open the door for prosecution of black hat spammers, and recent news reports indicate that's now underway. Another topic I've avoided in this article is "Spim," (instant messenger spam). That's becoming a big problem for AIM (AOL's instant messenger) users. I use MSN Messenger and haven't encountered Spim on that system yet. If I do, you can be sure I'll tell you about it.

The Urbach Letter, Published Monthly for the Friends and Associates of Victor Urbach, http://www.UrbachLetter.com/

Important note: The Urbach Letter is not a commercial publication. I am not compensated in any way by the providers of the products and services mentioned in this letter; they're recommended because I use them personally, or believe them to be the best. This publication may be redistributed if copied in its entirety. Portions of this advisory letter may be reprinted with permission.

To Blog or Not to Blog: Are Blogs Becoming More Popular than Forums, Newsletters and E-zines? By Vishal P. Rao

Blogging is hot, and seems to be becoming hotter each month. Although blogging originally was dismissed by many successful publishers and other online "gurus", the truth is that now, a few years after the "blogging trend" began, there are actually more blogs and more bloggers online than ever before. Blogging, obviously, is "here to stay"!

Actually first documented in 1997, Web logs initially used the abbreviated version: wee-blog, with a Web log editor referred to as a blogger. Since then, all types of Web logs (blogs) and blogging software have emerged, giving rise to this lucrative and dynamic market.

Now, everything from advertising blogs to zoology blogs exist, with every topic in between apparent online. Political blogs are rampant, and groups of bloggers across the globe post regularly on every topic imaginable.

What does a blog supply that an e-zine, newsletter, or forum might not? What has skyrocketed the popularity of the blog over the past several years?

The answers are really quite simple:

1. Blogs are more highly interactive. Posters get to see the results of a post immediately, as the post appears simultaneously after posting. Posters also don't have the usual moderation that appears in forums, where posts may be deleted without warning. Usually, in blogs, more freedom is given, and posts are usually accepted no matter what the content, or the topic.

E-zines and newsletters, with their one sided presentation of views, have decreased in popularity with the increase of the popularity of blogs.

2. Blogs are easy to maintain and easy to start. The sheer volume of choices is staggering! Everything from "blogging software" to "blogging services" are available, and even a novice blogger will find blogging quick and easy to do.

3. Blogs are "Search Engine Friendly Food". Search Engines love blogs, because of the constantly changing content that appears daily. Search Engines are constantly "searching" for new content, and blogs meet this requirement splendidly!

4. Blogs are actually a lot of fun! The entertainment aspects of a blog cannot be dismissed. A great deal of "voyeurism" exists on blogs, where other bloggers continually monitor discussions, both pro and con concerning an issue. Discussions on blogs can be "heated" and interesting, with much repartee occurring daily! Blogs are a rousing form of media, indeed, with many bloggers returning repeatedly throughout a day to view new posts.

For a view into popular blogs of many categories, just visit: http://www.blogit.com

5. Many blogs are capable of syndication. Syndication is a great way to ensure that your writing and your views are exposed to as much of the general public as possible. Syndication is many times included in blogging services now, and this has drawn individuals to the art of blogging continuously.

For an example of a blog service that features syndication, please visit: http://www.typepad.com

6. There are no lists to maintain, or spam filters to worry about with blogs. This is one reason why so many writers and publishers have turned to blogs. E-mail delivery of newsletters and e-zines has become difficult over the past few years, with the advent of spam filters. Blogs are not delivered, and therefore, no methods of defeating filters are needed, and no "non-deliverables" occur, which has been the bane of writers and publishers prior to this.

A good blogging software exists at: http://www.silkblogs.com

7. Blogs are economical. Since no lists are maintained, there are no list server costs. Blogging software and blogging services are also very reasonably priced, giving good value for the money spent monthly. Some blogging services charge others to "read", while others charge writers to "write", but overall the monthly charges are rather minimal either way.

8. Blogs are educational. There are such a variety of informative and educational blogs available now, that a search for any subject usually turns up hundreds of offerings. Differing points of view on all subjects are offered routinely, giving a reader or poster an "insight" into the hearts and minds of other bloggers.

To be successful, however, Blogs also need to contain the same elements of a popular newsletter or e-zine:

A. Compelling, well-written content. No one, either online or offline wants to read materials that are poorly written or difficult or boring to read.

B. Updated material. Just as in newsletters or e-zines, if material is not updated continually, then the audience eventually dies.

C. Rousing topics. Topics of interest to a wide range of readers succeed more than topics that appeal to very few, or are rather dull topics.

D. A nice layout and visual appeal. A blog is akin to a Web site for written materials, and just like in the design of a Web site, every care should be made to have the blog be visually appealing and friendly to visitors.

Newsletters, e-zines and forums, of course, will remain. But as you can clearly see, blogging, bloggers, and blogs themselves, have definitely added to the "online experience" and will possibly (and hopefully) be around for decades more!

Vishal P. Rao is the owner of http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com - One of Internet's leading websites, dedicated to starting, managing and marketing a home based business.

Article printed from SiteProNews: http://www.sitepronews.com HTML version available at: http://www.sitepronews.com/archives.html Copyright © 2004 Jayde Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SiteProNews is a registered service mark of Jayde Online, Inc.

The science of physics recognizes two kinds of inertia - both of which can be related to procrastination. The first law states, "Standing objects tend to remain stationary." The second law is the inverse: "Moving objects tend to stay in motion."

Procrastination is stationary inertia. We aren't moving, and we therefore don't move!

Procrastination overcome, however, moves us into the arena where the law of motion takes over. We frequently find that once we've started a project or process, we stay with it until completion. One of my favorite sayings from my friend Dr. Robert Schuller is posted on my word processor: "Beginning is Half Done!" (I've modified it to say, "Beginning is Half Won!")

Here are seven techniques to overcome procrastination:

1. Take five minutes to identify what you are putting off.

On a blank sheet of paper, note several important activities that you realize you are delaying or have put on hold.

2. Look at your list of tasks and do one of them right now.

Put the energy you've been directing toward excuses into the activity you've been avoiding. You'll discover that action eliminates anxiety.

3. If getting started is the hard part for you, set a designated time slot in the day to work on the list.

Set aside thirty minutes of your lunch hour for work specifically on one job, project, or personal goal that you've been avoiding or find difficult to start.

4. Don't worry about perfection.

What counts is quality of effort, not perfect results. Don't let yourself get bogged down with a preoccupation for perfectionism.

5. If what you are putting off involves other people, consult with them.

Your reasons for delaying action may be imaginary. Lack of communication often turns molehills into mountains.

6. If you fear the consequences associated with the action you've been avoiding, ask yourself, What's the worst thing that could happen If I did this today?

The worst-case scenario most likely would be a minor inconvenience or a temporary setback.

7. Finally, Vividly picture how you'll feel once the task is done.

Freedom from anxiety. Freedom from nagging pressures. Freedom from self-doubt. Accomplishing put-off tasks will give you a great boost of confidence and energy!

Ground breaking requires TNT. To blast your way out of apathy and overcoming procrastination. Remember what TNT means: Today! Not Tomorrow!

With over 10 million audio programs sold in 14 languages, Denis Waitley's CD album, "The Psychology of Winning," is still the all-time best selling program on self-mastery. To order this Best-Seller or his newest release, The Platinum Collection and save 30%, go to http://deniswaitley.jimrohn.com or call 800-929-0434. If you would like to receive more information on booking Denis Waitley to speak for your company or organization, contact Hilary at 800-929-0434 or by email at: hilary@jimrohn.com. ©The Waitley Institute - 2004

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A personal message from the publisher...

How I became a proud, single, work at home grandma.

My name is Francine York, publisher of Modern Opportunity Web site and newsletter. I welcome you to what is fast becoming the quintessential business opportunity web site. Not only will you find a wide variety of interesting and profitable opportunities; but you will find services and products as well. Feel free to browse the site and read the many informative articles and columns geared to assisting you in becoming a successful entrepreneur. My email "door" is always open to you; so email me anytime and you will receive a personal reply from me.

And now, about my background and how I came to publish this site and newsletter... Due to budget tightening, my job at a not-for-profit agency was cut back to part time. Because I needed more of an income, I set out looking for a new position. At about the same time, my daughter and son-in-law gave me the wonderful news that they were expecting their first child and my first grandchild! My joy was boundless until the reality of economics deflated my euphoria. My daughter would have to go back to work three months after the baby was born. I started envisioning he/she being cared for by strangers in a day care setting. Fortunately, when I had my three children, I was able to stay at home until the youngest was in full day nursery school; but she could not financially do the same.
EUREKA! It suddenly became crystal clear...I would stay home and care for my grandchild.

First I headed for my financial advisor to review my finances and see if I could do this. He politely and firmly said, "Get a job, send your grandchild to day care like so many others do; sell your house; giveaway your three dogs; and rent a small apartment, then maybe you can afford to stay home." Needless to say, I was horrified and angry. You see, I had recently separated from my husband of many years and could no longer rely on him to help with the income.
The more people told me what a crazy idea this was, the more I was determined to do it! I began looking in the classifieds for home based business opportunities. Most listings were for opportunities for which you needed a great deal of money; and that I would not be able to run from my home. That was not going to do. Unfortunately, at the time, I was not knowledgeable about the myriad business opportunities available which can be operated from the home. Finally, I saw an ad for newspaper for sale. The same week my grandson, Ethan Jacob, was born (May 11, 2002), I became the new owner of a business opportunity newspaper. Since I knew the impact the Internet has on today's existence, I immediately started designing a web site. Today, after a year of changes, improvements, redesign and hard work, the site has grown to over sixty pages with more on the way.

I am a proud, single, work at home grandma now; and loving every minute of it!...and guess what?
On March 18, 2004, I became a grandma for the second time...Ryan Caleb!

To give readers, some info about my educational background...I graduated from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY with Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees in the field of education. I spent the next four years teaching in a N.Y.C. public junior high school. Coming next was a move to the "burbs" in 1973 followed by the birth of my third child. When he turned four, I returned to teaching in a Brooklyn High School. The commute, the conditions and having a mother who was quite ill caused me to rethink the teaching profession. I decided that I needed a change, a challenge and to be closer to home. My next venture was opening a retail business...a Hallmark card and gift store on Long Island. Fifteen successful years later, that was sold. Not at all ready to sit idly by and watch the world pass me, I sought a new focus. I found a job working for a small marketing company. Since writing was always my hobby-I have been published several times-I was able to write copy, marketing plans, radio commercials and the like. It was during that time, after many years of marriage, that my husband and I decided to separate. The week after my daughter was married, 8/13/00, I lost my job. Luckily, I was hired to do public relations, write press releases, oversee the computer program, assist with development, etc. for the not-for-profit agency at which I had been volunteering as a crisis counselor since 1995.

My story comes full circle...I am here, it's 2003 and I am a very happy stay at home, single grandma whose mission is to offer money-making opportunities, services, products and essential information so others who desire, or need to, will be empowered and able to stay at home; and they will be able to find all the resources necessary to do just that right here...so, WELCOME and much success in your endeavors!

Thank you for your interest in Modern Opportunity... Business Opportunities for Long Island and the world!

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