Small Business Blog

You may have seen the pitch online somewhere: make money by reading emails, also known as paid emails. And you probably disregarded the paid emails pitch as hooey, just another scam to rob you of your free time and your dignity. But there’s a hopeful part of you – the same part that fuels your entrepreneurial spirit – that wonders if maybe, just maybe there might be something to that paid email pitch.

Here’s the deal. I signed up for InboxDollars’ paid emails program back in 2006, mostly out of curiosity. I figured that making a few cents by opening an email here and there isn’t much different than launching a new Web site with Adsense ads on it. Nor is it much different than looking down when I walk through parking lots, in hopes of finding a penny or two. Being a self-employed entrepreneur, I believe that very small amounts of money add up over time; if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t survive being self-employed.

Addressing scam claims (continue reading…)

(c) 2009 Willie Crawford

Everywhere you turn these days, you read about membership sites. You read how easy they are to set up, and how lucrative they can be. That should naturally lead you to the question, “Should I be operating my own membership site?” Are they really that easy to set up and maintain?

First of all, a membership site is nothing more than a system for password protecting some “content,” and a system for handling recurring billing of members. So they can be very simple, and in fact can be set up using all free resources. (continue reading…)

It’s 2:00 a.m. You’re awake, wondering when you’re going to get fired. Part of you says it’d be a relief: no more pretending not to notice that Bob Jones is sleeping with his secretary or that Carrie Winstall is sleeping with her secretary. No more eating cake at 10:00 a.m. because it’s some random co-worker’s birthday. No more politics, bureaucracy and, best of all, no more time-sucking meetings that add no value to your productivity.

In today’s economy, it’s quite likely that you are either facing the possibility of getting laid off, or you are disenchanted with corporate America. Maybe you’ve had your 401(k) contributions yanked, your pay frozen or your benefits cut. It’s happening everywhere. (continue reading…)

What’s standing between you and your dream of self-employment? For many would-be entrepreneurs, the largest obstacle is developing a viable business idea. The experts say you’ll find the right idea by looking at your own interests and areas of expertise. But that exercise could still leave you scratching your head…wondering what you could do, that hasn’t been done already.

Before you scratch yourself raw, try these brainstorming techniques to get the creative juices flowing. (continue reading…)