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When Being "Disruptive" is a Good Thing

Someone or something that is disruptive is usually associated in the negative. The sub-prime mortgage crisis has disrupted financial and housing markets. That’s bad. My son was being disruptive at dinner while someone else was talking. That’s bad too.

But I believe the idea of being deliberately disruptive can be a huge positive when used in the development of strategies, organizations, products, business models and markets. Specifically, disruption can be useful for those companies that are trying to serve low income markets and eradicate poverty, all while building a successful business venture.

Back in early 2005, I read CK Pralahad’s The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid and Clayton Christensen’s Innovator’s Solution ust as I started my new job General Manager of the Emerging Markets Platforms Group at Intel. Our group was responsible for developing and selling new PC and mobile products designed to meet the specific needs of those at the bottom of the pyramid. One of these products is the Classmate PC, which has become famous mostly because of the ongoing public battle between it and Nicholas Negroponte’s OLPC XO laptop.

The theories put forward in Prahalad’s and Christensen’s books, combined with my experience trying to create a viable business with customers that make only $1 to $2 a day, is the foundation on which my belief that a disruptive approach is the way to go when building businesses focused on selling and improving the lives of the poor.

When I talk about being disruptive, I’m talking about strategies and techniques that change the game, overturn the status quo, and ultimately make the biggest possible impact. In this post, I will touch on the following areas where I think disruptive strategies are required:

Product strategy
Business models
Leadership and management

Disruptive Product Strategies

Let’s start with the product strategy. Clayton Christensen’s theory is that a disruptive innovation or technology is a product that is easier to use, more affordable and adds a unique value that the market leading product does not. These products become wildly successful, often completely displacing the existing product or technology. Think of the PC displacing the mini-computer. The telephone displacing the telegraph. Digital photos displacing traditional photos. The list goes on. Will the mobile phone displace the PC? Maybe. If it does, then it becomes a disruption to the PC.

I believe the product that will displace the PC will come from a company that has developed an easy to use, affordable device that has some very useful “unique” value to those at the bottom of the pyramid. That was my conclusion after reading Prahalad and Christensen – and was the path I wanted to set Intel on.

Classmate PC is not a disruptive innovation. The idea was to create R&D labs in four emerging market countries and incubate various devices based on ethnographic research done in those regions. Unfortunately, because of the world’s attention on Negroponte’s OLPC and the competitive pressure it put on Intel (the XO uses AMD chips, Intel’s competitor), the Classmate PC project has sucked up most of the available resources and thus I think it is unlikely that Intel will create that disruptive device, and as such, is not taking the world by storm (at least not yet).

Is OLPC’s XO a disruptive innovation? Probably not. It has some differentiating qualities in the “unique value” category but nothing that are mind-blowing new or different. A unique value is usually very straightforward. The phone let you talk vs. tap on the telegraph. The transistor radio was portable. The unique value is usually a gaming-changing quality. It also strives to be more affordable, although any computer device runs into the same challenges of the floor on component and distribution costs and economics. It has been built with an interface that works to improve ease of use, but often these features are skin deep and are challenged, as you get deeper into the software and content.

There is nothing to stop either device from eventually becoming a disruptive innovation … many innovations are iterative vs. incremental.

Disruptive Business Models

In general, the penetration of tech products into emerging markets has not made a significant impact in closing the digital divide, even with higher overall growth rates than typically found in mature market countries (the mobile phone being the exception). Some argue it is the lack of one or more of the “disruptive” product attributes (affordability, ease of use, value). Maybe.

Again, looking just at PC affordability specifically, there have been a multitude of ventures that have aimed to close the PC divide by delivering very cheap, and sometimes free, computers. None of these ventures have taken off in a large scale, at least those that I am aware of. Please point me to any that are successful (e.g., that have shipped millions of units in at least 5 or more countries on different continents).

I think the key is that the business model strategy is often given a lower priority than product development. The business model that is needed in emerging markets is very different than what necessarily works in traditional markets.

Take pricing for example. Not the actual price, but how the “pricing model” works. One of the reasons mobile phones are so successful is that it meets the qualities of a disruptive innovation AND has a business model that allows very poor people to purchase phone service. In most emerging markets the prominent method of payment is through pre-paid cards vs. subscriptions. Safaricom has disrupted the billing model even more – they bill in seconds vs. minutes. Safaricom is a poster child for a company that seems to understand how to create a successful business in Kenya for the BoP. I recently wrote an article on my blog, Disruptive Leadership, that explores Safaricom’s disruptive business processes titled “Safaricom has figured it out.”

So you’d think that a similar model could work for the PC — offer a pay-as-you-go service for the PC through a subscription or pre-paid cards. Microsoft introduced such a service called in 2006 and it has yet to scale beyond small trials. Securing the PC and its components against resale (a PC is an open device with multiple replaceable parts, unlike the mobile phone) and getting banks to offer financing services are just two of the challenges plaguing the project. Bottom line: the business model has to be appropriate for the specific device or solution.

Beyond the pricing model, a disruptive strategy may be needed to think about how a company gets the product to the customer (at Intel, we called this channels). Outside the big cities in many developing countries, especially Africa, there are little or no retail outlets for PCs. How do you get PCs to a customer when you don’t have a channel?

One out-of-the-box idea is to sell PCs through the post office. We at Intel looked at doing this in Egypt with a government joint venture to increase PC access in areas outside Cairo and Alexandria, the two major cities in Egypt. There are few PC stores in the smaller towns and villages, but there is always a post office. We started a project to get PC’s into the post offices where people could purchase the PC directly.

Finally, I’d like to stretch the definition of a business model to include how the company is set up and functions. Should the company be set up as a for-profit enterprise with the mission to create a successful, high growth venture that brings a return to its investors (e.g., Intel), or should it be setup as a non-profit that depends on donations and grants to fund its operations even when selling an actual product (e.g., OLPC)? I have made the argument that OLPC would be much more successful in achieving its objectives if it was a for-profit enterprise, discussed in detail at OLPCNews.com. By the virtue of the number of comments and their intensity, this article clearly struck a nerve. Or maybe I’m wrong…maybe the most successful “company” model is a hybrid between a for-profit and nonprofit. This is something I would like to explore more in future posts.

Disruptive Leadership

I posit that in addition to a disruptive innovation and business model, you need “disruptive leadership.” I believe disruptive leadership captures the essence of what it takes to be successful as a business leader that is trying to crack the secret formula of growing in very dynamic emerging markets.

I didn’t invent the term “disruptive leadership;” just Google the term and you’ll find interesting articles, like this one by Edward Marx in which he states:

“If I am not upsetting the proverbial apple cart, then I am adding little value. By merely maintaining what has been done in the past, I will bring about little if any gain. Don’t misunderstand. This is not about stirring the pot for the sake of stirring the pot. Disruptive leadership must be purposeful and backed by a vision.”

Another good one by Ted Santos talks about how good leaders create problems:

“What separates extraordinary leaders from managers? One way to distinguish the difference is to compare the mindset of leaders and managers. Managers are great at solving problems. Leaders, on the other hand, exude their greatness by creating problems.”

A disruptive leader stirs the pot, thinks out of the box, is willing to challenge the norm, thrives on change and uncertainty, and most importantly of all, can navigate the turbulent political waters that inevitably are created in reaction to the various disruptive strategies AND leaders. A disruptive leader creates a company culture that embraces all of these concepts.

These leaders are few and far between. I loved a quote from a recent article in the Economist on the career of Mr Ramadorai, CEO of one of India’s largest software outsourcing company, on how believes dealing with adversity only makes companies stronger. “If everything is peaceful, you don’t push yourself,” he says.

“Adversity” has negative connotations, just like the word “disruptive.” But as Mr. Ramadorai says, adversity makes you stronger. I think being disruptive does too.

What You Can Expect From A Good Productized Service Software

Productized services are simplified and focus the business marketing operation into a more predictable model that is easier to sell. The services are packaged in such a way that they are more like products which sell easily. Most service providers are productizing their services because of the various benefits they come with including:

Increased revenues
Improved company cash flow
Reduced stress in managing and running the business
Improved scalability of the business

Whereas there are different ways of productizing your services, getting software designed for such can make things even easier for you. When you take your time in finding the right software you will enjoy lots of benefits. If you are just getting familiar with productized service software option, here are some of the things you can expect to enjoy when you get a reliable one for your business.

Ease of building order forms – Traditional shopping carts can be complicated, but with the tight software for your productized service, you can design one page form for selling the services. On the form you can create an easy process that covers everything to do with orders.

Track payments – Good productized service software will log all payments, whether they are one time or recurring so you can keep track of them. With such a feature, it becomes easy for you to know when customers are billed, when payments fail and even when subscriptions are canceled.

Ease of delivering orders – Any good and reliable software will offer access to the order management system so you are able to keep your contractors, virtual assistants and your company team all on the same page. This way, you can see order status, all messages related to it and who is working on the order. It is a more streamlined process of delivering the orders compared to other processes.

Customization abilities – Using the right software will make it possible for you to customize everything you need to including email notifications, messages and navigation items. It requires a templating system that is reliable to achieve this so you can create a client panel that is appealing in every sense.

Ease of collecting project information – The truth is that customers do not like those lengthy forms they are asked to fill during a checkout. The forms can actually be lots of confusion and even end up negatively impacting sales. But by getting right productized service software, you will make it possible for clients to place orders and give you the other details you need later. Giving them the freedom of submitting details when they are ready is better than frustrating them with forms when they really need a service from you instead.

Improved user experience – When customers are in a position to manage their own order, download services and even keep track of their subscriptions they feel part of the process improving their experience of working with you greatly. Your good software should be able to give them such features so they feel confident working with you and in turn become repeat customers.

Square Business Cards – Good Idea Or Bad?

Each and every day, entrepreneurs, job seekers, freelancers, employees, and executives hand out business cards. It happens in offices and on the street… during chance meetings and networking events… in between friends, new associates, or newly united strangers.

With all of these cards being exchanged, it’s very important to have a business card that stands out from the pack — one that grabs attention the instant it’s placed in the palm of someone’s hand. After all, there’s nothing worse than making a first impression with a dull and drab card.

Perhaps the easiest way to stand out is to have a business card that doesn’t look or feel like all of the others.

Enter the square business card.

Square business cards instantly stand out due to their shape. It’s almost impossible, in fact, to be handed a square business card and NOT look at it before you put it in your pocket. That alone can make it a better marketing tool than other, more typical cards.

Another benefit of square business cards is that they offer extra space for content. Considering more content equals a greater opportunity for selling yourself to prospects, employers, or referral sources, that can be a big advantage.

So are square business cards all good? Are they an automatic brilliant idea that anyone and everyone should be using?

Of course not.

The thing is, standing out visually can be accomplished in so many ways. There are 3D, plastic, translucent, metal, edible, die-cut, embossed cards… and countless other eye catching attention-grabbing possibilities. Square business cards are but ONE way to do it, and what’s right for one person is certainly not right for everyone.

When you consider that the atypical shape may make storing your square business card more difficult (in a stack of others, or in a business card book, for example) it may not necessarily be the most convenient. And as for the benefit of added space to tell your story… well, fold over cards offer that benefit as well, but they can retain a typical shape as well.

The bottom line is that square business cards will be a great way to stand out for some — and not right for others. It really does depends on what you do, where and to who you distribute your cards to, and the concept you have in mind. If a square design seems right — go with it. It’s certain to stop your recipients in their tracks, giving you ample time to make that big and lasting impression!

No Debt Is Good: Aiming For A Debt-Free Life

Did you know that you’re being deceived? Right now, everywhere. On TV. In the newspaper. On the radio. In magazines. You’re getting the same message over and over again: “buy now, pay later”; “consolidate your debt into one easy monthly payment”; “get a secure line of credit”. Or the perennial favorite, “don’t worry, it’s good debt”.

The truth is, there is no such thing as good debt. Debt is debt. It’s money you owe someone, money that needs to be paid back at some point in the future. “Good debt” is a misnomer. There’s better debt, sure, because there’s also really bad debt. But debt is never good. Not really.

We live in a debt-ridden society. We’re encouraged to buy things on credit all the time. Why? Because it’s a profitable business for lenders. They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. They’re in it to make money, and their target is you.

Of course, it’s hard to live entirely without debt. To buy a home these days you almost always need some kind of mortgage, this is true — few people can afford a house outright, especially at the beginning of their careers and families. But you don’t have to be in debt for the rest of your life. A mortgage is meant to be a temporary debt, one backed by the (normally) stable value of the property you purchased with it. It should be for a reasonable, affordable amount that can be paid back within 10 to 20 years of the purchase. And you should have some of your own equity in the house right from the start. But that’s not what people do anymore. They get mortgages for 100% of the appraised value of the house. Worse yet, they get interest-only mortgages that leave the principal — the amount you borrowed — untouched. Is it no wonder that these people eventually find themselves drowning in debt?

But it goes beyond mortgages. A debt mentality pervades our society. Once you have equity in your home, for example, the banks urge you to “free up” the money with home equity loans and secured credit lines. Use the money to better your life, they say, by renovating the house, taking that big vacation you’ve always wanted, or — here it comes — consolidating your other debt.

Your other debt? Sure. You think the only debt people have is mortgage debt? No, they have plenty of other debt. It’s a banker’s wet dream out there today… Credit lines. Cash advances. Overdraft coverage. Automatic credit card limit increases. Pay nothing now. If you’re not careful, you can build up a lot of debt very quickly.

And that’s the problem: those debts have to be repaid sometime. Rack up too much debt and soon you’ll be worrying about the monthly payments. Your peace of mind will suffer, and possibly other things like your marriage and your job. Is that the kind of price you’re willing to pay in order to have things you couldn’t otherwise afford?

The solution isn’t debt relief or debt consolidation. It’s debt avoidance. You should do everything in your power to avoid debt. Because too much debt will tear you down, physically and mentally.

What if you already have a lot of debt? There are things you can do. Yes, you can consider consolidating the debt, but that will only work if you’re able to stop accumulating more debt once your current payments are lowered. Otherwise, you need to attack your debt using a step-by-step plan that involves paying off the highest-interest debt as quickly as possible, then using the money you free from that debt payment to pay the next-highest debt, and so on. It’s the snowball debt reduction method, and it works.

The key to all of this is willpower. Make the commitment today to be debt free as soon as possible. The peace of mind it gives you will make it all worthwhile in the end.

Finding A Good SEO Agency

Well done search engine optimisation, often called SEO for short, is designed to allow websites to show up in search results when people search for products and services rather than simply company names. The idea is that people looking for things online are able to find a business website without any prior knowledge of the business or its name. There are all manner of tricks and techniques which fall under SEO, but the good sustainable methods (also sometimes called “white hat SEO”) are based around the idea of making your website easier for search engine to read and understand, meaning they rank you higher in searches for appropriately relevant terms.

It is not uncommon to decide to outsource SEO to external marketing agencies and other companies, but there are far too many dodgy types out there who like to take companies seeking SEO – especially local and small businesses – for a very expensive ride. How then does one actually go about finding a good, honest and legitimate search engine marketer?

It is actually incredibly easy to find a decent SEO agency online. Go to a search engine like Google or Bing and type in “SEO agency.” Ignoring the paid ads at the top, whichever firm has landed at the top of the search results are what you want – they must be pretty good at SEO or their own website wouldn’t be so high in the natural listings!

To narrow things down a bit, you could try extending your search. Say you live in Essex and want a local agency – just type in “SEO agency Essex.” Or if your website is specialised and you want particular help with it you can add your industry or site type – “SEO tourism” or “SEO eCommerce” for example. This can be a great way to find niche SEO agencies who have specialist expertise in your field.

Sometimes SEO agencies (or at least people claiming to be SEO agencies) try to solicit companies by sending them emails or submitting contact forms with various enticements and offers. However if you see something like this come in then it is best to ignore it – if a company which supposedly specialises in search engine optimisation is reduced to spamming inboxes to get business rather than, say, doing SEO so their own website ranks highly and people can find them anyway, chances are they aren’t very good. The same is true of SEO services advertised on paid ads at the top of search engines or on banner ads on other websites. If their search marketing is any good, why are they having to pay for their placements?

Another thing to bear in mind is to steer well clear of any SEO agency that promises you “top position for x keywords” or something similar. Nearly all modern search engines used personalised searching, meaning that everyone sees websites in slightly different ranking positions depending on their personal search history. Absolute rankings are a thing of the past, any anyone claiming to deliver this kind of service is lying through their teeth. Modern SEO will use sustainable “white hat” techniques in order to bring useful traffic to your website, not use exploits and dodgy tricks, which will constantly get them slapped by search engine updates like Google’s infamous Panda and Penguin algorithm changes.

Once you’ve found an SEO company that looks mostly all right you’ll need to ask them some questions before you leap into their services. As well as the usual checks like existing client list and testimonials, it is a good idea to speak to someone directly on the phone or in person. Here are some good questions to ask them.

Who does their search marketing work? Is it handled by in-house staff? Do they do any outsourcing, especially to foreign companies? A lot of agencies outsource to cheap link builders in Asia who tend to produce very low quality work that can have a negative impact on websites in the medium to long term.
How often do they report, and what format do these reports take? Any professional SEO agency should be providing regular updates to all its clients, along with written reports detailing actions taken and progress made.
What kind of skills and qualifications do they have? Take a look at their existing client lists for any recognisable big names, and see if they have anyone who is Analytics qualified. Some companies even use quality standards like ISO 9001 which is an excellent sign.
What else do they do? A lot of these companies are primarily website designers who are resellers for outsourced SEO services to boost their profits. It is better to look for an online marketing specialist to ensure you get a good quality service.

If you don’t have the money to hire a professional SEO agency there are other options available. Some companies will let you pay for a one off website review to make recommendations on how to improve your site from a search marketing perspective, or you could research current techniques and ideas to do SEO for yourself.

Many online marketing methods are in fact startlingly simple. Boost your domain authority by getting other relevant sites to link back to yours. Get a backlinks boost as well as general marketing benefit by using social media like Facebook. Keep your website full of regularly updated and good quality content to encourage people to link to you as well as grow the site’s visibility and importance. Use a good, solid SEO plugin for your content management system, and make sure your website’s code is error free.

Remember you’ll get a natural boost from modern search engines if your website is

Well designed, easy to use and nice to look at
Full of good, up to date and useful content designed for real people, not search engine robots
Free of errors, fast loading and devoid of spammy ads or buggy code

Happy website marketing, everyone!

Choosing A Good Name For Your Newsletter

You’ve chosen your niche. You have done some research and learned the easiest way to grow a list is by providing high quality information at set intervals to your prospects. You know you NEED to publish a newsletter in order to reach your target audience. But now you are stuck and can’t decide what to name your newsletter.

Since your newsletter’s name will contribute to the decision as to whether or not someone will read and subscribe to it, it’s important that you choose a good name right from the beginning. But how do you decide on a good name for your newsletter?

If you have done your research properly when first deciding on your niche, you know that people use keywords and keyword phrases to find information on the internet. So, the name of your newsletter should include your most important keyword or keyword phrase. You want people to look at your newsletter’s name and to know instantly what it is about. For example, if your newsletter is about article marketing, a potential name would be something like ‘Easy Article Marketing Tips’.

PLEASE NOTE: Always check that you can purchase a domain name that is exactly what you have named your newsletter as you will want a website or blog for your subscription form.

If you are trying to establish yourself as an expert in your niche, you might name your newsletter something like ‘Email Marketing Tips by Donna Walsh’.

Or if you are trying to promote your brand name, you could decide on something like ‘DWWD Newsletter’ which is the name of my internet marketing newsletter where DWWD is my brand and stands for Donna Walsh’s Website Development. I use this brand in the title of many websites I own. As soon as people see ‘DWWD’, they know it is something I have created. I have created a logo using my brand name and always include it on my websites even those not containing my brand in the domain name.

PLEASE NOTE: It may take some time before your brand is well known enough that people instantly recognize it as belonging to you. So unless you have decided on a brand that will accurately reflect your internet business in the long run, I suggest not using a brand in the name of your newsletter..

When you are trying to choose a name for your newsletter, write down as many ideas as you can think of. The more ideas you can come up, the easier it will be for you to decide on a good name.

You may want to brainstorm some ideas, get inspired by other people’s newsletters, or even look at offline magazines’ names. You can also ask your friends, associates, family members, online forums, or anyone else who might give you some good ideas.

You do not want to spend the time, effort, or money on a name for your newsletter that you will not be happy with in the future. So wait a day or two before deciding on a name. What sounds like a great name today may not sound as good tomorrow. An even better name may pop into your head if you think about it for a bit.

What Exactly Is a Good Web Design?

A good web design has a potential to engage the visitors & convert them to potential buyers. A website is said to be serving its purpose if it has the potential to generate online leads. Nowadays, it has become mandatory for the business houses to have an online portfolio in the form of websites. The webs provide them the flexibility to reach the targeted audience. But converting targeted audience into potential buyers & customers is certainly a challenging task. Your website plays a crucial role in this. If your web has a good design, then it can easily serve that purpose. The most pertinent question is how to design a good web. Presented below are some of the points that will help you in this.

Attractive Theme: The theme or the webpage design of any website is very important. It is recommended to use the theme which perfectly manifests your business. For example, if you are selling natural products, then you can select any of the themes which match with your products. If you are into the fashion industry, then colorful themes would be considered as appropriate for your business.

Infographics: The statistics suggest that the websites that lack in the infographics attract less traffic as compared to the websites that have the rich infographic. It is recommended to provide rich infographics in the websites as visitors get easily attracted to those. A banner containing useful text has a positive impact on the mind of the visitor. This eventually increases the chances of conversion. The designers should keep one thing in mind that the banners should reflect the business motive of the company. This also offers a better impact on the mind of the people.

Interactive Interface: It is recommended to have an interactive interface on the website. What exactly does this mean? It means that you should design your website in such a manner that it offers flexibility to the visitors. Your visitor has come to your website after spending time on several other portals. If (s)he faces any issue or gets confused, he/she will waste no time in navigating to some other website. So, you must provide easy to use interface on your website. The call to action button should be provided in a clear manner so that visitor can easily make purchases.

User-friendly Navigation: The user-friendly navigation is very important to enhance your conversion rates. Too many links in the menu bar and side bar create confusion. Avoid providing too many links there. It is recommended to put only important links in the menu or sidebar. These will help in the easy navigation of the website.

Go Mobile Friendly: It is mandatory to have the mobile friendly responsive website. The reason being most of the internet users are using mobile phones to access information. If you have the mobile compatible website, then it ensures s better browsing experience which eventually results in conversion.

Good Website Maintenance Services Are a Key Success For Your Online Business

There are many reasons why you need web maintenance services.

You need to keep your visitors and customers updated about your business and its achievements which is essential to build a professional image of any website.

You need to continue updating your website in order to maintain the top search engine position and attract more customers. If your website disappears from the top search engine position, most targeted customers will not find your website presence, and the only buyers who come to your website may be returning ones. Through a reliable professional web site maintenance service, you will be able to sustain your respectable position for a longer time.

You may need to improve your website design in case your previous web designer had not delivered you a satisfactory webpage layout.

You may also need to expand your business when your online sales have been growing considerably, so a new webpage layout or redesign of your website is needed to cater your latest products and services offered.

You need to keep your website safe in case of Internet hacking attacks which result in bringing your whole website down. In this case, regular backup and maintenance play a very important role to keep your business surviving and live on the Internet market place. Backing up your entire website could be very complicated if it is associated with databases containing users’ details or products’ catalogues, etc. In this case, you really need a web maintenance specialist to keep your website and databases as current and safe as possible.

However, finding a professional web maintenance service for your online business is not always easy. The cost of maintaining your website could be enormous if you dont approach a reliable website maintenance company. Some website maintenance services are charged per hour, and others are at monthly or yearly rates; they vary dependent on their web maintenance services provided. So which one is the best for your Internet business?

Some web design companies promise that they can keep your website updated with all the latest design and development technologies while others promise to offer cheapest website maintenance contract to suit small and medium-sized organisations.

One of the best ways to find a good and affordable web maintenance services company is approach cheap website design companies which have expertise in both designing or developing and maintaining your website. These website design companies normally have ability not only to maintain your Internet business, but also to re-design your web layouts at low-cost rates of services.

Moreover, website maintenance services can substantially reduce your costs by eliminating the need to hire full time website designers and developers to update and edit your website. By outsourcing your requirements to a third party web maintenance company, you can concentrate on your core business in order to achieve your targets.

Therefore, whether your website is static or dynamic with database driven contents and flash animations, web maintenance services surely play an important part in keeping your online business going. With proper web maintenance, your website is constantly updated with the latest design and development technologies which can attract more potential customers to buy your goods and services. And without website maintenance, your Internet business will not be able to stay for long in such a very competitive online business environment because of continuous changes in product prices, latest offers, or design layouts on your competitors’ websites.

5 Really Good Home Business Ideas Using Internet Marketing

It looks like the unemployment rate will stay high. This continues to lead more people to the Internet in their attempt to find ways to replace their lost job.

I would like to suggest that you try Internet marketing and start a home business of your own. Here are five really good ideas on how you could do that.

1. Direct sales. Companies like Avon, Amway, Tupperware, and Mary Kay continue to offer a great way to get into business for yourself with very little startup capital required.

These companies do billions of dollars a year in business using the direct selling business model. They also include network marketing into their strategies so you can make money recruiting people as well.

2. Affiliate marketing. With this business model you get paid to perform a specific action for an affiliate merchant.

You are probably aware of Amazon.com. They are the largest online retailer in the world. Other good affiliate networks to join include Google Adsense, ClickBank, and Commission Junction.

3. Email marketing. In spite of the power of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter people still check their email on a regular basis.

This is a very good way to make money from the comfort of your own home.The key is to learn how to build email lists in targeted niches. Then sell products such as affiliate products to your subscribers.

4. Consulting. Do you have knowledge on how to do something that you could teach other people to do?

For example, do you know how to finish a basement? You could turn this into a consulting business where people pay you to teach them how to do this.

I recently saw a website where a guy was teaching people how to play the guitar. Virtually anything you how to do, that somebody would want to learn to do, could be turned into your own consulting business.

5. Blog writing. You can quickly create a full time income writing blog articles for other Internet marketers.

Right now there are millions of blogs that need fresh articles posted to them. This is something you can easily get started with.

Google search “Angela Boothe”. She offers excellent training on how to make money writing on the Internet.

One good strategy is to start your own blog and use it as sample content. You will also want to join PayPal for free and use it as your payment processor.

These are just a small sampling of really good home business ideas you could make money with using Internet marketing. Right now there are so many ways to make money online that virtually anyone regardless of their current situation can get started today.

Want to Mark Your Online Presence? Then a Good Web Development Company Is Your Destination

Website chiefly determines your online presence. In a fast-moving online industry with everybody projecting themselves through their websites, standing out of the crowded herd seems no short of a miracle. Well, for that certainly you do not need to have a magical wand, all you need is a good web development company.

There is no dearth of web development companies these days because everybody wants to have a website to market their products or services. Then the question is how to choose the one that can weave magic for you? Look out for some essential things that are must before you settle for the company whom you want to hire actually.

A web development company should be able to provide end-end solutions for your website i.e., it can cater to both the development and design needs of the website. Flexibility in the working approach is another important criterion as this will help you to get what you want for the website. Your website is a real-life translation of your vision, ideas and business needs so an ideal web development company should be able to meet your customized requirements and tailor your website according to your demands. Understanding the context of your website i.e., the business purpose and developing website accordingly is also of cardinal importance.

Thorough acquaintance and expertise of current practices in semantic, framework, web standards are must to get a functional and intuitive website. Your website must also be completely Search Engine Optimization or SEO friendly. This is vital if you want to generate high traffic for your website and want to keep your business in focus for the targeted audience. The platform on your website should be such that you can manage it on your own and for every edit or update you do not have to run to your developer. Along with the functionalities, visual representation of the website must also be kept in mind to allure the visitors. Your web development company must be able to present to your visitor a website that looks eye-catching yet bears a professional look and has an easy-to use layout.

The company to go for will not only develop and design your website but must also maintain it. Thus, it is vital that the one you choose is backed by a good customer support which you can contact in need. Only a professional web development company with skilled resources at their disposal can provide you with such services. Since your website is the representative and the primary bearer of your brand, you must do careful research before you settle for one. Look just not for competitive pricing but also for the quality and the range of the services that the company can offer.