OVER 100 EXCELLENT PART-TIME BUSINESSES

INTRODUCTION

If you need more income and another job is not the answer, this
listing was designed for you!

We've prepared a selection of up-to-date businesses that can be
operated in or from your home on a part-time basis. Most of
these businesses require no special training and relatively
little investment. The most critical requirements are your:

- Willingness to work and

- Dedication to your business

Look through these suggestions for subjects that sound
interesting. Consider each as representative rather than
specific. For example, if you know nothing about African Violets
(#01) but are good with roses, by all means substitute roses for
African Violets. And, don't overlook the possibility of blending
these (or other) suggestions to form the ideal business
combination.

When you have decided on your business, check state and local
requirements for licenses, permits and make arrangements for
start-up supplies. You will probably need business cards, a
ledger and a rubber stamp with your company name and address.
Although your beginning supplies should be adequate, they need
not be fancy or expensive. Don't stock up too much as you will
probably need to make adjustments as you learn the needs of your
market. It is always a good idea to:

- Write out your business plan - an outline of what you intend
to do and how you plan to go about it.

- List what you will buy from whom, how much it costs, where it
will be stored, how you will advertise, what price you will
charge, your gross and estimated net profits and when you will
re-order.

Include everything you can think of that your business will
involve. The action will "force" you to organize your business
(in your mind as well as on paper) and greatly increase your
chances for profit and success.

In this (or any other) business, give careful thought to your
capabilities and your potential market. Select something that
you already know (or like and are willing to learn) and will
stick to - that people in your area will pay for. Your product
or service should be priced competitively, but at the level to
yield a fair profit. This motivates customers to buy and you to
work even harder!

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW BUSINESS!

107 GREAT PART-TIME BUSINESSES

01. AFRICAN VIOLETS. Specialize in the propagation and care of
this popular indoor plant. Nurture, hybridize and sell when in
full bloom. Carry accessories, such as pots, shelves and
lighting. Keep a small but permanent ad in your local newspaper.

02. ALTERATIONS. Replace buttons, let out cuffs, shorten
sleeves, turn collars, repair tears for clothing stores,
laundries and cleaner who don't already offer this service. You
can work for them or leave a price poster in their store.

03. ARROWHEADS. Collect, buy, sell and MAKE (with deer horn and
clove) Indian arrowheads for hobbyists, displays and
demonstrations. Sell instruction and/or information booklets
and do-it-yourself kits. Offer various types of flint.

04. AUTO PARTS REBUILDING. Work with garages and mechanics.
Specialize in rebuilding one part (carburetors, master
cylinders, electronic ignitions) for one or several makes.
Install kits, ream and/or re-fit and guarantee all of your work.

05. AUTO TOUCH-UP. Repair minor dents, cover rock chips, remove
rust, polish, clean tires. Renew rubber and plastic, deodorize
to help bring the best price or trade-in. Advertise under
Auto/Trucks For Sale, with a price (e.g. "From $25.00")

06. AUTO PAWN SHOP. Hold cars as collateral for short-term
loans. Hold the title (if clear) or, "buy" the car with a 30
day or so buy-back price agreement or limited power of attorney.
Check laws and obtain legal advice before proceeding!

07. AWNINGS, WINDOW. Design and install permanent and fold-up
fabric and or metal awnings for storefronts, patios, house
windows, trailers and mobile homes. Offer a selection of
materials, colors and prices. Advertise prices and benefits.

08. BABY DOLLS. Create dolls with fine wigs from client baby's
own baby hair as keepsake dolls. Try to get cloth from baby's
actual clothes to make similar looking outfits for the doll
(work from a picture if possible). Put in glass case.

09. BARBEQUE. Use a portable (trailer?) meat smoker to take to
fairs, parades and festivals. Have a supply of prepared
sandwiches ready, but always have a fire AND AROMA (throw in a
little suet or sauce) going to attract more business.

10. BELT BUCKLES. Stock a selection of belt buckles for
truckers, workers, etc. Have special designs and insignias made
for local groups. Arrange to offer good prices on leather belts
as well (import some to sell at attractive prices).

11. BENCH RENTALS. Build bus-stop style benches and with city
permission, place them free of cost to the city at various
bus-stops. Pay a sign painter to apply advertisements for
clients who pay you by the month for the ads and space.

12. BIRD TRAINING TAPES. Make endless or auto-reverse tapes to
teach bird to talk, whistle or sing. Sell or rent the necessary
equipment to mount in or near cages. Charge extra to record the
bird owner's own voice giving the instructions on tape.

13. BIRDHOUSE BUILDING. Build and decorate fine, scientifically
designed birdhouses and feeders for birds native to your area as
well as those that migrate to or through your area. Make up
little info folders for each model.

14. BIRTHDAY LISTS. Compile birthday (anniversary, etc.) of
people in your area to rent as mailing lists to local merchants.
Or, contract to mail out cards each year on behalf of the
merchants. Have a set minimum, as $25 for 50 mailings.

15. BREAD SPECIALTIES. Bake unusual or otherwise unavailable
varieties of home made breads: oat bran, low calorie, ethnic,
salt free. Keep a small ad in paper, take orders for loaves
fresh from your kitchen and/or deliver fresh to stores.

16. BRONZING. Bronze (or pearlize) baby shoes etc. Make
mementos, awards and trophies. Design plaques and unique bases
with emphasis on local needs such as Chamber of Commerce of
company awards. Arrange for engraved plates on plaques.

17. BRUSH CLEARING. With you truck, tractor and shredder,
contract to clear brush and small trees from lots and acreage.
Haul off excess debris or use a composter to recycle and sell
organic refuse. Offer to drag or level the cleared area.

18. BUSINESS EQUIPMENT. Buy surplus equipment from bankruptcy
sales and auctions. Store and clean-up, but do not repair (let
buyer do that). Advertise bargain prices for qualified buyers
and sell at double or triple your investment.

19. CEMENT BLOCKS. Mold small orders of standard or custom
blocks (building, stepping stones, curbs) in all shapes and
colors. Make molds when necessary of plywood and tin. Take
orders, sell form your "yard" and through nurseries.

20. TRUCK LETTERING. Use pre-cut, self-stick vinyl letters to
produce long lasting, professional truck signs (no art talent
required). Use chalk snap lines to mark lines and center, peel
and press in place. Stock and offer a variety of letters.

21. CEMENT MARKERS. Make "engraved" cement or liquid marble
markers and signs. Mold "backwards" letters into various colors
and textures of plastic-like cement for carved in effect. Polish
molded marker into a professional looking stone.

22. CHAIR CANING. Use cane, plastic or other interesting
materials to weave seats and backs onto casual and picturesque
chairs for clients. Buy old chairs with promise at bargain
prices to re-glue, refinish, re-cane and sell at a profit.

23. CHINA AND GLASS DEALER. Collect and deal in antique and
interesting china and glass items. Buy at auctions, antique
stores, private and public sales and through your
advertisements. Deduct travel expenses for buying trips and
visits.

24. CITY LOT CLEAN-UP. Work with the city to learn of lots
that must be cleaned up. Contract to do the required work on
lots they designate (city adds bill to owner's taxes). Contact
absentee (or local) owners to avoid future city actions.

25. CLIENT LISTINGS. On your computer, input and maintain
customer (or business) information: customer info, purchases,
credit records, employee information, etc. Provide periodic and
custom sorts (including mailing lists) to clients.

26. COLLECTION AGENT. Represent one or more commercial agencies
(don't tell one about another, though). Solicit delinquent
accounts for collection from local businesses for a percentage
of monies the agencies collect.

27. COIN SEARCHING. Buy rolls of coins from banks (whatever
denomination you can afford). Search through them for coins
worth over face value. Keep all of these and replace with
"regular' coins and trade back in. Best in small towns!

28. COLLECTIONS. Accumulate collectibles (glass, matchbook,
baseball cards, comic books). Make up (from common specimens)
starter collections to sell to beginners. Sell valuable pieces
individually to collectors (some you got started).

29. CONCESSION BOOTH. Operate a booth or stand at a recreation
area, flea market, shopping mall or parking lot. Sell your own
products and/or consignment items. Carry some attractively
priced items just to attract more customers.

30. CURB PAINTING. With a stencil and fast-dry black spray paint
house numbers on all curbs in a city block then go back and
request a $2-$5 "donation" from occupants. Pass out circulars
the day before announcing your service.

31. CUSTOM CLOTHING DESIGNS. Paint, block print or transfer
unique or custom designs onto items of clothing: smocks,
T-shirts, jackets and fabrics to be made into clothing. Use
designs, illustrations, cartoons, things of interest locally!

32. DESERT GLASS. Collect and sell sun-baked, weather-beaten
glass in interesting colors. Make your own synthetic version by
baking and/or sandblasting suitable objects with inexpensive
equipment. Advertise your materials in hobby magazines.

33. DISTRESS SALES. Buy household items cheap at auctions and
close-out sales. Clean them up and sell as your own right out of
your living room because you need the money (e.g. to pay a
fine), and never because you have new or better things!

34. DOLL HOUSE FURNITURE. Make exquisite, scale furniture for
doll houses. Or, buy inexpensive imported items and upgrade
them. Normally, a little re-enforcing, sanding and a coat of
stain or polyurethane makes all the difference in the world!

35. DRIFTWOOD ART. With sandblaster, power or hand held wire
brush form and finish interesting pieces of driftwood (and other
woods) into decorations, lamps, candle holders and plant mounts.
Use deductible vacations to collect more driftwood.

36. ELECTROPLATING. Offer a chrome (and other) metal plating
service in your shop. Advertise in the newspaper and list with
auto, RV parts stores, auto restorers and body shops. Between
jobs plate items to sell (ornaments, trophies etc.).

37. FENCE INSTALLATION. Install fences for private homeowners.
List with hardware stores and keep a small ad in the paper.
Expand to furnishing the materials for a single bid. Offer a
variety of both functional and ornamental fences.

38. FISHING LURES. Use a fly-tying rig to tie flies and sell by
the dozen to individuals, bait shops, sports and department
stores. Design, manufacture and decorate fishing lures
especially for waters in your area. Then advertise and expand!

39. FLYER DISTRIBUTION. Hire kids or adults to distribute ads,
samples, coupons, announcements door-to-door or on parked car
windows. Charge extra to record occupant reactions. Contract
with individual businesses and advertising agencies.

40. FURNITURE RESALE. Select and buy promising articles of
furniture cheap at garage sales, stores (trade-ins) and
furniture auctions. Clean up, do minor repairs and sell from
your home. Concentrate on items that seem to do well in your
area.

41 COPY-READY MASTERS. With your desktop publishing system and
"laser jet" printer, convert customer's material into copy ready
masters that can be reproduced locally. Especially good for
small orders (set-up costs are very expensive for these).

42. DOG HOUSES. Build standard (bargain priced) and custom
(higher priced) dog houses in different sizes, shapes and
colors. Include insulation, treated wood on bottom, insect
repellent pillows or storage areas under the roof as options.

43. KITCHEN CABINET REFINISHING. Refinish in-home kitchen
cabinets. Remove old finish; sand, fill dents with colored
putty, stain (or paint), replace worn hardware, apply new finish
and install new external door knobs and drawer pulls.

44. WORD PROCESSING. Produce interim drafts and finished
professional letters, manuscripts and documents for students,
lawyers, writers and businesses. Make provisions for client
editing and subsequent re-writing as a part of your service.

45. TREE SURGERY. With a little training and experience, anyone
can trim, treat, fill and seal tree "wounds". Start with small
jobs and gradually increase as you build confidence and buy more
equipment. Take large contracts only when confident.

46. ROOF COATING. METAL. Renew rusty and/or leaky metal roofs
with paint, rust killer, galvanizing, aluminized tar or
insulating (foam) toppings. Charge by the square. Tip: use
mobile home coating (aluminum or white) for a durable finish.

47. RENTAL PREPARATION. Prepare apartments for occupancy: paint,
do minor repairs, cover scratches, remove stains, replace bulbs,
mow lawn, fix faucets and drains. Work with individual owners,
rental agencies and real estate companies.

48. SURPLUS SALES. Buy bargain priced items at auctions and
sales. Store neatly in a secure area; advertise to find buyers
who need (and will pay for) them. Open your warehouse one or two
days a week or sell large items by appointment.

49. ROCKING CHAIRS. Make beautiful, durable rocking chairs.
Offer a variety of woods, finishes, sizes and styles to fit
every customer. Charge extra for carving, special styles or
made-to-measure models. Offer specials on Mr. & Mrs. sets.

50. GAZEBOS. Build gazebos. Display a standard model at a good
price that you can deliver or customer can assemble. Then offer
larger sizes and various extras, such as shape, screens, shingle
roofs, benches. Use only quality materials.

5l. GLASS ETCHING. Custom etch (with acid, engraving bit and/or
sandblaster) glassware for individuals to-order and for
wholesaling to retail stores. Offer monograms, town or company
logo, family crests, art designs and local themes.

52. GOURD CULTURE. Grow and process a variety of interesting
gourds. Make them into decorations, utensils, painted figures,
birdhouses. Retail gourds and do-it-yourself finishing kits.
Retail seed packets with instructions for prize gourds.

53. GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS. Go to major state and federal auctions
and bid on items for subsequent resale. List with auction
authorities to receive notices of pending auctions. Learn and
follow the rules to find the best bargains.

54. GRAPHOANALYSlS. After learning the art and getting a
diploma, offer your services as a handwriting analyst to
individuals, law enforcement agencies and attorneys. Start with
local readings; work fairs for experience.

55. HANGING PLANTS. Specialize in hanging plants (flowers,
ferns, vines) of all sizes and descriptions. Display for sale
when in peak condition in attractive pots, with interesting
holders and hangers. Advertise that you take in trades!

56. HOME HANDYMAN. Perform handyman services for those who can't
or don't have the time. Advertise clearly what you do, keep your
appointments and guarantee your work (to the extent of your
hourly wages). Save customers expensive service calls.

57 HOTHOUSE FABRICATING. Build and sell small hothouses, some
with temperature controlled venting. Offer electric heating
systems for use in the cooler climates and be prepared to give
advice on their use. Consider selling seedlings.

58. HOUSE CLEANING. Offer one-time or periodic house cleaning
services. Perform the heavy tasks (shampoo rugs, clean stoves,
wash windows, wax the floors, defrost). Have a check-list of
jobs to be done and agree on price beforehand.

59. HOUSE PAINTING. Contract to paint houses and apartments or
rooms by the job. Have assistance (high school kids?) on hand
when needed. Increase your profit by supplying quality (only)
paint and supplies and bidding on the entire job.

60. INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS. CASSETTES. Make recordings of yourself
or others teaching and demonstrating their specialties. Start
with simple operations (making a will; cleaning a VCR); graduate
to more complex instructions as you learn.

61. INVENTION PROMOTION. Purchase three to six month option
rights on interesting inventions for relatively low fee. Run
test promotions and buy only the successful ones - those you can
sell for a nice profit or successfully market yourself.

62. INVENTORIES. Specialize in taking inventories for area
merchants (at their convenience - usually after hours). Work
alone or have a qualified team on call. Check with an insurance
company to obtain bonding for yourself and assistants.

63. JACK REPAIR. Repair hydraulic jacks (take a course if
necessary) in your garage shop for individuals, garages,
mechanics, retail stores. Buy, sell, take in trades and rebuild
all kinds. Offer special prices to mechanics.

64. JEWELRY BOXES. Make fine jewelry boxes to sell to and
through gift stores, catalog sales and individuals. Line with
velvet, offer lacquered, inlaid, shell or seed covered versions.
Have varied finished and storage arrangements.

65. KITCHENWARE RENEWAL. Specialize in the renewal of fine
cutlery, pans and wood kitchen utensils. Refinish and reshape,
install new handles, reline, make pieces to match missing parts
of sets. Offer personalization service.

66. KITES. Build, sell and demonstrate all kinds of kites and
accessories. Start a program to sell advertising space to
sponsoring merchants during "meets" that you help stage (e.g.
open, between schools, towns). Give away kites as prizes

67 LAPIDARY (GEM MAKING). Operate a rock shop in your garage.
Cut, polish facet, shape and mount gems in commercial and
amateur findings. Sell mounted, unmounted gems and jewelry.
Tumble imperfections and left-overs to sell separately.

68- LAWN MAINTENANCE. Contract to mow lawns by the job or
season. Charge extra to edge, rake, collect and remove
clippings. Refer related jobs to cooperating businesses for a
finder's fee or commission. Expand your service as you grow.

69. LIBRARY RESEARCH. Use your talent and the public library to
provide research data, technical details and background
information for clients who need their "homework" done. Charge
by the hour, page or a flat fee for your time and effort.

70. LIGHTING SPECIALIST. Design, sell, service and install
lighting systems for external residence and business buildings.
Use inexpensive 12 volt systems among shrubs for security and
beauty; colored spotlights for unusual effects.

71. LITTLE LEAGUE CARDS. Take pictures of small fry baseball
(etc.) players and print on baseball-like cards, complete with
their names, position and other "official" information. Offer in
sets with extra copies for proud parents and relatives.

72. MAGAZINE. SUBSCRIPTIONS. Sell a variety of magazine
subscriptions from your "office". Use "gimmicky" ads, give
credit for leads and prizes for multiple sales. Do lots of
telephone canvassing. Have a special every time you call.

73. MAILING LISTS. Compile mailing lists from various local and
wider area sources (buy voting registration lists, check on
buying tax and license lists). Sell names to brokers or keep
current and rent them yourself (on self stick labels).

74. MARBLE CASTING. With "synthetic marble", cast, finish and
market figurines, ashtrays, office (pen bases) and commercial
(trophies) items for wholesale accounts (stationery stores,
etc.). Make one or two special items for local retail.

75. METAL FOUNDRY. Operate a small metal foundry in your garage
workshop. Cast parts as a sub-contractor, custom items or your
own products. Buy or pick-up scrap metal to melt down. Examples:
dresser knobs, door plates and trophy bases.

76. METAL RECYCLING. Pick up, sort, process (dismantle, clean
wires) waste metals from any source. Accumulate into lots, wait
for periods of high prices and haul to salvage yards. Advertise
to buy surplus metals (at lower rates of course).

77. MINIATURE GARDENS. Create various sizes of garden-like
display containers of live plants for hospital sick rooms, boxes
for balconies, rooftop planters, offices and residences. Include
instructions for care to make your products last.

78. MOSAIC TILE. Buy patterns or create custom designed pieces
and install in an exclusive design for each customer. Offer
exquisite kitchen and bathroom designs, as well as spa and even
swimming pool arrangements. Charge for tile too.

79. MOSQUITO PATROL. With a sprayer mounted on your vehicle,
contract to drive through neighborhoods on an established route
and spray for mosquitoes (normally with a light malathion
mixture in diesel). Work with city or county authorities.

80. MOVIE MAKING (SHORTS). With your 16MM or VCR camera and
related equipment, make custom instructional, informative
(company introductions), promotional and advertising clips. Use
for board meetings, briefings and for cable advertising.

81. MOVING ASSISTANCE. With your truck HELP clients move (versus
"move" them - to stay legal). You can help them pack load, move,
unload unpack. Have stand-by crew ready to assist. Charge for
your time and expenses, not the move.

82. NATURE'S PRODUCTS. When in an area with wild products
(hickory nuts, maple syrup) that you can harvest, do so!
Process, package and sell then as genuine products of nature.
Clear your operation with the local health department first.

83. WINDOWS AND SCREENS. Repair windows: replace glass, repair
frames, renew or rebuild screens. List with hardware stores and
keep an ad in the paper. Fix one broken pane or bid to renew
windows and/or replace all screens on the house.

84. NECKTlES. Make exclusive, hand made ties from exotic
materials from all over the world. Offer a selection of designs,
attach your exclusive label and advertise in men's magazines.
Try local stores first then try larger markets.

85. NEEDLECRAFT. Make your own style of homemade items (pot
holders, bonnets, towel rings) to sell on consignment, to
catalog companies, or at a booth at fairs or flea markets.
Present them in tasteful fashion with your label attached.

86. NElGHBORHOOD NEWS. Compile, publish and distribute a
neighborhood newspaper (or newsletter) with local news, opinions
and interesting features. Include lots of names; sell space for
opinions, announcements and advertisements.

87. ON-CALL CLERK. Register with several stores to be called
for temporary or emergency fill-in (for the store or an
individual), for clerical or sales situations. Should pay more
than normal wages and could lead to a permanent job.

88. PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. Build and install (and maintain)
playground equipment: forts, slides, climbing/monkey bars,
sandboxes, swings, teeters, circle rides. Use commercial
patterns or design your own. Check on liability insurance.

89. PET PHOTOGRAPHY. Specialize in pet portraits: in their home,
your studio or in their own "natural" setting. Offer a package
price for so many of each size. Go to dog shows and take
pictures of willing subjects (the losers too!).

90. PICNIC TABLES. Build standard, custom and deluxe model
picnic tables Offer a variety of sizes, styles, finishes and
colors. Expand to folding model and sets with umbrellas. Offer
matching chairs, end tables and child sized pieces.

91. PICTURE FRAMING. Make unique picture frames for stores,
artists and clients from moldings, scraps, unusual fabrics. Set
up jigs for the standard sizes. Between orders make standard
sized frames that can be finished in a variety of ways.

92. PIES AND COOKIES. Take orders for or contract for your
specialty baked goods. Deliver to wholesale customers in
containers that appear to be full and have your name and logo
imprinted on the cartons. Give retail customers pick-up time.

93. PILLOWS. Make and decorate designer, fancy, or "down home"
pillows. Sell to boutiques, fairs, through party plans, sales
catalogs and advertisements. Offer a variety of sizes, shapes
and covers. Do custom work for client's decor.

94. PLANT SCULPTURE. A profitable specialty: braid trunks, shape
into interesting forms. Trim, bend, graft, to create valuable
sculptures that bring premium prices. Use pictures in your ads;
sell each plant as an individual creation.

95. PRODUCT REPACKAGING. Buy bulk products (nails, beans,
vinegar) by the ton or barrel. Re-package into neatly labeled
packets, pints or boxes a sell for much more. Check with a local
attorney on any restrictive laws in your community.

96. PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY. Take flattering, descriptive pictures
of merchandise, clothing and satisfied customers for
advertisements, catalogs and brochures. Send sample brochures to
prospective manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

97. PRODUCT REPACKAGING. Buy bulk products (nails, paint
thinner, beans, vinegar) by the ton or barrel. Purchase and
re-package into neat (and full) packets, pints, boxes. Consider
using your own label (with legal advice) on containers.

98. PROOFREADING. Review manuscripts and printed copy and
advertisements for accuracy and grammar. Get considerably more
to review for content quality and technical accuracy. Work with
editors, writers, publishers and educators.

99. PROPERTY PORTFOLIOS. Prepare photograph and property
description folders. Make up folios for private parties (to make
sure their property is shown in the best possible light), and
for real estate companies to use in sales presentations.

100. RE-UPHOLSTERY SERVICE. Recover overstuffed chairs and sofas
for clients in your shop (sell fabrics). Buy good furniture that
needs recovering cheap at auctions to re-upholster and resell at
a nice profit. Take trade-ins to re-do.

101. YARD CLEAN-UP. Contract with homeowners, Realtors and
rental agents to clean up yards after winter, evictions, storms.
Mow, remove debris, water, replant, fertilize. Use periodic ads
in the paper, especially after winter or stormy weather.

102- TOY MANUFACTURING. Create, manufacture and market unique
toys that you can make in your shop possibly made in part by a
"partner" seamstress. Market to local stores, catalog sales
houses or by mail. Go to and have your own booth at fairs.

103. WRITE FOR CHILDREN. Write poems, Sunday school stories,
puzzle explanations, riddles, etc. for children. Sell to local
papers, children's book publishers or in your own booklets.
Check Writer's Guide in Library for more information!

104. GAG WRITING. Specialize in one liners and short funny
situations. Sketch your ideas, list each on a separate card and
file by subject matter. Offer your collection to cartoonists or
comics. Get their addresses from Writer's Guide in the library.

105 - SCHOOL DESK SALES. Buy old school desks at sales and
closed rural schools. Refurbish and decorate into nostalgic
furniture, plant stands and children's furniture. Sell restored
items individually, wholesale to stores or finish to order.

106 - PROMOTIONS. Organize community and commercial promotions:
order bumper stickers, posters; arrange for news releases,
interviews, photo sessions. Plan agenda, schedule workers,
coordinate events for a fee or percentage of profits.

107 - PEN PAL SERVICE. Advertise in both home and overseas
publications for correspondees. Charge for addresses or for a
subscription to your club news with paid advertisements placed
by those seeking penpals. Sell names to mailing list brokers.

Home-based customer service agents

Business is strong for home-based customer service providers. I talked with several companies that look for home-based customer service reps and they say they are looking to recruit at least 20,000 new agents through the end of this year. The reason? Some large companies are cutting back on staff positions to save on salary and benefits. One of the first departments they look to outsource -- because they can -- is customer service. From banks and retailers to infomercials, consumer-focused companies require people to answer calls from customers.

For example, LiveOps is actively looking for home-based workers interested in sales, as well as licensed insurance agents for both health and life. Arise is specifically looking for agents with specialized skills in language and sales because its high-tech and retail clients are currently demanding this expertise from home-based agents. More specifically, Arise is seeking to recruit hundreds of French or German bilingual professionals, as well as those with great sales aptitude. The company says former phone-based, car or real estate sales agents could find a good fit with Arise when putting their sales tactics to work.

TeamDoubleClick focuses exclusively on virtual administrative assistants. The company says its client hours billed for 2005 were 8,840 and for 2008 they are on pace to exceed 80,000 client hours.

Freelance opportunities are growing. The work isn't downsized even though the work force is. So many companies are turning to freelancers to fill the void. Freelancing is very viable option for people facing job uncertainty either because they're out of work or need some extra money to make ends meet or create a safety net.

Successful Investing - Stop Losing Money and Stick With a Long Term Strategy With These 5 Tips

Why do some people always make money while others lose? What do you need to do to make your portfolio successful over time? It helps if you have self-efficacy or the unshakable belief in knowing that you have what it takes to succeed whether or not you have the right skills. Stanford University psychologist Albert Bandura first described this behavior in the 1970s. Persistent effort, too, can help you as well as these 5 tips to successful investing:

1. Create an environment for success. For example, you can't build a portfolio of investments if you have no tools to track your performance and asset allocation. There are lots of free and low cost web tools to help you track what you bought, how much it cost, and the average annual return you are getting. Get the right information, software, web tools, etc. to help you organize all of your accounts -cash, pensions, and brokerage accounts.

2. Have good role models. You can't do it alone so make sure you have the support of significant others, successful mentors, or a coach. A good investment plan starts with a clear vision of why you are buying in the first place and what conditions would have to happen for you to sell.
I want to make money-- isn't an investment plan. I want to retire in 20 years with $40,000 annual income coming from investment and pension accounts-- is.

3. Avoid self limiting beliefs. If you lose money don't assume that you will never be able to make money again. Successful people have had many failures. Keep investing and adding money to your portfolio anyway-learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Don't be fooled into thinking that there are good times and bad times to invest. It is always a good time to invest because the alternative---doing nothing leads to a guaranteed loss due to taxes and inflation.

4. Don't allow losses to derail your dreams. Keep your eye on the target you set. For example, I want x amount of money in x years. Know that during those years not everything is going to be going up at the same time- and that's a good thing. Diversification is an easy proven money making long term strategy. Diversify over asset classes (large-cap, mid-cap, small cap, international, etc.) and asset styles (growth, value, balanced, etc.)

5. Believe in yourself and your portfolio. If you have a retirement plan strategy that is not on target, ask yourself if something fundamentally has changed. If not, leave it alone. Believe that you did the right thing to begin with and believe in your plan to see it through.

With determination you can model the behavior of those that are successful. With the right support system and tools, you can develop the optimism that's needed to recover from failures, and market downturns. Follow these 5 tips and you will stop losing money and become the successful investor that you want to be.

Get Started Investing in Forex: 37 Tutorials, Tools & Resources

Even if you’re an active trader in stocks, you may not be prepared to invest in forex, or the foreign exchange market. Forex trades 24 hours a day from 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday until 4:00 p.m. ET Friday, so you won’t hear those opening or closing bells. And, there’s no central market like the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq. Instead, trade is conducted between participants through electronic communication networks (ECNs) and phone networks in various markets around the world. So, when you hear that the US dollar closed at a certain rate, it simply means that was the rate at market close in New York. But currency continues to be traded around the world long after New York’s close.

But, like securities, traders can go long or short and they can make a profit or lose money. As with stocks, it’s best to conduct some research into how the forex market works before you begin to trade. After you understand how the forex market works, you can begin to build a trading strategy.

The following list contains 37 tutorials, tools, and resources that will help you get started with investments in forex. If you’ve traded on any stock exchange in the past, some of these tools might feel or appear familiar, but they may have a new twist. The resources listed below were chosen for their clarity and simplicity as well as for their reputation.

Getting Started

The following information is for the forex beginner, but even intermediate-level forex traders might pick up a tip or two from these sites:

1. Baby Pips:
   A pip is the smallest unit of price for any foreign currency, so "baby pips" is a bit redundant. But you won’t find any redunancy on this site. Skip the news on the front page for now and go straight to the School of Pipsology that holds a complete course for beginners. If you walk through all the lessons contained on this site, you’ll have a solid basic forex education under your belt.
2. Forex Glossary: Although the previous tutorial might help you to understand some forex terms, this glossary is a great tool to have on hand for future reference. You’ll see some familiar terms here, like "selling short" and "limit order," and you’ll learn that they mean the same as they do when you use them for trading securities. But, you’ll also find new terms like "big figure" and "two-way price," terms that will set you apart as a forex trader.
3. Investopedia: This online financial encyclopedia contains an extensive 10-part article on forex investing, from an introduction to a recap that covers everything from benefits and risks to technical analysis. If you can’t get enough of Investopedia’s information, head to their Forex index, where you can find a list of articles and an opportunity to download their free e-Book entitled, "High Probability Trading Setups for the Currency Market."
4. National Futures Association(NFA): Now that you have a basic understanding about forex markets, visit the NFA to learn how to build a sound forex strategy. The NFA is "the premier independent provider of efficient and innovative regulatory programs that safeguard the integrity of the derivatives markets," which basically means that this organization regulates any market that depends upon future cash flows. The "investor information" section contains materials about how to find a broker and basic lessons in forex trading. Plus, they publish forex warnings, news, and they offer a place for investor disputes and complaints.
5. Commodities Futures Trading Commission(CFTC): The CFTC operates along the same lines as the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), except this government organization focuses on protecting market users and the public from fraud in the futures and option markets. So keep this site handy to stay on top of any forex scams through their Consumer Advisory on Forex Fraud. You can learn quickly what to avoid in your learning curve through a detailed forex advisory that offers information about other resources as well.
6. Martket Traders Insitute (MTI): You don’t need to spend a lot of money to train in forex markets. Even MTI offers free resources such as videos and lesson plans that will help you get off the ground. If you like what you hear and see, you can invest in materials for the advanced trader down the road.

Learn about Currency

If you’re going to trade something, you better know what it is you’re trading. These currency sites will help you get up to speed on foreign currency exchange and markets.

7. Exchange Rate: Skip the top link box, as those links will take you to FXCM (Forex Capital Markets — see #13 and #33). Instead, try out the "hot" and "currency info" links that provide information about everything you’d want to know about worldwide currencies for 170 countries. Includes calculators, fun facts, serious facts, and more.
8. Oanda: With a free registration you can access customizable currency tools, including calculators and foreign exchange data. If you don’t register you can still access currency exchange tools that are great items for instant information, especially for travelers, let alone forex investors. The Traveler’s Cheat Sheet is indispensable for money-conscious globetrotters.
9. GoCurrency: This site offers a powerful and accurate currency converter, but don’t stop there. Learn about currencies by country, currency forecasts, and gather insights on foreign investments.
10. The Euro: Confused about the Euro? Over 13 European Union countries now use the Euro, and this Web site, brought to you by the European Commission, will teach you everything you want to know about this currency. But the Euro represents just one currency among hundreds. Which leads me to my next point…
11. List of Currencies: This is an extensive list provided by Wikipedia that covers everything from ancient coinage to the current Yen. As with most Wikipedia lists, you might run across a link or two that doesn’t contain information. But, you can use that information to search elsewhere if needed.

Get the News

Once you’ve learned the basics, the next best thing you can do before you begin to trade is to read up on forex information via traditional financial news sites and blogs. Use the tutorials listed above during this process so that you can grasp the language and learn the strategies involved in any reporting. Take advantage of forums or chats offered by these resources to ask questions:

12. Action Forex: This site offers an easy-to-read layout that includes news, insights, fundamentals reports, calculators, and tons of other forex resources.
13. Daily FX: An easy-on-the-eyes news source that offers a calendar, charts, and a forum. Sponsored by FXCM, this site offers a free weekly trading lesson and free quarterly outlook reports. You must be an FXCM client to access the market commentary, but the other "free" news offers a great resource for learning and for staying
    on top of forex news.
14. Forex Reader: The Forex Reader is a popular blog that offers updates on financial headlines relegated by currency. It also serves as a resource for individuals seeking a Houston trucking accident attorney along with other legal and financial information.
15. Forex News: Like most of the sites listed here, Forex News offers more than news. Check
    out their forums, their technical news, and their educational and research materials while you’re there. Register for free to take full advantage of the site’s resources, including a chat feature.
16. FXStreet: Global Forex Trading (GFX) sponsors this forex news site. Use the forums, chats, strategies, techniques, and trading tools to get a feel for forex. Additionally, several bloggers share their insights, including Wayne McDonell’s FX Boot Camp Training Videos (visit his FX Bootcamp
    site).
17. Profiting with Forex Blog: You might discover that this newsworthy blog is part of the network, "Profiting with Forex."
    The blog is interesting, but the backend reports, podcasts, and commentary at the "Profiting" site might appeal to you more.
18. The Forex Project: Lessons learned first-hand from a forex trader. This site has an unbelievably long list of topics, along with news about the blogger’s personal trading experiences, calculators, charts, news, and a perspective on forex psychology.

Participate in Forums

Speaking of forums, here are a few specific resources where you can tap into information from around the world that may help to answer your questions about forex trading and markets. Be aware that individuals who want to sell their ideas visit these forums, just like any other forums. But, you’ll find a wealth of valid information here as well.

19. MoneyTec: With over
    33,000 members, this traders’ forum offers a format to discuss trading ideas, share, learn, and build new trading techniques and strategies.
20. Global View Forums: Another free forum that’s been around since 1996. This one focuses solely on forex. You must register to participate.
21. Forex Factory Forum: You’ll find a Forex Beginner Q&A section as well as topics that focus on specific strategies and techniques. Free to register.

Learn Strategies

You’ll discover that some forex traders use Fibonacci (Fib) methods, and that others rely on current financial news to divine futures. There are as many strategies as personalities in the forex market, but — like the stock market — they rely either on fundamental or technical analysis. The following contains a mix of the two:

22. Fibonacci Lesson: Don’t know much ’bout arithmetic, Fibonacci numbers, or the Golden Section? This tutorial, offered by Dr Ron Knott from the Mathematics Department of the University of Surrey, UK will provide results. Simple to use, easy to understand, and filled with illustrations to help you learn why some numbers are so important to nature. Interstingly, these numbers are also of vast interest to many forex investors.
23. Fibonacci Forex Indicators: Forex Planet will begin to show you how to apply Fibs to forex in this easy-to-understand lesson. But, the lesson is short, so you might try the next resource as well:
24. Mini-Lesson on Fibonnaci: This lesson also applies to forex, and it offers a short tutorial on applications along with a downloadable Fib calculator.
25. Intro to Japanese Candlestick Charting: Altavest provides a short and succinct introduction to Japanese candlestick charting, another method that forex traders use to graph charts.
26. Candlestick Patterns: If you like the Japanese candlestick methodology, this site will thrill you. Extensive patterns are illustrated graphically from basic to single patterns and reversal to continuation formations. This entire site offers some great information on techniques and strategies beyond the candlestick information, so take some time to look around while you’re here. Basically, this site has it all as far as technical analysis goes.
27. Fundamentals of Forex: Forex TV brings you the lowdown on what type of news would affect forex from a fundamental standpoint. You can use the information on this list to conduct further research, but I’ll bring a few of those topics to you now…
28. Consumer Price Index (CPI): The US Department of Labor offers a ton of information just on this page alone through their links. But, the CPI is often influenced by many other factors. If you’re a fundamentalist, you might want to tag this next link for further research as well…
29. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): Don’t play around with someone else’s opinions. Get the straight stuff from the US Department of Commerce like the pros. Everyone from the White House staff to US Trade Commission employees to trade policy officials who want to negotiate international trade agreements uses the measurements contained on the BEA Web site. Why should you be left out of this information resource?

Use Charts

Charts offer visual validation for technical strategies, but they also reflect fundamental behaviors in the market. Even if you’re a seasoned securities trader, you might want to learn more about the psychology behind forex trading. If you can read all sorts of charts inside and out, you’ll have the forex advantage.

30. The Law of Charts: Joe Ross offers advice for traders across the board, but the information contained in his "Law of Charts" offer speaks to forex as well as any other trading strategy. He identifies chart patterns that result from human behaviors and points to entry and exit targets on those charts. You can take advantage of Ross’s other tools as well, including the forum.
31. Forex
    Charting 101: A brief and basic overview of forex charts from Pip Trader. You’ll discover that the charts are very similar to those that you might use for securities trading. But, some of the charts may seem more complicated if you’re not a seasoned trader.
32. Free Forex Charts: There’s no reason for me to push you into using a specific chart. Instead, I’ll point you to a short list of free forex charts that you can use for practice. When you’re ready to begin trading, take a look at their lists of premium and system trading charts for professional use. The lists contain ratings and reviews, visuals, features, and tips and tricks for individual charts.
33. FXCM: Although I don’t advocate specific brokers in this article, when you visit brokerage sites make sure that you take advantage of any free information offered by those businesses. In this instance, Forex Capital Markets offers tons of information about forex trading, and you can sign up for a risk-free 30-day practice account to get your feet wet. Forex.com and several other brokerage sites also offer this free account service. Be aware that when you sign up for these services that you’ll be added to a mailing list. You can opt out of these lists, but read any other pertinent information to make sure that you’re not obligated to purchase anything from any brokerage that you use for services such as this one.

Other tools

The tools listed below are "sidebars" to all the information listed above. I’ll cut you loose on the last two sites, as they contain just about every site you’d might want to access for more forex information:

34. Live Forex Rates: You might recognize the GFT logo behind the rates, but don’t let that distract you from the constantly changing figures. If you’re addicted to live feeds, you’ll be mesmerized by the constantly changing currency
    rates on this chart.
35. A
    Free Book about Forex: This book is truly free, as you don’t need to register to access the PDF file. A forex trader offers information about all the mistakes he made as he learned how to develop his own forex strategy. Short and easy to read, this little book will bring some insights into how to avoid some pitfalls in the forex markets.
36. Top 100 Forex Sites:
    Although these sites are rated by popularity and, therefore, subject to rating scams, you can learn much from the sites that are listed simply from the variety of information that’s offered here. Many sites are brokerage firms, but as I mentioned previously you can find free information on many of these sites such as news, calculators, techniques, and more.
37. Earn Forex: A link exchange/directory for other forex sites. Unlike the "Top 100" site listed previously, Earn Forex doesn’t rate their links. But, you will also find much different information here than at the previous site. Additionally, the links are sorted by categories, which makes it easier to find what you need. In addition, you’ll find other tools here like calculators, articles, and a forex FAQ and glossary.

There are many other sites that I could list for your forex training, but my next suggestion is to head to your local library and read some books about forex trading. If you find an author or two who are to your liking, begin to study their techniques and strategies both through their books and on the Internet. If you share your information and questions on forums, you might find a mentor who will help you learn how to strategize and to use charts and fundamentals to your advantage as well.

Forex trading isn’t learned overnight; so don’t feel inadequate if you can’t grasp the fine points immediately. You can’t lose by learning more about how world economies work. The information that you gather in your search for forex training will make you a better trader no matter which markets you prefer to use.

Yuan Revaluation is in China’s Interest

While China remains committed, in rhetoric at least, to a flexible Chinese Yuan that rises and falls in accordance with market forces, its actions suggest otherwise. Beginning in the second half of 2008, China stopped allowing the Yuan to appreciate, for fear that a more expensive currency would exacerbate the domestic effects of the credit crisis by making exports less competitive. What China fails to realize however, is that a more valuable Yuan is not only conducive to global economic stability, but also to its own economic well-being. In fact, the artificially cheap Yuan may have actually worsened the economic downturn in China, because de-incentivized the creation of a domestic economic base. Now that overseas demand has dried up, it is left feeling the consequences of this neglect. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
With China far too dependent on export-driven growth, it is now extremely vulnerable to the current steep decline in global export demand.Unless that structural imbalance is fixed, China’s long-term growth prospects are as bleak as those of the United States.

HOw to stop loosing money (2)

When a trader begins to trade, what normally happens is that the first few trades are usually successful ones. The new traders then becomes so confident of their supreme abilities in trading that their carefully crafted trading plan and money management rules are cast aside.

Suddenly their trades are not going so well anymore, they begin to lose more and more regularly. It almost seems that the market is ganging up on them to rip the carpet from under their feet! New traders being inexperienced tend to take it very personally and then sub consciously decide to punish the market. The position sizes become larger and larger, money management is totally forgotten, and their trading plan is in tatters now. Any piece of rumor or hearsay is taken to be the gospel truth and acted upon. When all these fail and they still lose money, they turn to "sources" that tout the holy frail of trading. That one plan that could make a trader a million in less than a year! (Come on by now wouldn't you have woken up already?)

At that desperate situation, many traders choose to believe these sources and make some hefty purchases. They re fund their accounts and take their new trading plan to the market. History repeats itself, their first few trades makes them money then they being to lose again and again. Soon their account is wiped clean and it is about 6 months from when they first started on their path to forex trading.

Does the above story sound faintly familiar to you? It should because close to 95% of new traders that trade goes through this cycle.

Usually at this point in time I get a lot of applicants applying to join my classes and they clamor and complain that it's the broker's fault or that the trading plan was a rip off or that they were unlucky.

If you found the above example silly or even simplistic, then you are correct. But isn't it surprising that 95% of the people who start off as traders give up after 6 months? Simplistic or silly as it may seem, this happens so often that it isn't even funny anymore. In fact most new traders focus so much on easy and fast profits that they forget the real money making methods.

How then do you stop losing money in Forex and start making some profits? Forex is a business that works best with a defensive stance. If you keep running after the dollars you will only end up losing your whole account! To protect your account must be the first and most important action you as a trader take each time you trade.

There is nothing wrong with the trading plan you started out with or the plan that you bought online or off the shelves. There is noting wrong with the brokers or with the market for that matter. There is a lot of wrong in the way traders think! Discipline both mental and emotional, well planned profit objectives, total money management control. These are the elements that are sadly lacking in the education of many new traders. Prevent yourself from losing anymore money in Forex, plan your trades, trade your plan. Keep a tight rein on your money management, and never take an aggressive stance. This way you will stop the outflow of your money and increase the inflow of pips!