A few years ago I spent my professional life in what I thought was a comfort zone. This consisted of dressing in the standard “business casual” attire, commuting to work; tethering my head to a VOIP console inside a cubicle and retreading the same path back home at the end of an unfulfilled day. The unpredicted “great recession” brought an end to that dream as the software start-up venture where I worked lost customers and forced them to lay off many of us. Having gone through a corporate downsizing some years before, I had had enough. I was ready for something new. The thought of becoming an entrepreneur had always been a dream and there was no better time than now to grasp it. I knew I wanted low start up cost, low overhead, a large customer base and I also wanted to work from home or where ever I happened to be connected at the time. After much research, interviewing, calculating and recalculating I decided on a home based affiliate consulting service. Because of online home based business, I make a bit of residual income from it. But, my testimony is not the focus of this writing. The focus is what I learned from my own experience and through other people’s lives that is: WORKING FROM HOME IS AWESOME! Working on an online home based business allows me to enjoy working in the comfort of my own home. I wouldn’t be bother getting another job just to earn extra income. This would certainly help anyone who wishes to pursue a much better life.Prior to the 1990′s the phrase “Work At Home Business” invoked images of writers and accountants with stacks of 5″ ¼ floppies and 3.5″ disks. Home based artisans and craftsmen built samples and scaled-down models to amaze the potential clients. These demos of products and services and many others were hand delivered or sent via “express mail.” Then along came the high-speed networks, the World Wide Web and email. The evolution of this technology during the first decade of this millennium to where we are now has redefined the “Work at Home” and “Home Based Business” paradigm. Wireless technology is even reshaping this model as we speak. A “Work Anywhere” empowerment is available to anyone suited for this type of work environment. Down-sizing by large corporations, on a global scale, are forcing a new “breed” of workforce. “Necessity is the mother of invention” and I think we are seeing this invention/evolution take place before our very eyes. I read just today on one of the leading job-search forums that “2012 will be the year of the Personal Brand.” We’re seeing individuals marketing their skills, their ideas and their experience as products themselves. Programmers, copywriters, project analyst, designers and thousands of others are on the working end of their connection, where ever that may be, collaborating with whoever may need them.Working an online home based business, I believe has become a viable alternative for so many people. Making money is a definitely certain goal that most people are keeping achieving for. The amounts vary from business to business, though. But saving money on work wardrobe, business lunches, commuting costs, and headaches are the basics that most describe as my reasons for choosing the alternative. Having personal satisfaction, more quality family relationships, and fulfilled dreams are truly the benefits I and you can get out of this.

If you tried to think of people involved in product creation, who would come to mind? You may think of Edison, Franklin, or maybe Henry Ford. Would you ever think of yourself as someone who can create a quality product? Product creation is actually relatively easy and product launching is not that tough either! If you follow a few easy to understand steps, you could be starting the product creation and product launching process sooner than you think.

The first step in creating your information product is to know and understand your market. This can be very time-consuming, especially if you are unsure of what to do or where to look to know your market. Studying your niche market and understanding the buzz words and buying patterns can ease the process dramatically. Personally, I would recommend networking with someone who has had success in the niche market you are considering and learn from their results. If they are into product creation and not very business savvy expect some hesitation. If they only sell products and have nothing to do with product launching or product creation you may your first affiliate (sales person)! Something else you can use to find hot trends is with the Google Trends tool.

The second step is the product creation process. Take your niche market and brainstorm ideas and topics relating to it. There are a lot of product launching contests going on recently relating to a newly created internet marketing tool. There are so many aspects to the mentioned niche that literally, and unfortunately, anything can be considered an Internet Marketing tool. The reason that anyone can basically create an Internet Marketing tool is because of something called Private Label Rights products.

What I use private label rights products for, and highly recommend them in this specific manner, is to cure writer’s block especially when it is lingering. Many people base their entire product creation and product launching on a private label rights product. This is where you can start to shine and build a strong brand for yourself. If you set goals for yourself, short-term goals to be exact, you can see your product creation come into being much faster and there is a good chance with less revision needed. If you keep hitting time restraint road blocks; however there is nothing wrong with a slow and steady approach, you can consider outsourcing portions of your project. Outsourcing can be an extremely huge benefit or just as great of a disaster.

You can find someone to outsource work to at a freelance site such as Guru.com or eLance.com. When reviewing proposals it is almost mandatory you perform a background check on them as you are in essence hiring them. Doing a background check on freelancers is as easy as asking for samples of their work and reviewing feedback on the freelance site from previous customers. Depending on the size and requirements of your project this can add up to a decent sized investment, so caution is very important. One tip I always recommend to people looking to hire an individual is to ask them what they can provide you that no one else can. This simple question gives them a chance to “toot their own horn” and acknowledge where they feel most competent as far as their skill set.

The final portion of the product creation and product launching formula is the launch. This can literally make or break the effort, time, and maybe (if you invested) money you put in to your project. There are numerous aspects to product launching and although their relevance is debated in terms to their effect, experts agree all must be followed. The person in your field who you asked for product advice from can help you substantially if you have kept in touch. If not, the first thing you need to do is to create a visually appealing website with flawless design work.

I also mentioned outsourcing before, this is one aspect of product launching I have little strength in and I always outsource this portion. The website does not have to be large however the content (ad copy in Internet Marketing) must be stellar and as perfect as possible. This is where advertising knowledge or experience is beneficial. When the site is set up you now put a lead capture form on your website.

I put two lead capture pages on all products I create on the internet and is one of the best methods of getting a solid start when you are in the product launching stage. When you gain information from a prospect or someone looking to get paid for referring sales you are able to provide them updates or specials. Many people abuse their prospect or affiliate lists by in turn emailing them with a new product daily and I find the recommendations to be totally unrelated to their original need, problem, or interest.

Another stage in the product launching stage is creating a free report or demo version of your product to entice the product to sign up to your email list. Using proper follow up with this can help generate numerous sales for you. One thing you need to ensure is that your free product completely relates to your main product that you are looking to sell.

You are now ready to advertise your product launching to customers as well as the opportunity to sell for affiliates. This is the single aspect that many product creations and launches fail on. It is actually not entirely difficult. One thing you can do is write articles (and a good amount of them) on topics relating to your product. I am a huge advocate of giving a solution in forums. When you join a forum you are normally offered the opportunity to create a signature. In your signature, you should enter the link to your opt-in or lead capture page. When you respond to posts, you are advertising your opportunity.

It is not impossible to create a product and it does not have to take a long time. You need to setup a plan and stick to it. If you get stuck, look at similar and successful products to your own and try and see how they did it. When you sit down and brainstorm you will be surprised with what you can imagine.

If you’re a landlord or involved in the purchase of property, it’s easy to see how it would be in your best interests to know as much about real estate law as you can. But this area of the legal field isn’t just for those who make their livings off buying or renting property. It affects everyone who owns or rents a home or apartment. One of the oldest aspects of Western legal tenets, the legalities surrounding the purchase and sale of property can be very complex. You may not need a lawyer to rent an apartment, but it never hurts to know the basics.

Renting Property

Whether you’re renting a house or an apartment, real estate law will govern what you can and cannot do. Perhaps more importantly, it governs the limitations of your landlord. Because they fail to look into it themselves, many tenants don’t realize that their landlord or management company is out of bounds. They allow things to happen that are completely illegal. Each state has its own set of laws regarding this common relationship, and it pays to familiarize yourself with them. Without knowing where the boundaries are, you won’t know if you’re being taken advantage of.

Agents

If you’re interested in becoming a Realtor or property agent of any kind, real estate law will have a direct effect on your success. Unbeknownst to many, not just anyone can go out tomorrow and start showing houses. They must be regulated and licensed by the state. Experience, moral character requirements, and the passing of an exam all play a role in determining whether a person will qualify to be licensed. If you want to get into that line of work, check into your state’s prerequisites for licensing.

Zoning

Both the state and the city create zoning districts for their locale. These zones determine what can and cannot happen within them. For instance, if you want to build an office building on a plot of land you purchased in a gated neighborhood, the city is going to tell you that your plans are about to be shut down. Cities are zoned into residential and business districts. Sometimes, these zones are enforced more strictly than even the residents would prefer. Even yard sales have been shut down for doing business in residential zones, although this type of overzealous enforcement of real estate law is relatively rare. Still, it never hurts to check with the city before you attempt to build or do something on questionable property.