Deepak pulled out a big, thick file from his shoulder bag and handed it over to me. "What is it?" I asked him. "I contacted more than ten bank managers and collected from them copies of various project reports. I have put all those reports in this file," Deepak replied. "Why do you need them?" I asked Deepak. "I want to start my own business. I don’t know what to do and I don’t have money. So I decided to collect as many project reports as possible, select the best one, prepare a similar project report and then apply for a bank loan. But now I am in trouble. Because I am an M.Com graduate, I am able to understand how the project reports are prepared. But I don’t know which one is suitable to me. Can you please have a look at it and decide for me?" replied Deepak
I returned the file without even opening it and told him, "You have to decide for yourself. However I can suggest you a project that you can do without borrowing money." Deepak looked at me with some suspicion in his eyes. "Is it really possible to start a project without bank loan or private loan?" he asked. "Do you know how to use computer and Microsoft Excel program?" I asked Deepak. "Yes, I do know. But I have limited knowledge," replied Deepak. "Most people that apply for loans need to submit project reports. Many of them depend on consultants and Chartered Accountants. If you can help them by creating templates for project report preparation, you can make money," I told him. "Can you explain it?" Deepak asked me. "In a spreadsheet template of a project report and application form for loan, the applicant needs to fill in only the information he knows. All calculations will be done by template automatically. For example, there are dozens of ratios that are used by the finance companies to calculate the viability of a project. Liquidity ratio is one of them. To find out the liquidity ratio, you need to use a formula over a series of financial figures. Your template will automatically do the calculations. Your template will allow the users to enter only valid data. It will guide them in preparing the project report. Both the borrower and the company can save time and prepare error-free reports." Deepak considered my idea for a few seconds and then replied, "Will this be a viable project? My distant dream is to make Rs.10,000 a month. I believe many institutions already supply project reports in spreadsheet template format."
There are tens of thousands of small and medium sized finance companies and institutions. Each company has dozens of schemes that change from time to time. Only a fraction of them use such templates." I told Deepak. "If what you say is true, there is a big untapped market. But, what is your idea? Do you want me to create templates and sell them to borrowers or to the institutions?" Deepak asked me. "I think you must sell the templates to the borrowers through the institutions. Usually, the borrowers are concerned about the loan. They would not mind about such small charges. The companies benefit from the templates because they know all the requirements would be met with and the calculations would be correct."
"Where would I begin?" Deepak asked me. "First master a spreadsheet program such as Excel. Study as many excel templates as possible. You can go to websites that sell excel templates and download free or trial templates. Then you must contact small and medium sized companies and offer them a proposal. Make it clear that they are not under an obligation to pay you. Once you overcome their initial resistance, you will start making money."
After two months Deepak met me. He had a broad smile on his face. It was clear that he had some good news. "I spent four months in learning how to program Excel," he said. "Come on, how can that be true? We met only two months ago," I said to Deepak. "I worked day and night. What others learn in four months, I learnt in two months. Then I downloaded hundreds of templates from the worldwide web and learnt how others create templates," Deepak said and continued, "Once I was confident, I contacted six companies. You told me that there would be some resistance in the beginning. But, you are wrong. All of them were very receptive. Yesterday, one of the companies has approved a template for the use of its buyers."
"What are the terms?" I asked that important question. "The applicant has to pay Rs.100 for a form that is supplied on a disk. The company will take Rs.40 and I will get Rs.60. The company says every month there would be 25 applicants. That means Rs.1500 a month from one template. The company has asked me to develop templates for other schemes. Five-digit income is not a distant dream anymore."
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Air travel ticket and accomodation--- Ticket to prosperity
"I read your column regularly. But, I don’t know whether I have any skill that will help my in becoming self-employed. Perhaps, my fate is that I must be an employee in this XYZ travel company for an eternity," Vidya said. "If you have knowledge and will, you can always change your destiny and fate. If you look inside yourself and change things that ought to be changed, you can become the master of your life," I told Vidya and continued. "If you have ever gone for employment, you have a saleable skill. A skill, whatever its level, got you the job. If an employer does not derive benefits by employing you, then why would he employ you and pay you every month? You earn money in the form of salary from one employer because you have a skill that is useful to your present employer. Using the same skill, can’t you receive money as income from many customers? Will it not have multiplier effect on your income? Do you think it is impossible to do it?"
After a few moments of silence Vidya replied, "Perhaps it is possible. But I am not sure…" I told her, "I will tell you the success story of Barbara, a good friend of mine."
Barbara Whiteman was an assistant in an international school in London. Though she always wanted to pass the registration examination and obtain Registered Teacher License, her family commitments made it a distant dream. Her work involved receiving students and their parents, briefing them about the procedure and helping them in finding suitable accommodation. She worked for four hours in the mornings.
Every day there would be some confusion as hotels and airlines were not in the students’ or Barbara’s control. There would be frequent changes in plans due to unexpected developments. Invariably there would be unnecessary expenditure. Though Barbara really wished everything should go as planned, in real world such wishes were seldom fulfilled.
Barbara never thought such a fugitive wish had the power to make her financially independent.
She lived in Eastham, a budget residential area in London. On a December evening, when she was returning home by walk, she met Rajesh. He was standing on footpath with a travel bag and fear in his eyes. On seeing Barbara, he approached her and said, "Good evening. Do you have a moment, please?"
"Yes?" Barbara said and got ready to handle any unpleasant situation. She knew that Eastham was not a pedestrian friendly area at evenings and late nights.
"I am a doctor from India. I came to London to take up medical registration exam. My friend used to live in this area. I came to stay with him. But, now I learn that he is not living here anymore. I’ve been standing here for more than an hour. I don’t know what to do. I tried to find out a budget accommodation. But I’m unable to find any in this busy season. Do you have any idea that will solve my problem?" Rajesh asked her.
Barbara smiled and said, "I think I can help you." She called a few numbers on her mobile phone and fixed an accommodation within two minutes. She arranged for a cab to pick Rajesh from the place where they were standing. Then, she told him, "Don’t worry. A cab will be here within 3 minutes. I’ve booked a room for a week. If you don’t like the place, give me a call." She gave him her number. Rajesh was relieved and thanked her again and again. Even before he could finish his finest thanksgiving speech, a cab came to pick him up. Suddenly, Rajesh opened his wallet and pulled out 50 Euros - that’s lots of money - and pushed it into her hands and said, "Thank you. You are a professional travel planner." Then he got into the cab and disappeared.
Professional Travel Planner!
Would there not be thousands of people like Rajesh? If each of them paid her 50 Euros, how much she would earn? Suddenly waves and waves of energy began to enter her.
As soon as she reached her house, she began to research the web for information on travel planning. She got hundreds of useful websites and details about many software products. She particularly liked a Travel Plan software tool. The price was 50 Euros. Barbara was thrilled and ordered it. Within a fortnight, she launched her part time business as a travel planner.
She knew she would not be able to compete with tourist operators. So, she decided to specialize in making travel arrangements for small business persons and students. She had contact details of hundreds of students who had left the school. After taking permission from the school principal, she sent snail mails and emails to all of them.
Most of them remembered Barbara as she was the first person to receive them in London. Within a month she began to get regular business. Many hotels and airlines offered her referral fees.
She needed only 15 clients a month to match her salary. When she began to earn more than her salary, she quit the job. Now, she is studying for her teacher registration exam. Once she is a teacher, she’ll sell her business for a big sum.
"Give me three months and I will be on my own," Vidya said with a big, confident smile. Her eyes dazzled with new light. I smiled.
I am looking forward to write about her success story in this column next year.
After a few moments of silence Vidya replied, "Perhaps it is possible. But I am not sure…" I told her, "I will tell you the success story of Barbara, a good friend of mine."
Barbara Whiteman was an assistant in an international school in London. Though she always wanted to pass the registration examination and obtain Registered Teacher License, her family commitments made it a distant dream. Her work involved receiving students and their parents, briefing them about the procedure and helping them in finding suitable accommodation. She worked for four hours in the mornings.
Every day there would be some confusion as hotels and airlines were not in the students’ or Barbara’s control. There would be frequent changes in plans due to unexpected developments. Invariably there would be unnecessary expenditure. Though Barbara really wished everything should go as planned, in real world such wishes were seldom fulfilled.
Barbara never thought such a fugitive wish had the power to make her financially independent.
She lived in Eastham, a budget residential area in London. On a December evening, when she was returning home by walk, she met Rajesh. He was standing on footpath with a travel bag and fear in his eyes. On seeing Barbara, he approached her and said, "Good evening. Do you have a moment, please?"
"Yes?" Barbara said and got ready to handle any unpleasant situation. She knew that Eastham was not a pedestrian friendly area at evenings and late nights.
"I am a doctor from India. I came to London to take up medical registration exam. My friend used to live in this area. I came to stay with him. But, now I learn that he is not living here anymore. I’ve been standing here for more than an hour. I don’t know what to do. I tried to find out a budget accommodation. But I’m unable to find any in this busy season. Do you have any idea that will solve my problem?" Rajesh asked her.
Barbara smiled and said, "I think I can help you." She called a few numbers on her mobile phone and fixed an accommodation within two minutes. She arranged for a cab to pick Rajesh from the place where they were standing. Then, she told him, "Don’t worry. A cab will be here within 3 minutes. I’ve booked a room for a week. If you don’t like the place, give me a call." She gave him her number. Rajesh was relieved and thanked her again and again. Even before he could finish his finest thanksgiving speech, a cab came to pick him up. Suddenly, Rajesh opened his wallet and pulled out 50 Euros - that’s lots of money - and pushed it into her hands and said, "Thank you. You are a professional travel planner." Then he got into the cab and disappeared.
Professional Travel Planner!
Would there not be thousands of people like Rajesh? If each of them paid her 50 Euros, how much she would earn? Suddenly waves and waves of energy began to enter her.
As soon as she reached her house, she began to research the web for information on travel planning. She got hundreds of useful websites and details about many software products. She particularly liked a Travel Plan software tool. The price was 50 Euros. Barbara was thrilled and ordered it. Within a fortnight, she launched her part time business as a travel planner.
She knew she would not be able to compete with tourist operators. So, she decided to specialize in making travel arrangements for small business persons and students. She had contact details of hundreds of students who had left the school. After taking permission from the school principal, she sent snail mails and emails to all of them.
Most of them remembered Barbara as she was the first person to receive them in London. Within a month she began to get regular business. Many hotels and airlines offered her referral fees.
She needed only 15 clients a month to match her salary. When she began to earn more than her salary, she quit the job. Now, she is studying for her teacher registration exam. Once she is a teacher, she’ll sell her business for a big sum.
"Give me three months and I will be on my own," Vidya said with a big, confident smile. Her eyes dazzled with new light. I smiled.
I am looking forward to write about her success story in this column next year.
Screen Saver Software-- A Life saver
When my husband and I migrated to Australia, we thought we were entering into a beautiful dreamland. It took us just a month to realize that we had in fact entered into a land of nightmares," said Ramya.
I met Ramya in a Chinese restaurant in Sydney a few years ago. "What makes you feel so?" I asked her. "My husband is not good in English and he has limited communication skills. He finds it difficult to get a job. My educational qualifications are not recognized here. So, I could get only the job of part time customer support clerk in XYZ bank. We have a hand-to-mouth existence. I am in so great financial difficulty that I don’t have money to pay for even bus fare. Everyday I walk 10 Kms in bad weather!" Ramya said and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.
"Are you not eligible for income support from the government?" I asked her. "A few years ago all migrants in financial difficulty received benefits and income support from the government without any problem. However, some migrants abused the system and now it is not as easy as it was then," Ramya replied. "It is human nature to treat concession as right," I said.
"We will be eligible for benefits only from next year. But, I don’t want to apply for income support. I feel ashamed of doing it. I don’t want to depend on others for my survival," Ramya said. "That is a magnificent attitude. This attitude will soon make you prosperous," I told her and asked her, "Wise men say that if you really lack something important, then life compensates the loss by giving another thing. Some blind men develop special faculties that are not available to people with good eyes. Your husband lacks good communication skills and he is poor in English. He can improve his English by attending self-improvement courses. But, it will take months and you need money to pay for it. Does he have any other skills?" "I don’t think he has got any skills. He wastes all his time surfing the Internet and tweaking our computer. Perhaps he is good in computer though he is not a professional," she replied.
I thought about it for a few moments and told her, "You are a customer representative in XYZ bank. You interact with customers regularly. You know what your customers want. You husband has good working knowledge in computer. Any bank would like to improve its business and its relationship with the customers. All customers, irrespective of their status would love to receive freebies. Now, can you think of any project based on the above facts?" Ramya’s response was instantaneous, "No."
"Most customers have computers at home or office. They want to show off their individuality by customizing the desktop of their systems. They download all types of images and screensavers to decorate their desktops. Your husband can create beautiful screensavers that give information about the products and services of your bank. You already know about the preferences and needs of your customers. You can help him. Your bank will give away the screensavers as freebies to its customers. For your bank, these screensavers will be business promotion tools. You can even create web-enabled screensavers so that whenever the bank changes its terms or products, the information will automatically updated on customers’ computers. Your bank will pay to your husband for the development of the screensavers," I explained the project to Ramya.
"Do you think this will work? What will I do if my bank turns down the proposal?" Ramya was pessimistic. "Have a positive attitude. If your employer does not like the project, then approach other banks, credit card companies, insurance providers and financial institutions. Leave no stone unturned until you succeed," I tried to make her feel confident. After discussing the project for a few more minutes, I left the restaurant.
Four months later I received an email from Ramya.: ‘Ken, I told about the project to my husband as soon as I reached home after our meeting. He was excited and immediately started his work on the project. He downloaded trial version of dozens of screensaver creation software and became an expert in 6 weeks. Then we wrote a project plan using Palo Alto’s Business Plan Pro software. When I submitted the project plan and sample screensaver to my boss and the management, an unexpected thing happened – they appointed me as a full time employee! They accepted our proposal and agreed to pay a good amount of money to my husband. We completed the project two days ago and my husband received a cheque from the bank yesterday. Please go to the link (here is link) and download our product. Thank you, - Ramya.’
I met Ramya in a Chinese restaurant in Sydney a few years ago. "What makes you feel so?" I asked her. "My husband is not good in English and he has limited communication skills. He finds it difficult to get a job. My educational qualifications are not recognized here. So, I could get only the job of part time customer support clerk in XYZ bank. We have a hand-to-mouth existence. I am in so great financial difficulty that I don’t have money to pay for even bus fare. Everyday I walk 10 Kms in bad weather!" Ramya said and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.
"Are you not eligible for income support from the government?" I asked her. "A few years ago all migrants in financial difficulty received benefits and income support from the government without any problem. However, some migrants abused the system and now it is not as easy as it was then," Ramya replied. "It is human nature to treat concession as right," I said.
"We will be eligible for benefits only from next year. But, I don’t want to apply for income support. I feel ashamed of doing it. I don’t want to depend on others for my survival," Ramya said. "That is a magnificent attitude. This attitude will soon make you prosperous," I told her and asked her, "Wise men say that if you really lack something important, then life compensates the loss by giving another thing. Some blind men develop special faculties that are not available to people with good eyes. Your husband lacks good communication skills and he is poor in English. He can improve his English by attending self-improvement courses. But, it will take months and you need money to pay for it. Does he have any other skills?" "I don’t think he has got any skills. He wastes all his time surfing the Internet and tweaking our computer. Perhaps he is good in computer though he is not a professional," she replied.
I thought about it for a few moments and told her, "You are a customer representative in XYZ bank. You interact with customers regularly. You know what your customers want. You husband has good working knowledge in computer. Any bank would like to improve its business and its relationship with the customers. All customers, irrespective of their status would love to receive freebies. Now, can you think of any project based on the above facts?" Ramya’s response was instantaneous, "No."
"Most customers have computers at home or office. They want to show off their individuality by customizing the desktop of their systems. They download all types of images and screensavers to decorate their desktops. Your husband can create beautiful screensavers that give information about the products and services of your bank. You already know about the preferences and needs of your customers. You can help him. Your bank will give away the screensavers as freebies to its customers. For your bank, these screensavers will be business promotion tools. You can even create web-enabled screensavers so that whenever the bank changes its terms or products, the information will automatically updated on customers’ computers. Your bank will pay to your husband for the development of the screensavers," I explained the project to Ramya.
"Do you think this will work? What will I do if my bank turns down the proposal?" Ramya was pessimistic. "Have a positive attitude. If your employer does not like the project, then approach other banks, credit card companies, insurance providers and financial institutions. Leave no stone unturned until you succeed," I tried to make her feel confident. After discussing the project for a few more minutes, I left the restaurant.
Four months later I received an email from Ramya.: ‘Ken, I told about the project to my husband as soon as I reached home after our meeting. He was excited and immediately started his work on the project. He downloaded trial version of dozens of screensaver creation software and became an expert in 6 weeks. Then we wrote a project plan using Palo Alto’s Business Plan Pro software. When I submitted the project plan and sample screensaver to my boss and the management, an unexpected thing happened – they appointed me as a full time employee! They accepted our proposal and agreed to pay a good amount of money to my husband. We completed the project two days ago and my husband received a cheque from the bank yesterday. Please go to the link (here is link) and download our product. Thank you, - Ramya.’
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Pyschic Reading and astrology
"I want to earn money working from home. Though several options are available, I believe, internet business is the best one," Kanchana told me. "There can be no question about it. However, unless you have clear goal, great business plan and sound knowledge about what you intend to do, you may find it difficult to make reasonable income. It is true for any business. Now, tell me, what is your plan?" I asked Kanchana.
Kanchana is a B.A graduate. She is a housewife. Her husband is a software engineer in Bangalore. They belong to upper middle class society. Though she does not have any financial difficulty, she wants to spend her time usefully. She wants to show to her family members and friends that she too can achieve great things in life.
"I have always been impressed by the success of Amazon.com. It started as the biggest online book seller and now has grown into online seller of millions of products. I would like to start a big online bookshop like Amazon.com," Kanchana said. "Amazon.com invested millions of dollars in the venture and several hundred software experts work for the company. Do you have someone who can invest huge amount of money in your venture?" I asked Kanchana. "I thought if I learn how to use a software program such as Frontpage, I too can build a website like Amazon.com! Now I realize it is not simple and easy. I want to earn a few thousand rupees a month by selling books online. Is it possible to achieve that humble goal?" Kanchana asked me.
"That is not difficult. What type of books do you want to sell?" I asked her. "All types of books," replied Kanchana. "If you build a general website, earning even a few hundred rupees will be difficult. People must have better reason to go to your website than to go to Amazon. So, I suggest that you must focus on a niche. Concentrate on something special. Build your website around that theme. Then people will have a strong reason to come to your website," I said.
I know a lot about astrology and numerology. Will that topic work?" Kanchana was not confident about the theme of her business. "It’s an interesting subject. Most newspapers and magazines carry a regular feature that tell the readers what is going to happen in the next few days. Though no one takes those predictions seriously, millions of people read them regularly! So, that topic will certainly work," I replied her.
"Do you believe in astrology?" Kanchana asked me. "What I think is not important. You must give customers what they want if it is within law. In our country, people do consult astrologers before taking up any important activity such as marriage, starting business and buying a house. So, there is a big market for it. Any instrument, whether positive or negative or neutral, can be an instrument of infinite progress. So, use your knowledge to inspire people and help them make progress. If you work with this attitude, your business will be successful," I said.
"Can you please give me specific suggestions?" Kanchana requested me. "First of all you must make the site useful to the visitors. Then you must make them come again and again. Create a section with useful information and articles for each important aspect in our life such as marriage, business, job and education. Then update the content regularly. These two activities will attract visitors to your website and make them repeat visitors," I told her.
"How will I make money?" Kanchana asked me. "Join the affiliate programs of big online book sellers. If you refer visitors to their websites, they will pay you commission for each purchase the visitors make. There are software programs that will get content from big websites and show them on your website. Use them to create content rich website. There are thousands of other useful services and products that are not listed in online stores. Then promote your website through search engines. If you do these tasks right, earning a few thousand rupees a month will be easy," I replied. Then we discussed the project in detail for an hour.
Kanchana spent the next four months in developing content for her new website. Once her site was ready to go online, she applied for affiliate programs. One of the websites is a big online astrology website and has tens of thousands of visitors. In response to her application for affiliate program, this website sent her an email: ‘Our website has content on western astrology. When reviewing your site, we felt we must include content on eastern astrology also. We are pleased with the quality of your content and the presentation. We are willing to buy your website for $6000. You can continue as webmaster for $250 a month… ’
You don’t need the services of an astrologer to guess what Kanchana’s response to that email was.
Kanchana is a B.A graduate. She is a housewife. Her husband is a software engineer in Bangalore. They belong to upper middle class society. Though she does not have any financial difficulty, she wants to spend her time usefully. She wants to show to her family members and friends that she too can achieve great things in life.
"I have always been impressed by the success of Amazon.com. It started as the biggest online book seller and now has grown into online seller of millions of products. I would like to start a big online bookshop like Amazon.com," Kanchana said. "Amazon.com invested millions of dollars in the venture and several hundred software experts work for the company. Do you have someone who can invest huge amount of money in your venture?" I asked Kanchana. "I thought if I learn how to use a software program such as Frontpage, I too can build a website like Amazon.com! Now I realize it is not simple and easy. I want to earn a few thousand rupees a month by selling books online. Is it possible to achieve that humble goal?" Kanchana asked me.
"That is not difficult. What type of books do you want to sell?" I asked her. "All types of books," replied Kanchana. "If you build a general website, earning even a few hundred rupees will be difficult. People must have better reason to go to your website than to go to Amazon. So, I suggest that you must focus on a niche. Concentrate on something special. Build your website around that theme. Then people will have a strong reason to come to your website," I said.
I know a lot about astrology and numerology. Will that topic work?" Kanchana was not confident about the theme of her business. "It’s an interesting subject. Most newspapers and magazines carry a regular feature that tell the readers what is going to happen in the next few days. Though no one takes those predictions seriously, millions of people read them regularly! So, that topic will certainly work," I replied her.
"Do you believe in astrology?" Kanchana asked me. "What I think is not important. You must give customers what they want if it is within law. In our country, people do consult astrologers before taking up any important activity such as marriage, starting business and buying a house. So, there is a big market for it. Any instrument, whether positive or negative or neutral, can be an instrument of infinite progress. So, use your knowledge to inspire people and help them make progress. If you work with this attitude, your business will be successful," I said.
"Can you please give me specific suggestions?" Kanchana requested me. "First of all you must make the site useful to the visitors. Then you must make them come again and again. Create a section with useful information and articles for each important aspect in our life such as marriage, business, job and education. Then update the content regularly. These two activities will attract visitors to your website and make them repeat visitors," I told her.
"How will I make money?" Kanchana asked me. "Join the affiliate programs of big online book sellers. If you refer visitors to their websites, they will pay you commission for each purchase the visitors make. There are software programs that will get content from big websites and show them on your website. Use them to create content rich website. There are thousands of other useful services and products that are not listed in online stores. Then promote your website through search engines. If you do these tasks right, earning a few thousand rupees a month will be easy," I replied. Then we discussed the project in detail for an hour.
Kanchana spent the next four months in developing content for her new website. Once her site was ready to go online, she applied for affiliate programs. One of the websites is a big online astrology website and has tens of thousands of visitors. In response to her application for affiliate program, this website sent her an email: ‘Our website has content on western astrology. When reviewing your site, we felt we must include content on eastern astrology also. We are pleased with the quality of your content and the presentation. We are willing to buy your website for $6000. You can continue as webmaster for $250 a month… ’
You don’t need the services of an astrologer to guess what Kanchana’s response to that email was.
Knowledge about pregnancy and money
A few months ago, I wrote an article with the title ‘The human aspiration’ in this column. It was about a young man who decided to work on a project that would help pregnant women during pregnancy. Dozens of housewives have sent me emails asking me whether they would also be able to do similar projects. Some of them asked me whether people would really pay for such products. This article answers their questions.
In 1998, I was living in Hamilton. On a rainy evening in August, I visited a friend for dinner. When I entered into his house, Mary Clapton, his wife, was doing something on their computer. As anything that is related to computer excites me, I looked at her work from the corner of my eyes to figure out what software she was using. But it was something I had never seen before. "Mary, what is the name of the software program that you are working on?" I asked her. She smiled and said, "PregProXyz. It is for pregnant women. I developed the software." (I have changed the name of the software program.)
"You developed!" I exclaimed and asked her, "When did you become a software developer?" Mary replied, "I never learnt how to develop software. I had a solid idea for a software program. I created the concept. I asked myself ‘If I were a pregnant woman and the user of this software program, what would be the features that I would like to have in it?’ I created an exhaustive list of features, content, questions and answers. I drew the screens with good old paper and pen. When I was satisfied, I hired a software developer and created the product."
"That’s brilliant. Have you been able to sell your product? " I asked her. She did not reply. She looked through the window. I followed her eyes. A new shiny four wheel drive was standing majestically in the garage. I told her, "I understand. Can you please tell me your success story?"
Mary Clapton gave birth to three children before the end of her fourth wedding anniversary. It was clear that she must stay at home for the next four years. She began her search for home-based project that would give her a few hundred dollars a month. She read dozens of books on small businesses, money and entrepreneurship.
Mary became so obsessed with the idea that she would discuss it even in birthday parties with strangers. But, the more ideas she came across, the more she became depressed, as she was not confident of anything. She tried things like mail order business, telemarketing, transcription and direct marketing business. She gained substantial knowledge about real world after losing $2,000.
Sudha was Mary’s neighbor, a cute Indian girl who never understood the concept of privacy. One day Sudha asked Mary, "Why do you always look depressed? Do you have any problem with your husband?" May was taken aback but politely said, "No, we are fine." But, when sudha insisted on knowing the truth, Mary grew impatient and said, "Look, I can’t go for a job leaving kids at home. But I want to make money. That’s my problem." Sudha innocently replied, "You have three children. Be happy about it. Your children are your real wealth."
There was a spark in Mary’s head. She told Sudha, "Just now I got a great idea. I know many things about pregnancy and child birth. I know answers for many questions that trouble the brides and the would-be mothers. I can help them and make money." Sudha felt sorry for her and said, "Please don’t think too much about money and business. Forget them and play some computer games with your kids. That will relax your mind."
Computers! There was another spark in Mary’s head. ‘I can combine computers and pregnancy to make money,’ Mary thought.
What an uninspiring combination of computers and pregnancy! However, for Mary it was real. Mary browsed hundreds of web discussion forums and prepared a list of common questions that future mothers asked. Then, she visited medical websites and library to find accurate answers. Then, she verified the answers with a registered nurse practising obstetrics and gynecology. Once she was confident, she hired a software programmer to create an interactive software program on pregnancy. Her software gave answers to all frequently asked questions including speculative questions such as favorable days and lucky days for pregnancy!
She sent pamphlets to all O&G practitioners and nurses. The professionals were pleased with the quality of the program. They understood that this program would save their time as it answered common questions that pregnant mothers would ask. So, they happily recommended it to their clients. She sold hundreds of copies of software on CD-ROM at $15 in the next few months. Then she started to offer the product as a subscription service over internet. Her business has grown into a prosperous one in two years.
The right combination of a computer and a great concept can give you an immediate self-employment opportunity to serve a limited local market. If you combine your computer with the ever-expanding Internet, you will have mind boggling number of global income opportunities.
In 1998, I was living in Hamilton. On a rainy evening in August, I visited a friend for dinner. When I entered into his house, Mary Clapton, his wife, was doing something on their computer. As anything that is related to computer excites me, I looked at her work from the corner of my eyes to figure out what software she was using. But it was something I had never seen before. "Mary, what is the name of the software program that you are working on?" I asked her. She smiled and said, "PregProXyz. It is for pregnant women. I developed the software." (I have changed the name of the software program.)
"You developed!" I exclaimed and asked her, "When did you become a software developer?" Mary replied, "I never learnt how to develop software. I had a solid idea for a software program. I created the concept. I asked myself ‘If I were a pregnant woman and the user of this software program, what would be the features that I would like to have in it?’ I created an exhaustive list of features, content, questions and answers. I drew the screens with good old paper and pen. When I was satisfied, I hired a software developer and created the product."
"That’s brilliant. Have you been able to sell your product? " I asked her. She did not reply. She looked through the window. I followed her eyes. A new shiny four wheel drive was standing majestically in the garage. I told her, "I understand. Can you please tell me your success story?"
Mary Clapton gave birth to three children before the end of her fourth wedding anniversary. It was clear that she must stay at home for the next four years. She began her search for home-based project that would give her a few hundred dollars a month. She read dozens of books on small businesses, money and entrepreneurship.
Mary became so obsessed with the idea that she would discuss it even in birthday parties with strangers. But, the more ideas she came across, the more she became depressed, as she was not confident of anything. She tried things like mail order business, telemarketing, transcription and direct marketing business. She gained substantial knowledge about real world after losing $2,000.
Sudha was Mary’s neighbor, a cute Indian girl who never understood the concept of privacy. One day Sudha asked Mary, "Why do you always look depressed? Do you have any problem with your husband?" May was taken aback but politely said, "No, we are fine." But, when sudha insisted on knowing the truth, Mary grew impatient and said, "Look, I can’t go for a job leaving kids at home. But I want to make money. That’s my problem." Sudha innocently replied, "You have three children. Be happy about it. Your children are your real wealth."
There was a spark in Mary’s head. She told Sudha, "Just now I got a great idea. I know many things about pregnancy and child birth. I know answers for many questions that trouble the brides and the would-be mothers. I can help them and make money." Sudha felt sorry for her and said, "Please don’t think too much about money and business. Forget them and play some computer games with your kids. That will relax your mind."
Computers! There was another spark in Mary’s head. ‘I can combine computers and pregnancy to make money,’ Mary thought.
What an uninspiring combination of computers and pregnancy! However, for Mary it was real. Mary browsed hundreds of web discussion forums and prepared a list of common questions that future mothers asked. Then, she visited medical websites and library to find accurate answers. Then, she verified the answers with a registered nurse practising obstetrics and gynecology. Once she was confident, she hired a software programmer to create an interactive software program on pregnancy. Her software gave answers to all frequently asked questions including speculative questions such as favorable days and lucky days for pregnancy!
She sent pamphlets to all O&G practitioners and nurses. The professionals were pleased with the quality of the program. They understood that this program would save their time as it answered common questions that pregnant mothers would ask. So, they happily recommended it to their clients. She sold hundreds of copies of software on CD-ROM at $15 in the next few months. Then she started to offer the product as a subscription service over internet. Her business has grown into a prosperous one in two years.
The right combination of a computer and a great concept can give you an immediate self-employment opportunity to serve a limited local market. If you combine your computer with the ever-expanding Internet, you will have mind boggling number of global income opportunities.
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