As millions of Americans look for greater control over their financial destiny, the dream of self-employment has become more compelling that ever. Just the idea of launching a small business to become their own boss, and financially independent, drives many people to stake their life savings on everything from franchise opportunities to some gadgets they’ve invented.

To entrepreneurial spirit is, of course, a part of our great national tradition. The problem is that many people devote a lot of their time to half-baked ideas and high-risk flings that have little chance of success.

There is always some gamble involved when you start a business, whether your investment is $50.00 or $500.00, or more. But once you begin to view your new business as a 'gambling' the risk-reward radio tilts out of wack! The shrewdest and most successful entrepreneurs know that 'taking the plunge' works best when you take along tested principles that put the odds in their favor.

TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND BUILD YOUR BUSINESS AROUND IT

If you decide to join the ranks of self-employed freelance photographers, you will soon discover there is no magic in being able to earn thousands of dollars every year. Forget about the notion that you can start up a business just because you have a camera laying around you know little or nothing about. If you try the casual 'learn on the job' approach with photography and competitors will capitalize on your mistakes, promoting customers to turn elsewhere for the products and services you market. Then your business will be floundering by the time you get to know what it takes to succeed. Never expect people to pay you while you practice on them and waste their time and money. And never take an assignment you can’t handle. Being honest with yourself and your customers will be your benefit in the long-run.

The best approach to starting your freelance photography business is to start off slowly and build on a base of knowledge and experience. In other words, take the knowledge that you presently have about your camera and build a company around it. Start out by offering a particular service where you can be competitive from the first day you are open for business.

YOU DON’T NEED A STUDIO & FRENCH PROVINCIAL FURNITURE TO GET STARTED

You don’t have to open a studio with elegant French provincial furniture, glass showcases, and large expensive frames all over the walls, to go into business as a freelance photographer. It’s actually just the opposite; you don’t need a studio at all!

What you will need, is a camera, a couple of strobe lights, lights stands, and a black-and-white darkroom setup. From there, it’s just as easy for you to go to your customers as it is for them to go to a studio.

How much money you make will depend on the amount of time you want to devote to your business. The beauty of being a freelance photographer is that you can create your own markets, and establish your own rates. If you go into freelancing with the intent to earn extra money working on weekends, you should be able to earn $1,000-$2,000 per weekend if you did nothing but shoot weddings followed with package deals. If you decide to go into business on a full-time basis, then you could earn up to $50,000 and more depending on your specialty. It really boils down to one important thing; you must have the ability to use the equipment you have to produce a good photograph. People are willing to pay top dollar if you produce quality results. They don’t like paying for poor work that isn’t pleasing or effective.

BEING SUCCESSFUL IS SELLING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO PRODUCE

In this report, I am assuming that you already know something about operating a camera, taking pictures, exposure, lighting, composition, and darkroom procedures. This is the production end of it. Turning your knowledge into salable photography is the next step.

The first rule to remember is that if you are offered a job, and you don’t even know the basics, you better say 'no thank you,' and tell the client why you’re passing it up. Tell him what you do specialize in at the moment. When the next job comes around, you will have an established reputation on being honest and that same person will be back 1) because he respects your honesty; and 2) because if you say you can do a job, you can.

ADVERTISE YOUR WORK IN A PORTFOLIO

Make up a portfolio of quality 8x10 prints to show your potential clients. It should consist of both color and black and white prints. Mount your 8x10 prints on attractive 11x14 boards, that way you can include a few 11x14 prints as well.

A complete portfolio should include some 35mm slides. Display them in 8 1/2x11 plastic sheets, which hold 20 slides. If you intend to produce 2 1/4x 2 1/2 transparencies for commercial and industrial assignments, sheets are available.

When you are satisfied with your portfolio, call on advertising agencies and show the art director what you are capable of. Make appointments with the art and fashion directors of department stores and boutiques. Show business and industrial firms and consider beforehand how their advertising and public relations departments could use your services.

Be prepared to show your work to anyone at anytime. Everyone is a potential customer, and you never know who will be needing your services next. Carry your portfolio in the car at all times. If you are proud of your work, show it! Make advertising what you do part of your everyday life.

If you have a digitial camera (which 90% of people use) and would like to print out your own pictures, try using a good quality printer with high quality photo paper. This will save you some time and money. I suggest using Kodak Printers and/or Photo Printers. Click on the banner below to go to their website.




KNOWING WHAT TO CHARGE

The first thing to remember is that you aren’t going into business to give it away. Being fair to both yourself and your customers is the principle you should follow when setting fees. The way to do that is to determine what amount will adequately compensate you for your time, talent, and investment in equipment on a job by job basis.

Don’t fall into the trap of charging less for your work just because you aren’t working out of a studio, or don’t have brand-new, expensive equipment. You still have overhead!

At times your expenses will seem endless as you pay for photo supplies, office supplies, advertising, travel expenses, water and electricity if you operate your own darkroom, darkroom supplies and equipment, taxes, business license, business stationery, portfolio costs, business cards, and depreciation of your vehicle and photo equipment. Never let anyone convince you that you should work for less because you don’t have overhead.

What you ultimately decide to charge for your work is something you will have to decide for yourself. the area you live in, the economy in that area, the competition, and how much you need are all influencing factors.

There are basically two ways to set your fees:

1) You can charge per individual photograph or job. On a job you would have to know exactly how many different shots they would require, and allow for differences in your price quote

2) You can charge an hourly rate that compensates you for your time and talent. Your hourly rate does not include the rolls of film you shoot, proofs, processing, or prints ordered by your client. Your hourly rate is for your time only, starting from the time you leave your home until you finish the job and return home. In some cases charging by the hour just wouldn’t be practical. For example, prom sets, graduation packages, dance schools, or Little League Teams where you are further ahead to charge by the photo. Commercial shots on the other hand, where you may be asked to take a single photo that ends up taking 1-2 hours to set up, wouldn’t pay if you charged by the photo.

EARN $50,000 PER YEAR WORKING 1-DAY A WEEK!

Whether it’s a good or bad economy one thing for certain there will always be weddings and work for freelance photographers.

Word-of-mouth advertising works well no matter what product or service you are selling. But it works especially well if you are a photographer in the wedding pictures business. When a bride is pleased with the quality of your work, she will pay a $1,000 for your time, talent, album for each of the parent couple, wall photos, and her album. But it is her album that everyone she ever knew, or will ever know, will be invited to look at.

Most of the work will come through referrals from brides who were happy with your work. You should also promote your business, however, by showing samples of your work to florists, bridal shops, boutiques, and caterers who normally have a lot of wedding business. Just tell them you would be happy to send business their way, if they will do the same.

Always sign a contract with the bride so there are no misunderstandings. Specific which photos will be taken, and of whom. Always include a 'release Paragraph' which states that you are not responsible for the loss of photographs resulting from camera malfunction, accidents in development, or film lost in the mail. You may also want to include a 'Model Release' which will give you the right to use any photo as samples for advertising purposes.

Another great way to advertise is creating business cards and professional fliers. It serves its purpose but it will also make you look more professional. I suggest using Vista Print. They're a good company that usually has a lot of good deals to choose from if you have a tight budget. Click on the banner below to go to their website.

Another great way to promote yourself is opening your own website. I suggest checking out Yahoo.com. I like Yahoo! because it gives you a lot of ideas and can work around your budget. Click on the banner below to go to their website.

SETTING YOUR FEE

Make certain the bride completely understands what your fee is and what she will receive in return. There are various ways you can price weddings:

1) Offer a complete package that includes an engagement photo for the newspaper, formal bridal portrait, and coverage of the rehearsal party, wedding and reception.

2) Coverage of the rehearsal party, wedding and reception.

3) Wedding and reception.

4) Wedding only.

Weddings can be a goldmine. It’s not uncommon for a complete package that includes an 8x10 album for the bride, and a 4x5 album for each of the parents to run $1,000 or more. Many photographers set a minimum charge of $500 for weddings. Even if you only did two weddings per weekend at the minimum charge, you could easily make $52,000 per year. The complete weeding package per week would earn you over $100,000 per year. That’s working one day per week! Now imagine how much money you could earn working full time.

OTHER FREELANCE JOBS THAT CAN MAKE BIG MONEY!

DANCE SCHOOL RECITALS

Dance recitals are only once a year, but taking photographs of beautiful children in their costumes can mean increasing you bank account substantially.

Dance schools are everywhere and they come in all sizes. By offering a photo package of 1-8x10, 2-5x7s, 4-wallet photos, and 1-5x7 class photo, you can make anywhere from $1,000 for the smallest classes, up to $5,000 for a class of 400-500 students. If you make the teachers responsible for posing the students, and offer one pose per child, you can process the largest classes in just a few days.

CHILDREN’S SPORTS PHOTOS

Children’s sports, such as Little League baseball, football, hockey, soccer, and basketball offer a very profitable opportunity to make fast cash for freelance photographer. Every team (and the hundreds of parents in the stands) all want group shots and individual photos of every player. Most leagues will have at least 8-10 teams, with up to 30 children on a team, depending on the sport.

The person to approach for working out arrangement for a photographer session may be the coach, a director, committee, or sponsor. Dealing with one person works best. Check with the city or county recreation department. They will know who is using their facilities.

REAL ESTATE & ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Some of your best clients can be real estate agents, residential and commercial contractors, and architects. Real estate agents know that photographs are more effective in advertising a home or business than the typical classified ad. Doing all of a real estate agency’s listings can add substantially to your income.

INSURANCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Insurance companies will reimburse a policy holder only for those items they have documented. Increasingly, insurance adjusters are urging clients to photograph everything that’s covered by their policy on their home or business. It’s difficult to argue with a photographic inventory and for that reason people will way you to photograph their possessions and file them away in a safety deposit box.

FAMILY PORTRAITS

When you take family portraits, it’s best if you don’t use a studio. people always act and look more natural in their own homes or yards. Family pets are also easier to include when they are in familiar surroundings.

You can promote your 'on location' family portrait service in the Sunday newspaper. Note the fact that they won’t even have to leave the comfort and privacy of their home, because you will come to them. Charge an initial fee, which includes the first portrait (16x20 and 20x24 are not uncommon) plus travel expenses and other shooting costs. Always promote the Christmas card portraits, which the labs offer.

CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES

When church members become old enough to become regular members they are confirmed and officially admitted to the church. Churches usually want group shots of the entire class plus individual photos for each family.

A Bar mitzvah in the Jewish faith is similar to confirmation. When a boy turns thirteen, he becomes a recognized member of his religion and the synagogue in a ceremony. With a confirmation and bar mitzvah are joyous occasions and are followed by a reception for family, friends, and religious members.

ANIMAL SHOWS & PET PORTRAITS

Pets and animals add up to a multi-billion dollar business in America. What animal and pet owners spend every year on food, grooming, pet-sitting, pet-walking, health products, and accessories is staggering. Offer your services as a pet and animal photographer and they will buy that also. There are freelance photographers who make a good living just going from show to another that features horses,cats and dogs. Get in touch with your local veterinarian who should be able to provide you with the names and addresses of sponsors for the various shows and organizations.

ANTIQUE DEALERS & AUCTIONEERS

Some large antique dealers have photos taken of their items for sale, and send the photos or color slides of special or unusual pieces to other dealers or customers.

When auctioneers are hired to auction off items for an estate, bankruptcy, a large business or industry, or any other large job that has valuable items on their list of sale items, they will often use color slides for TV ads, brochures, and other promotional pieces.

GOLF COURSES & COUNTRY CLUBS

You can make some fast cash by making arrangements with a golf course or country club to have action photos taken of golfers when they hold tournaments and there is a crowd. Set up your camera on the first tee for foursome shots and action shots as each player swings.

PONY & CHILD PHOTOS

Back in the 1940s and 50s photographers would travel the country and go door to door. For a fee, children could put on cowboy hat, vest and chaffs, and climb onto a saddle less pony to have their picture taken.

All you have to do is rent a gentle-natured pony, have a three piece (1-size fits all children) cowboy outfit, and an assistance standing by just in case the pony gets skittish, or the child decides to jump off. Then make arrangements to appear at crazy days festivals, school carnivals, family reunions, shopping mall promotions, parades, or any other place where crowds gather.

PHOTOGRAPHING SCHOOL & COMMUNITY BANDS

Make arrangements with the band director or booster club and make arrangements to take color group photos of the band and individual members. Mail sample prints to band directors outside your area and arrange for appointments to show your work and explain package offers and fees.

GRADUATION PHOTOS

Contact the senior class advisor and make arrangements to take graduation photos of seniors in their caps and gowns as they practice before the actual graduation ceremony. If you don’t have a portable background, use the stage curtains. Borrow a diploma from the school that each graduate can hold.

Purple grapes, blueberries, kiwi fruit, bananas, peaches and strawberries make an appetizing fruit salad. A fruit salad is much more appealing with a full color variation, than if it only has one or two colors. How important is it to have colorful meals? Is it just because it looks more interesting and pretty? Or is there a purpose to it?

In traditional medicine, the doctrine of signatures is followed. This means that different herbs and foods are classified for their healing properties according to their color and shape. For example, yellow plants, such as dandelion, are known for their liver healing properties. This principle can also be used in our daily diet. I learned from my mother, as a child, that a meal should always contain a variety of color; this is a part of a balance diet. If we eat a diet which is lacking in some color, such as green vegetables, then our diet will be out of balance and health problems relating to that color will occur.

It is well known that different colors have different effects on us. Red and yellow are warming and stimulating. Turquoise, blue and violet are cooling and sedating. Green maintains balance and harmony. Our food can have a similar effect.

Each color has its own energy vibration and will vibrate with different parts of the body. The colors represented by the chakras also represent the part of the body most affected by that particular color. So each organ has its own color that it relates to. When the color is provided through the diet, it will energize the corresponding chakra, or energy centre, and provide positive vibration through the body's organs and glands in that area.

A rainbow diet will provide you with all the nutrients and vitamins you require. The nutrients provided in a food will relate to the requirements of the chakra the color corresponds to. Each food will energize, cleanse and heal its corresponding chakra. The outer cover of the food usually represents the color vibration it radiates to and the action it will have on us. Some foods have more than one color vibration, for example a pink grapefruit radiates both yellow energy from the skin and pink from the flesh. A Haas avocado radiates to both indigo and green.

It is best to include foods of all colors in our diet, but when our system is out of balance, we can concentrate more on certain color foods. This will help to harmonize the body and bring it back to equilibrium.

I was surfing the net and found this company. When I looked at their website, their concept made sense. This website is definitely worth looking into.

About BistroMD

Founded by Dr. Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. one of the few medical doctors in the country who specializes in weight loss, with the belief that a diet plan should be healthy, delicious and convenient.

BistroMD™ delivers on that vision by providing chef prepared, doctor approved meals that help our clients to lose weight safely. It is considered the best quality home delivery Diet Program on the market.

Eating healthy is as easy as 1-2-3

Say goodbye to cooking, cleaning, shopping and calorie counting…

BistroMD is a home diet delivery program that specializes in low calorie gourmet food. Their online diet delivered to your door specializes in great tasting, nutritionally balanced diet food. Gourmet Diet Delivered to Your Door . . . regarded as the Most Effective Weight Loss Program on the Internet! Their food doesn't taste like a diet. There is No Grocery Shopping Needed. The food is Delivered to Your Door. All Freshly Made by their Chefs. All You do is Heat, Eat & Enjoy. Try it & Taste the Difference. Eating healthy and losing weight has never tasted this good!

Click on the banner below to go to their website.

You might be a little shocked and surprised when you start your espresso machine shopping adventure. These machines aren't cheap! Not the good ones anyway.

But, if you take out pad and pen and do the math, you will quickly decide that a home machine - a good home machine - will pay for itself rather quickly.

Let's assume that you buy just one espresso drink per day at the modest cost of $3.50 (I know most drinks run higher and many of us cannot get by on just one per day!) That adds up to over $1277 per year! If you have friends, roommates, family, then you can easily see the cost-effectiveness of the commercial grade home models.

Plus, when you get good at making drinks (and that's a lot of fun), you can wow friends and family. It beats a card trick most every time.

A Word of Caution when Buying an Espresso Machine

If you're budget minded, like I am, you might be tempted to snap up a $60 expresso machine at Target. Hey, I love Target too. But you will likely be disappointed by the performance of the machine. Frankly, I think a good barista can make a decent drink on any machine - but you'll likely wish you saved up a bit over time and purchased a higher quality pump-driven model.

It's true that the pump-driven espresso makers are bigger, heavier, and more difficult to use (until you learn to use it). But they'll produce a better cup of coffee. And you will be happier in the long-run as a result.

What should I look for when buying an espresso machine?

Machine Look and Design:

Ask any barista; Making a good cup of espresso is an art form. The best espresso machines are largely influenced by their Italian roots, are themselves a work of art. Given the wide variety of high performance machines available, you'll want to select a machine that complements your own unique style.

Quality of the Machine:

Is the machine consistent? Is it easy to use? Does the company back it with a long-term warranty? Are the key parts made of high quality materials? Or does the machine feature mostly plastic?

Convenience and Usability:

Some of us want to push a button and let the machine do the work. Others of us want to be intimately involved with each step of the brewing process. Some machines come with a built in grinder - and other will require you purchase a special grinder. Think hard about how much effort you're willing to put into making a drink when you crawl out of bed!

Overall Value:

Value is really a comparison of the above features, weighted against the price of the machine. Are you willing to pay twice as much for a machine that looks stunning, but is functionally similar to another? That's your call!

Whatever you do, remember that espresso is one of life's finer pleasures. This probably isn't the most practical investment you'll ever make, but it will bring years of enjoyment and happiness. As is the case with most things, you will get what you pay for - I recommend you buy the best machine you can afford whether this machine will be for your home, office or business use. As soon as you start enjoying your own handcrafted lattes and mochas, your investment will feel well worth it!

As a coffee lover, one my favorite places is Starbucks. And who hasn’t heard of Starbucks? They’re on every corner and supermarket in my town. Every place I go in town, a Starbucks is not far away. I love their coffees, but I also love many other places too. I often go to Starbucks for convenience, that’s my number 1 reason.

They actually have an online store, which I’m not too surprised. They’re such a huge conglomerate that an online store is perfect when you can’t find something at their normal café’s.

Click on the banner below to check them out.

Since You're here on eBay, do a search for espresso machines if you're on a tight budget. I'm sure you will find something that you like. I personally like Starbucks so I don't mind buying some of their items in their online store.

Hi Everyone!

Here is one of the coffee companies that I like. Click on the banner below to go to their website.

Gevalia Coffee Company Review

About Gevalia

Gevalia Kaffe, purveyor of fine European coffees, has been satisfying the tastes of coffee connoisseurs for generations. Built on a tradition of fine craftsmanship encompassing over 140 years, today Gevalia offers more than 30 varieties of coffee and 13 varieties of tea. This wide selection allows Gevalia to suit the various personal tastes, moods, and desires of even the world's most discriminating coffee and tea lovers.

Coffee and tea connoisseurs can customize and choose which blends, roasts, or origins to order. Each coffee is vacuum-sealed and packed shortly after roasting to ensure the highest standards of quality, and express home delivery makes it easy for Gevalia to be enjoyed as frequently as desired.

To complement your unique Gevalia coffee experience, check out the Gevalia catalog, which is updated seasonally. Our catalog is the perfect source for the coffee enthusiast. Filled with delectable treats, house wares, and entertaining accessories, the catalog makes it easy for you to show your elegant taste: whether giving a gift or hosting a party, the catalog is filled with exquisite tableware, delicious treats, gift baskets, and, of course, Gevalia coffee and tea. The catalog is a complementary benefit of membership in any of our direct delivery programs and is also available on request. Shop online securely, right here.

Gevalia was very kind and gave me an online coupon to share with you.
Please click on the banner below.

Enjoy!
Jesse

Boise, ID – March 17, 2008 – Bodybuilding.com, the Internet’s most- visited bodybuilding and fitness site and largest retailer of nutritional supplements, has teamed with CytoSport to release yet another much-anticipated exclusive flavor, Brownie Batter Muscle Milk.

On November 5, 2007, Bodybuilding.com’s Vice President Jeremy DeLuca asked Bodybuilding.com Forum members to submit ideas for a brand-new flavor of CytoSport Muscle Milk. When CytoSport extended the rights for an exclusive Bodybuilding.com flavor, they felt it was a decision only their customers could rightfully make. With over 500 Bodybuilding.com Forum posts and 11,000+ views, the votes came in and Cake Batter was declared the official Muscle Milk flavor winner...but Brownie Batter came in a very close second. Because of this, it was decided that Brownie Batter would also be released.

For those of you not familiar with Muscle Milk, it is an evolutionary muscle formula that promotes efficient fat burning, lean muscle growth, and fast recovery from exercise. Metabolically favorable ingredients stimulate growth and recovery in a similar manner to mother's milk nourishing a baby. Bodybuilding.com offers more than twenty different Muscle Milk flavors.

Brownie Batter is Bodybuilding.com’s second exclusive flavor with CytoSport. Their first (Cake Batter) has yielded the most sales of all Muscle Milk flavors. After only one week on the site, Brownie Batter is also on its way to making record sales.

“Muscle Milk is one of our most popular supplements, so to be able to offer another flavor option that is exclusively available at Bodybuilding.com is a great opportunity. Now the hardest decision I’m going to have to make is whether to have Brownie Batter or Cake Batter Muscle Milk, because they’re both so good!” says V.P. DeLuca.

To find out more about new Muscle Milk Brownie Batter, click on the banner below :

Bodybuilding.com offers more than 6,000 health and fitness supplements & accessories to help people achieve their fitness goals. They offer more than 19,000 pages of FREE bodybuilding and fitness information, including more than 9,000 articles (written by 385+ writers), video & audio segments, and new content added daily.

There are over 34 million contact wearers in America. The idea of contact lenses has been around for hundreds of years. It is said that the first person to conceptualize the idea of contact lenses was Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500's. It wasn't until 1971 that soft contact lenses entered the market, followed by GP or gas permeable contact lenses in 1978. Extended wear contacts received FDA approval in 1981 and disposable contacts were introduced in 1987.

There are many types of contact lenses available, hard contacts, gas permeable lenses and soft lenses. We will now give you some advantages, and disadvantages of each kind. Hard contact lenses are less costly in the long run as they aren't replaced often, and actually allow the wearer better, clearer sight. Soft contact lenses are easier to fit than hard lenses. Gas permeable or GP lenses allow your eyes to breath better and will not dry your eye out as much as soft lenses. Soft lenses are comfortable from the moment you put them on whereas hard lenses at first are very uncomfortable and take some getting used to.

There are safety concerns with any type of contact lenses. Extended wear contact lenses, soft or rigid, when worn long term and overnight can lead to risk of infection and corneal ulcers which can permanently damage eyesight. Most ophthalmologists believe it is better for your eye that you do not wear any type of contact lens overnight. Cleanliness is also of utmost importance for lens wearers. To reduce the risk of infection you should only use commercial sterile saline solutions when cleaning your contact lenses.

It is best to check with your licensed ophthalmologist to discuss which contact lens is best for you.

I was surfing the internet and found this great coupon from 1800contacts. Their prices are definitely much less expensive than purchasing it from your eye doctor.

Cheers!