How much does it cost?

I have been asked this question so many times lately! Let's get straight to the point. If you invest money into starting a business and then expect to get rich while you sleep or do nothing......then it's costing you too much and don't do it.

There is always an investment to be made in life. We invest into a car so we can drive around. We invest our time for others by volunteering in our local community. We invest into our minds by reading self-development books.

But let's look at investing for a business. As long as you do what is needed to build your business, you are simply investing money and time and then reaping the fruits. Does a farmer gets his crops simply by looking at dirt and wishing for it to grow? Of course not! He prepares the ground, gets the seeds, plants the seeds and nurtures his crops according to what he is growing. He probably had to invest to buy (or borrow) land, get seeds and equipment. But that is all an investment, not wasted money, if he learned how to properly farm in school or had the right mentors.

The investment will vary depending on what you want to do. My first business was started with a very small investment of about $15,000. It was a great business. Had a great time and made some good money. But.....yes, there is a but! The time investment wasn't worth it to me as it meant investing up to 80 hours a week of my time away from my family. Now, on the other hand, with an investment of less than $500 and an average of 20 hours a week, I get to work from home, make my own schedule (yes, I do keep a schedule), learned from the best and now I am a mentor......... and I get to have lots of time.

So really. How much does it cost? It was costing me not seeing my children grow up. It was costing me not have a family life. It was costing with sadness as I would have to tell my kids no because mommy has to run her shop. It was costing my personal time. So now you tell me.......

How much is it costing you?

Here we go again......another lay-off!

Found out that a friend got laid off! In today's economy (or any economy for that matter), it doesn't seem to matter how long one has been working for a company, job security is a thing of the past. It used to be that if you worked for a big company, or had been working for one for a long time, that your job was pretty secure. Even government jobs were pretty secure. With all the changes taking place, security is vanishing faster than people are willing to admit. But, not all hope is lost. There is still security out there. More and more people are realizing that being self employed is more secured that simply being employed.

They are realizing that “Security is seeing the boss......in the mirror!”

But, being self-employed can also have its drawbacks. I've done the “from scracth” starting of a business. I did the big investment, althought less than $20,000 isn't necessarily considered a big investment but for me that was big! I DID deal with the overheads such as electric bills, insurance, rent, account payables, etc. And then......I decided to do it the smart way!

Now, with very minimal investment, no more overhead, great tax benefits, flexibility, and I can give myself a raise whenever I want to!