M.I.H.

Just read an inspirational story in our local paper about a young man in high school with a very bright future thanks to his focus on three letters, M.I.H. This kid has a passion for excellence in everything he does, particularly his sport of choice, wrestling. Last year he had what most considered an amazing wrestling season and ended up hoisting the second place trophy at the state championships. While friends and family cheered, he planned.

The day after the state finals, he was back in the same old gym working out in the same old sweats with one small change. He had placed white tape on each of his three middle fingers, and on each piece of tape was a letter. M.I.H. His friends, family, and teammates all repeatedly asked about the letters, but he refused divulge their meaning.

He kept the letters on his fingers all year, and he trained harder than ever, until he again found himself at the state tournament. This time the outcome was slightly different and not a surprise to anyone who had witnessed his daily determination in the gym; he was crowned state champion.

Finally, he was able to share with everyone that while they cheered his second place finish the year before, he vowed to himself to get better - to be the best. Displaying vision beyond his years, he developed his clear goal, designed a plan to achieve it, and created a tool to provide focus. He knew that if he really wanted to be the best, it was up to him. He was determined to Make It Happen.

M. I.H.

Challenge yourself.

Focus on your future.

Make It Happen

www.athomeatm.com

5 Tips For Staying Razor Sharp When Starting Your Home Business Enterprise

So, you've decided to start a home-based business? www.athomeatm.com

Good for you!

You've just joined the ranks of 79 million North Americans who are expected to start their own home based business in the next 3 to 5 years according to Forbes Magazine.

You may be juggling a full time job, a part time job and family life. You know that there are many things you need to do in order to successfully start your business and work from home.

Don't let anyone fool you into thinking its going to be easy. It can be simple but it won't be easy. If it were easy everyone would be rich working from home.

How are you going to fit your business project into your daily commitments?

It's easy to become overwhelmed and lose focus. Losing focus will cause you to take no action. Action is essential to moving on from where you are now, to where you want to go.

Here are 5 critical tips for staying focused and razor sharp when starting your home business enterprise...

1. Break It Down:

If you have a large task to tackle, it is always easier when you break it down into smaller components. You'll find it easier to focus because you won't feel as overwhelmed. For example, 'Register a business name' can be broken down into: 'Think of five business name ideas', 'Find out how to register a business name', 'Get registration form' and so on.

2. Keep A 'To Do' List:

Once you've broken down major tasks into smaller ones, make and keep a 'to do' list. Always keep a note pad and pen with you so that you can jot down any new ideas as they arise.

3. Schedule Your Time:

Every evening, decide on three to five tasks on your 'to do' list that you wish to accomplish the following day. Stay focused on these tasks and only move on to the next tasks on your list once these have been completed.

4. Set Goals:

This is critical. There is nothing that will keep you more focused than setting goals and writing out your goals. Visualize exactly where you want to be in a month, six months and a year.

In a month's time, do you want to have registered a business name and have a fully functional home office set up? In three months time, how many clients or team members do you want? How much revenue do you want to generate in a six month's time?

5. Say No:

Be assertive and carve out more time for your home business. Saying ‘no' to that extra demand by your boss every once in a while can get you home one hour earlier a couple of days a week.

How about cutting back on the amount of housework that you do? How about watching less TV? Thats a BIG time zapper. Imagine how you could channel that extra time into your home business enterprise...

If you put these 5 tips into practice, you'll definitely find it easier to focus and stay razor sharp so you can achieve your ultimate goal of working from home and putting more LifeStyle back in your life.

P.S. Pay particular attention to Tip # 3 above. As a Home Business Owner and Entrepreneur, once you gain control of your time you will eventually have all the time you will ever need...

www.athomeatm.com

Truth About Franchising

A Franchise – The Path To Ones Financial Dreams?

Often times the general public will get the perception that a franchise is the answer to all their financial dreams. For a rare few this may be the case, but there is significant reason to be leery of this line of thinking.

For starters, I did a little research and found some of the most popular franchises. On the following page are some of their financial requirements. If that doesn’t make you think twice, there is more revealing data below, of which you should be made aware.

SCORE Volunteers.

SCORE’s 10,500 volunteer counselors have more than 600 business skills. Volunteers are working or retired business owners, executives and corporate leaders who share their wisdom and lessons learned in business.

Exploring Franchising Options: Do Your Homework
By Jerry Chautin
SCORE Counselor, Atlanta, GA; Manasota, FL; and Cyberchapter

We see franchised businesses popping up all over. Yet some of the most recognizable franchise brands are under attack in civil courts. And one of the most prolific attackers is Robert Zarco, a lawyer with offices in Miami and West Palm Beach. He goes after sellers of franchises, called franchisors, wherever and whenever they mistreat his clients. Zarco told me, “the problem with franchising is the perception of rewards is very different than reality.”

With so many franchises in the United States, you might think that these small business owners, called franchisees, are a happy lot. Not necessarily so, says Susan Kezios, president and founder of the American Franchisee Association, a trade association that represents franchisees nationwide.

She tells us that many of her members are unhappy with the franchises they purchased and would have made different choices if they knew then what they know now.

See the rest of this article here.

The Harsh Reality.

A study by Dr. Timothy Bates, a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, found that the franchise failure rate actually exceeded 30 percent and that franchises made lower profits than independent entrepreneurs. Dr. Bates’ study also found that the average capital investment of franchisees was $500,000 compared to $100,000 for independent entrepreneurs.

Bates’ Research Underscores Three Harsh Realities
Dr. Timothy Bates
Professor at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Many franchisees never make much money. Average profitability is poor, especially after taking into account the purchase price of the franchise. So take the hype used to sell franchises with a big pinch of salt!

“Studies” used to sell franchises are paid for by the franchisors. Don’t mistake the information provided for balanced consumer guide information. It’s a carefully engineered sales pitch. Getting hold of the information you need to make a rational buying decision is difficult, to say the least. So use your common sense and a healthy dose of cynical discretion.

Franchise agreements always favor the franchisor. It is very easy to be swept away in the heat of the moment and get into a binding contract that is not in your best long term interests. And it is very hard to get out of a franchise agreement without taking a big financial loss. Remember, the main purpose of franchising is to make the franchisor wealthy. So be careful.

The full report can be found here.

Franchise Financial Requirements.

The following are some of the most popular franchises and their
financial requirements.

The following franchise information can be located here.

McDonalds Investment - Total Investment: $506K-1.63MM Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $45K - On-Going Royalty: 12.5% - Advertising Fee: 4% Valvoline Oil Change Investment - Minimum Net Worth: $600K - Cash Investment $400K - Avg Total Investment: $706K Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $30K - On-Going Royalty: 6% - Advertising Fee: 2% Quiznos Subs Investment - Minimum Net Worth: $125K - Cash Investment: $70K - Total Investment: $193-257K Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $25K - On-Going Royalty: 7% - Advertising Fee: 4% Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Investment - Minimum Net Worth: $200K - Cash Investment: $86K+ - Total Investment: $123.5-286K Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $30K - On-Going Royalty: 1.5% - Advertising Fee: 4%

Baskin Robbins – 31 Flavors Investment - Minimum Net Worth: $400K/Unit - Cash Investment: $145.8-527.8K - Total Investment: $145.7-527.8K Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $40K - Average Franchise Fee: $40K - On-Going Royalty: 5-5.9% Advertising Fee: 5% Dairy Queen Investment - Minimum Net Worth: $200-500K - Cash Investment: $200-300K - Total Investment: $200-950K Fees - Initial Franchise Fee: $20-35K - Average Franchise Fee: $28K - On-Going Royalty: 4-6% - Advertising Fee: 3-6%

Still Interested In A Franchise?

Setting Goals Is Only Half Of The Battle To Achieving The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams With Your Home Business

We hear it all the time...

You must set goals in order to be successful in your own business. Its the secret of the wealthy. Its the difference between modest success and explosive success, etc.

Do you agree?

I'm here to tell you it's only half true...

Setting goals and writing them down is one thing. Anyone can do that and many people do. But most never, ever achieve their goals.

I'll tell you exactly why shortly but first you must know this...

Despite your best efforts, you will never achieve the success you are looking for if you never actually set goals for yourself and your business in the first place. Let's at least agree on that.

Ask yourself, "What goals have I written down for myself and my business?"

Most people never set goals for themselves or their business at all. One day leads to another and the days continue to disappear without success.

How can you get to where you want to go if you don't know where you're going?

The biggest roadblock to goal setting is YOU. Setting goals requires you
to actually write down your dreams and put a date of accomplishment on
them.

Do not get in the habit of working your business without goals. This leads to apathy and an empty checking account.

Goals are the lifeblood of your business. Written goals that is. Statistics have shown over and over that small businesses fail within the first five years. You do not want to become a statistic; you want to become a success.

So how do you become successful at setting goals?

The first step, obviously, is to write down your intentions or exactly what you want to achieve. What intentions do you have for your life and your business? Write them down. When would you like to achieve them by? Put a date of accomplishment on your goals.

Get a pad of paper and start writing NOW. Be bold and write them all down. Your intentions are now your goals.

Think BIG! You must be clear...

You now have goals with deadlines. Your first step is accomplished but this is only half of the battle. Now comes the tricky part. Gut check time...

Do you feel as though you can achieve your goals? Do you actually believe you can achieve your goals?

Ahhhh, the look I see you giving your computer screen right now could melt ice. "Of course I believe I can achieve my goals" you say. "Why else would I have written them down?"

Well, writing them down is all fine and good but if don't actually believe deep down that you can achieve your goals, then they are meaningless. And THAT is why most never achieve their goals with their business endeavors.

If you do not believe you can achieve your goals...You can't.

You say you can. You wrote them down. But...

If you do not truly feel you can achieve your goals with absolute certainty...You won't. You must be crystal clear. Period.

Tough pill to swallow, I know. So how does one go about doing this?

This is where your mindset comes in to play - the other half of the battle.

Let's take this whole goal setting process just one step further now. Pay close attention here...

In your mind, see the goals you wrote down as already accomplished. What does it look like when it has been completed? You've nailed it. How does it make you feel? How has your life changed?

Go to that place right now (the outcome) and WRITE DOWN that part in addition to the goals you want to achieve. Get into the state of mind as having already achieved the goal instead of always wishing or hoping for it like everyone else does.

Assume the feeling of the outcome. Stay in that state of mind as often as possible. Once you actually feel the outcome you will then, and only then, be able to attract the goals that you wrote down.

This is a fundamental principal that has stood the test of time. DO NOT take it lightly.

So, it's really a two step process, yes?

"What you hold in your mind with energy and focus will tend to be created in your reality."

Read that again.

The great Joe Vitale wrote that in his recent book: "The Attractor Factor - 5 Easy Steps For Creating Wealth (Or Anything Else) From The Inside Out."

When I first started reading this book I couldn't put it down. Its already made a huge difference for me and it can for you.

I suggest you go out and grab yourself a copy right away. This will put what I just said into perspective and allow you to go out and nail the other half of the battle when it comes to goal setting so that you can achieve just about anything you want with your business.

Remember, success doesn't happen to the uninvolved. Success happens to those who are not only persistent in reaching their goals, but to those who make a decision to reach their goals, get clear on what they want, and already feel themselves victorious in the so called goal setting battle...

A bit deep, I know...But without question, the difference maker.

You should never be without goals. Keep your intentions and your goals before you. Be clear, feel the outcome, and stay focused on the end result.

Take action.

www.AtHomeATM.com

P.S. Be sure to pick up a copy of "The Attractor Factor" by Joe Vitale at your local book store. There is no doubt in my mind that this simple yet powerful read will be the difference maker for you in the all important goal setting process.