New Business Idea - Wedding Planner and Consultant

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A Home-Based Business Online
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October 30

    Editor: Elena Fawkner
Publisher: AHBBO Publishing

   Contact By Email

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This Ezine Is Listed At FreeZinesOnline.

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   IN THIS ISSUE
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1.   Welcome and Update from the Editor
2.   Home Business Idea of the Week - Wedding
   Consultant
3.   Online Business Idea of the Week - Online
   Retailer
4.   Article - Overcoming Procrastination in Your
   Home Business
5.   Telecommuting Openings
6.   Guest Article - The Icecream 'Comb' Story
7.   Freebies
8.   This Week's Web Site Pick
9.   Next Week
10. Subscription Management
11. Contact Information

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1. Welcome and Update from the Editor
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Hello again and a warm welcome to all new subscribers!

I received an email during the week from Beverly and Shiloh.
Beverly is looking for work stuffing envelopes. The problem
that Beverly has found is that the organizations she has
contacted all wanted to charge her a fee to participate.

As I said to Beverly, I am currently researching exactly
this issue as a number of people have asked me if I know of
any sources for this sort of work (and email processing) that
do not charge a fee for participation. I hope to bring you
the results of this research in next week's issue, but, in
the meantime, if anyone has found a source for this type of
work that does not require a fee to join, please share it
with the rest of us by mailing me at Contact By Email .

This week's guest article has been around for a while.
Normally I steer clear of articles that have 'done the
rounds', preferring to run lesser-known, preferably
original, pieces. I decided to make an exception in the
case of Rick Beneteau's "The Icecream 'Comb' Story" because
of its effect on me when I read it for the first time this
week. If this is the first time you've read it, you're
in for something special. If this is a 'repeat' for you,
hopefully you agree that it's one of those rare articles
that is worth re-reading. I hope it strikes the same chord
in you that it did in me.

Remember, this newsletter is for YOU! If you have comments
or suggestions for topics you would like to see addressed,
or would just like to share your experiences with other
subscribers, I want to hear from you! Please send comments,
questions and stories to: Contact By Email

See you all again next week.

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2. Home Business Idea of the Week - Wedding Consultant
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A wedding consultant works with a network of professional
service providers such as caterers, florists, photographers
and entertainers and assists the client in areas such as
proper protocol, etiquette, suggestions on designs and
styles and questions to help create the perfect wedding day.
Perhaps the most important part of a wedding consultant's
job is to attend to every detail so that the bride and groom
can relax and enjoy their special day.

According to Gerard Monaghan, president of the Association
of Bridal Consultants (ABC), about 60 to 70 percent of
consultants work from homebased offices. He estimates that
there are 10,000 bridal consultants in the country, so
there are about 6,000 to 7,000 working from their homes.

Full report: http://www.ahbbo.com/weddcons.html

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Relevant sites:

-> Association of Bridal Consultants
http://www.weddingcircle.com/

-> Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants
http://www.acpwc.com

-> June Wedding
http://www.junewedding.com

-> Sell The Bride
http://www.sellthebride.com

-> Wedding Careers

-> Wedding Channel.com

Recommended books:

-> The Portable Wedding Consultant; Invaluable Advice From
   The Industry's Experts For Saving Your Time, Money And
   Sanity by Leah Ingram
   Magazine journalist Leah Ingram collects advice on every
   possible aspect of wedding planning from 50 wedding
   planning experts--including Neiman-Marcus, Crane's, and
   the Association of Bridal Consultants.

-> Wedding Planner And Record Book; Wedding Planning Made
   Simple And Memorable by Deni Bown
   Every detail--planning the reception, invitations and
   choosing flowers, and much more--is covered by
   chronological checklists so nothing is forgotten.

-> The Everything Wedding Organizer; Checklists, Calendars,
   And Worksheets For Planning The Perfect Wedding by Laura
   Morin
   Complete with dozens of worksheets, checklists, pockets,
   and loads of helpful hints, this handy planner features
   everything a frazzled bride--or groom--needs to get
   organized. Beginning with setting a date and creating a
   budget, every aspect of the wedding is covered, right up
   to the final details.

Visit for links to
all these titles.

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There are many more home-based business ideas like this at
with more being added
all the time.

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3. Online Business Idea of the Week - Online Retailer
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An online retailer builds a website to conduct retail
transactions on the internet. This may be an adjunct to an
off-line business or may be the sole outlet for the products.

To start up a business as an online retailer you will need
the ability to create a website (or the funds to hire
someone to do it for you) and, of course, you must have
products or services to sell.

Affiliate programs sprung up partly in response to demand
from would-be retailers who wanted to start up business on
the internet but didn't have products of their own to sell.
An affiliate program is simply an arrangement between you
(the affiliate) and a supplier of goods or services whereby
you resell the goods or services of the supplier in return
for a commission.

This is often a good way to start an online retail business.
The supplier retains responsibility for order-taking,
accepting payment from your customer, shipping and paying
affiliates. All you need to do is concentrate on marketing
the product you are selling for the supplier. Your job is
to attract customers and sell them on the product or service
you are offering. Sometimes you don't even need to do that
much. Many affiliate programs operate so that all you do as
reseller is attract targeted customers and refer them to the
supplier's website. The supplier's website is where the
actual "selling" occurs.

Full report: http://www.ahbbo.com/onlineretailer.html

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Relevant Sites:

-> AssociatePrograms.com
http://www.associateprograms.com

-> eRetail.net
http://www.eretail.net

-> The Electronic Commerce Guide
http://ecommerce.internet.com

-> List of E-Commerce Servers

-> Payment Mechanisms Designed for the Internet
http://ganges.cs.tcd.ie/mepeirce/Project/oninternet.html

-> Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
http://www.thomasregister.com/

-> Electronic Commerce Resource Center
http://www.ecrc.ctc.com/

Recommended books:

-> Starting An Online Business For Dummies With Cdrom by
Greg Holden

-> Infopreneurs Online And Global; Taking The Hottest
   Business Of The '90's Into The 21st Century by Skip
   Weitzen
   How to join a new breed of entrepreneurs who are getting
   rich by finding, packaging, and selling information.
   Infopreneurs Online and Global reveals how to update this
   type of business by going online. Practical, step-by-step
   instructions demonstrate how to define and research ideas
   and then apply basic infopreneurial techniques to online
   and global opportunities.

-> Growing Your Business Online; Small-Business Strategies
For Working The World Wide Web by Phaedra Hise

-> Poor Richard's Internet Marketing And Promotions; How To
Promote Yourself, Your Business, Your Ideas Online by
Peter Kent and Tara Calishain

-> "Making Money in Cyberspace" by Paul and Sarah Edwards

Visit for links to
all these titles.

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There are many more online business ideas like this at
with more being added
all the time.

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4. Article - Overcoming Procrastination in Your Home
Business
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By Elena Fawkner

Well, it's Saturday again and time to publish another
edition of A Home-Based Business Online. It's also, I
realize, time to write an article for this week's issue.
Seven days have elapsed since the publication of the
last edition of this newsletter. Why, you may ask, did I
wait until NOW to write this week's article? Good
question. I'd like to say it's because I didn't have
a minute to spare during the week. But that just isn't
so. I COULD have written this article three days ago, but
I didn't. Not because I didn't have the time ... but
because I CHOSE NOT TO. And boy, do I regret it. It's a
beautiful sunny day outside right now and I could be out
there reading some more of Patricia Cornwall's Dr Kate
Scarpetta. Instead, here I am sitting in front of my
computer.

What's going on here? In a word ... PROCRASTINATION. Now,
mind you, I decided last week I would be writing about
procrastination this week and so I have done some research.
Just as well, you might say.

When I think of the time I spend procrastinating by, say,
reading and responding to email as it comes in rather than
allowing it to accumulate and dealing with it in one or two
sessions during the day, or making a telephone call or
making YET ANOTHER cup of coffee rather than knuckling down
and writing an article or updating my web pages or whatever
it is that I SHOULD be doing, I have to admit that I am
costing my business time and money.

What about you? Do you ever find yourself putting off some
task rather than dealing with it at the right time? Does
the need to rearrange the pantry cupboard or the tools in
garage seem much more pressing in the face of some task that
you really can't bring yourself to start? If so, like me,
you're falling into the procrastination trap.

So, why does it happen and what can we do about it?

According to one study, procrastination is caused by several
"cognitive distortions" or, in other words, perception
problems. These are (in the words of the study author):

1. an overestimation of the time left to perform tasks;
2. an underestimation of the time required to complete
    tasks;
3. an overestimation of future motivational states;
4. misreliance on the necessity of emotional congruence
    to succeed at the task; and
5. belief that working when not in the mood to work is
    suboptimal.

Or, in our language:

1. "I've got plenty of time to write my article. It's not
    due until the weekend." Right. Well it's the weekend
    now isn't it, and I STILL didn't do it.
2. "(On Friday) I don't really need to start it until
    Saturday. It'll only take 15 minutes." Yeah. Right
    again. It's been half an hour already and I'm only
    halfway through the first draft!
3. "I'll do it later in the week. I'll feel more like it
    then. I really don't feel like it right now." Since
    it's the weekend as I write this, I guess inspiration
    didn't rain on down after all.
4. "I can't do a good job if I'm just not in the mood."
    Yeah, right.
5. "I don't feel like doing it now and I shouldn't because,
    in this mood, I won't do a good job." Oh, please.

WHAT a pathetic bunch of excuses! Time to stop
procrastinating and take action. Here are some action
change steps from "Overcoming Procrastination: A New Look"
(link below):

1. Start with clear, measurable, achievable goals. For
    example, I am going to spend 15 minutes each day next
    week from Monday through Friday writing the first draft
    of next week's article.

2. Break the task down into bite-size pieces. On Monday I
    will write the introduction, on Tuesday the first
    paragraph, on Wednesday the third paragraph etc.

3. Commit five minutes to getting started then DO IT! At
    the end of five minutes, decide whether to commit to a
    further five minutes, and so on. This is an excellent
    way to break inertia. Try it. I did, and 5 minutes
    turned into and hour and a half and a completed article!

4. Get organized. Create three files: (1) catch-up; (2)
    keep-up and (3) get-ahead. Put the long overdue
    activities you want to finish in the catch-up file and
    set aside time each day to work at the items in this
    file, checking them off as you go. In the keep-up file,
    emphasize completing priority tasks as they arise. In
    the get-ahead file, schedule time to initiate steps to
    advance your personal interests. These steps may be
    planning or activities.

5. Negotiate with yourself. When you are tempted to
    substitute a low priority activity (such as watching TV)
    for a priority project, make watching TV contingent upon
    doing part or all of the priority activity first. Then
    watching TV will be an enjoyable reward, rather than
    guilt-ridden procrastination.

Procrastination is unproductive and can even be harmful to
your best interests if taken to extremes. It is not just a
simple act of putting off until tomorrow what you could get
done today. Studies show that procrastination is a symptom
of self-doubt, self-downing, discomfort-dodging and
irrational guilt. In turn, the results of procrastination
can be a further stimulus for the erroneous beliefs that led
to procrastination in the first place.

So, break the habit of deferring action until a "better"
time. There is no such thing. If something needs to be
done, cut the excuses and JUST DO IT!

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For a more detailed treatment of procrastination and what to
do about it, read the excellent report at
http://irebt.org/essays/procrst1.html .

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5. Telecommuting Openings
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-> Sales and Marketing
   Loan Pros, an established S. Carolina company, is
   currently seeking people with computers and internet
   access to work from home. Online training provided. Can
   work full or part time. Great for stay at home moms!
   You will need
   this number to take advantage of this fantastic
   opportunity!

-> Counselor
   Telephone Counselors needed immediately. Sincere desire
   to help others and good listening skills are a must. No
   experience necessary - will train. Earn while you learn.
   Flexible schedules - all 3 shifts. Full or part-time.
   Work from the comfort and privacy of your home. Pay: $12
   per hour + bonuses
   C.W.C. Consultants
   1900 Kent Drive
   Camp Hill, PENNSYLVANIA 17011 USA
   Fax: 707-281-7763
   Email:
   Contact: Rosemary Holbert

-> IT Recruiting
   AGS, Inc. has begun its Associate Recruiter Program,
   providing a home-based business opportunity in the
   fast-paced, high tech industry. If you are a self-
   starter, highly motivated, organized and wish to make an
   honest living, the ARP may be just for you. AGS, Inc. is
   a professional technical recruiting firm with the utmost
   integrity. We strive to match a candidate's interests
   with the appropriate company culture and guarantee that
   every candidate be treated by our recruiters with
   integrity, respect, and complete confidentiality.
   Our clients are always looking for talented technical
   professionals with at least 2 years of experience in the
   following areas: Application Development, Systems
   Engineers, Network Administrators, Database
   Administrators, Project Managers, Executives, IT Sales,
   and many others. These positions are updated on a regular
   basis and are often new openings. There is much work to
   be done and we need self-motivated, enterprising people
   who are determined to be successful. Please contact us
   about starting a career as an IT Recruiter today.
   A God Send,Inc.
   237 Lafayette Ave.
   Pemberton, NEW_JERSEY 08068-1718 USA
   Phone: 609-726-1365
   Fax: 419-844-9793
   URL: http://MrEdghill.tripod.com
   Contact:   Mike Dunnam, Associate Recruiter copy TODAY!

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6. Guest Article - The Icecream 'Comb' Story
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by Rick Beneteau

This may very well be the strangest marketing article you've
ever read, but please bear with me. It's a true story and
one whose "moral" I believe you can easily apply to your web
business.

Here goes:

She was three. Just released from a far-away hospital after
life threatening brain surgery, ready to take on the world
again. I was happy just to have her back. My little "Ms.
Clean" (shaven head and hoop earrings) and me driving along
to our local mall. Hanging out with dad day. I recall her
words as if it were yesterday.

"Daddy, can I get a treat?"

As she was understandably spoiled (if there is such a thing),
I replied "ok honey, but just ONE".

Her eyes beamed like the Fourth of July in anticipation of
that something only she knew at the time.

We drove around to the new end of the mall on the normal
seek-and-destroy mission of capturing a parking place. After
all, it was Saturday. We landed a fair distance from our
destination, and began walking hand-in-hand towards the
entrance, her pace gaining momentum with each tiny step. A
few feet from the doors she broke loose and ran hands-first
into the thick wall of glass, trying with everything she had
to swing the big doors open. No luck. With a little
assistance, she 'did it' and tried the very same thing at the
second set of doors.

It was then that I asked her what she wanted for her treat.
Without hesitation, she matter-of-factly said "an ice-cream
comb from the ice-cream store". Ok, the goal was set and we
were in the mall!

But hold on! What was this? At the end of what was just an
ordinary looking lane of retail chain outlets she spied
something new- this huge fountain, water shooting who knows
how high into the air. The new goal line!

She ran, and I walked (don't ya just hate it when parents
let their kids run wild in public?), and we arrived at the
spectacle at about the same time. The turbulent noise was
almost deafening. "Daddy, can I make a wish, can I make a
wish?" she screamed as she jumped with the kind of pure joy
we've all long since forgotten.

"Sure honey, but that will be YOUR TREAT you know" I
explained (gotta be firm with these kind of things).

She agreed.

I fumbled around in my pocket and pulled out what I think
was a dime (big spender) and placed it in her outstretched
hand. She cupped it tightly, closed her eyes and grimaced,
formulating her wish. I stared at that little scrunched-up
face and said my own kind of prayer of thanks, feeling so
blessed to still have this ball of energy in my life. And
then like a shooting star, the coin was flung into the
foaming water and with it, her wish.

We happily continued our stroll into the familiar section
of the mall. An eerie silence ensued, which I was admittedly
uncomfortable with. I couldn't resist breaking it.

"Aren't you gonna tell daddy what you wished for?"

She retorted "I wished I could get an ice-cream comb".

I just about lost it right then and there. Couldn't imagine
what the shoppers thought of this lunatic laughing
uncontrollably in the middle of a crowded mall. And needless
to say, she got her wish, and two treats.

Little did I know then that my beautiful little girl would
soon embark on a long road of seizures, surgeries, special
schools, medications and end up partially paralyzed on her
right side. She never learned to ride a bike.

Today, she is almost seventeen. She cannot use her right
hand and walks with a noticeable limp. But she has overcome
what life seemed to so cruelly inflict on her. She was
teased a lot and always struggled in school, both socially
and academically. But each year she showed improvement. She
is planning a career in early childhood education. With one
year still remaining in high school, she and I, one night
not too long ago mapped out all the courses she would need
to take in community college. It was her idea. She volunteers
weekly at a local hospital, on the children's floor. She
baby-sits a neighbor's children five days a week. On her own
this year, she stood outside in line for four hours on a
cold Canadian January afternoon and enrolled herself, with
her own babysitting money, into two courses she felt she
would need for college.

You see, to her failure was never an option.

It would almost be redundant for me to explain why I wanted
to share this story with you. She IS my daughter and I carry
all those fatherly biases with me wherever I go. But these
aside, she is a very exceptional person and one that I
admire and have learned a lot from.

It is my sincerest hope that her story will have even a
momentary positive impact on you as a human being, a parent,
a spouse or even, an entrepreneur.

I'd like to leave you with a closing thought. As human
beings, we deserve all the treats, and the multitude of good
things that life can offer us. We all have wishes and dreams,
AND the power to make them reality. Just simple truths of
the universe.

We can wish for, and get, that ice-cream comb.

-----

Join Rick's Hot New Affiliate Program EZineMoney and earn 50%
2-Tier Commissions:

See Rick's New "Niche on the Net":
http://www.interniche.net/

Subscribe to Rick's highly-acclaimed newsletter, The Mirror:
http://www.interniche.net/news.htm

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7. Freebies
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-> Web Tutor v. 3.7 (1.5mb)
   Contains four main tutorials:
   . So, you want to make a Web Page!(for beginners)
   . Table Tutor
   . Form Tutor
   . Frames Tutor
   It also contains a recent version of The Barebones HTML
   Guide.

-> The Newbie's Guide to Publishing An Ezine (1.0mb)
   Covers everything from locating content for your ezine
   to building a subscriber base and enlisting advertisers.
   http://www.mbn-businesscomplex.net/NewbieGuide.html

-----

If you're new to A Home-Based Business Online, be sure to
visit and
for the many free
e-books and reports (with complete reprint and resell rights)
that have been made available to subscribers over the past
few weeks.

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8. This Week's Web Site Pick
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Jim Daniels' BizWeb2017

Jim Daniels says it best himself:

Q: What is this BizWeb2017 site all about?...
A: Teaching you how to profit from the net.
(And you may be surprised how simple it really is.)

A note from Jim Daniels, owner of bizweb2017.com...

I've been at this since the internet started blossoming into
a small business paradise, back in the beginning of 1996.
Since day one I made it my mission to learn everything there
is to know about making money online - and to share that
very information with my website visitors -- that's you!

Whether your company is a one person show or part of a
growing corporation, this site can help you. I've filled
it with everything from free, expert cybermarketing tips and
articles, to cutting edge books and software.

Simply put, BizWeb2017 will help you market your wares on the
internet... and with a very tiny budget!

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9. Next Week
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That's it for this week, folks. Here's what's in store for
next week's issue:

-> Home-Based Business Idea of the Week: Private
   Investigator
-> Online Business Idea of the Week: Temporary Help Agency
-> Feature Article: Taming the Email Tiger
-> Telecommuting Job Openings
-> Guest Article: It could be yours! Please send original
   article submissions to
   Contact By Email
-> More great Freebies

Thanks for being with us and have a great week everyone!
And, please remember, if you have any free sources for
envelope stuffing or email processing work, please pass
them along to me at Contact By Email !

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10. Subscription Management
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If you find this newsletter valuable, please forward it
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11. Contact Information
============================================================

Elena Fawkner, Editor
A Home-Based Business Online
Contact By Email

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