Lots of people look to home-based businesses for ways of making extra money. The general feeling is that they are usually underpaid and oversold. But is there really an easy way to make money from home?

For most of us, earning a few extra dollars a month can make a big difference in our lifestyle. But like most of us we work full time jobs, have busy schedules and don’t have the time to devote three or four hours a day to working a second job.

The one thing we all do have is opinions on almost everything, so why not get paid for having them?

There are over 7 million companies out there that are looking to find out what people think of their new products or how effective their advertising is. This information is incredibly important to these companies and they are willing to pay a lot of money to find out the answers.

Online Market Research is a $766 Million Dollar Industry. So why not get your share of this money?

Taking online surveys is the easiest way to make money on the internet. You can take these surveys at your convenience, any time day or night. They generally pay anywhere from $5 up to $250 for taking simple online surveys to participating in online focus groups.

There is generally a very small one time sign up cost anywhere from $25 to $45. Don’t let this deter you. You will make that money up after your first one or two surveys. This charge also eliminates the not so serious people from just signing up and wasting surveys that could be going to you.

An online survey is usually one or two pages long consisting of about 10 to 20 questions that take very little time to fill out. An online focus group takes more time and could involve a series of questionnaires to fill out but they pay much more.

Our guest author is Jim DeFazio, a full-time web developer and internet marketer. Visit http://www.takeonlinesurveys.com to learn more about how you can make money on the internet.

We have no financial interest in the author or the website.

Ever thought of making money playing golf? Well, it’s possible, according to today’s guest author, Suzanne Woo. Here she gives us six tips on Golf and Money-making :

Although most of us don’t get the chance to win a million dollars by playing in the final group on Sunday, we can still play golf and make lots of money. Unlike most other sports, golf is the game of business. Men and women across the globe, play the game as both recreation, and as a way of doing business. From pro tours to recreational golfers worldwide, golf is truly an international sport.

As a business golf speaker, consultant, and author, I teach business professionals how they can utilize golf to strengthen their business relationships and increase sales. I discovered the power of business golf while I was a practicing attorney in San Francisco specializing in commercial real estate transactions.

Whether talking with clients, or at a networking event, I always felt the rapport level deepened when the conversation turned to golf. Golfers always seem to enjoy talking about the game, whether it’s their own, or the great shot they saw on television by a tour pro.

Here are six tips on how you can play golf and make money. For those of you who play already, choose one or two and make them a part of your business golf game. If you don’t play yet, I hope they’ll inspire you to take up the game.

Golf & Money-Making Tip #1: Schedule Your Golf!
If you don’t play golf often, or don’t know how to play at all, you’re less likely to obtain the benefits of playing business golf. It’s like the lottery. If you don’t buy a ticket, you’ll never win the jackpot!

One obstacle for many people is that they believe they don’t have time to play. If time is an issue for you, then make it a goal, schedule time in your organizer or PDA for a reasonable number of rounds of golf or practice sessions you want to have per month. Perhaps you want to play a business golf round once a month (when weather permits) and spend 30-45 minutes per week at a driving range.

If you fine-tune your swing during the winter, you’ll be ready for golf in the spring. One way to fit golf into your schedule: put a few irons, your 3-wood, and putter in the trunk of your car. The next time you’re stuck in traffic or have time in between appointments, stop at a local golf course or driving range, and have a practice session. It beats sitting in traffic and getting road rage.

If you don’t play golf yet, winter is the best time to learn how to play. Why? Golf professionals at your local golf course usually have more time for you. During the peak summer days, the professional is in high demand, with lessons scheduled back-to-back, and will be less inclined or unable to spend extra time with you. Ask some golfing friends for referrals to a local golf professional at a covered or indoor driving range. If you take lessons now, you’ll be ready to hit the course when everyone else is ready to play.

It’s also a good time to read about golf, so you can become familiar with the language, etiquette, and rules of the game. For an easy-to-read primer on the game, check out my book, On Course for Business (Wiley). Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced golfer, you’ll find a nugget or two of information that will help you make your business golf rounds more profitable.

Golf and Money-Making Tip #2: Maximize Your Links on the Links
The beauty of a golf round with clients and prospects is it’s five hours of soft selling who you are, your company, and what you know. Each golfer spends only a total of a few minutes actually hitting the ball. The rest of the time is spent talking and getting to know one another’s background, personality, and character in a relaxed atmosphere.

Unlike tennis where you’re across the net from one another, golf allows you to be with your playing partners. Golf also provides better relationship-building opportunities because you’re not hitting a shot for your playing partner to miss. If you’re playing business golf properly, you should be thrilled when your client hits a good shot and plays well.

Play more golf with clients, prospects, and referral sources to build and deepen your business relationships.

Golf & Money-Making Tip #3: Golf Never Lies
When talking to sales teams about playing business golf, I emphasize the importance of playing with proper etiquette and adherence to the rules of golf. As noted in Tip #2, you’re with your client and prospect for about five hours. During that time you and your playing partners have a chance to watch each other in action. They might notice whether you step on a player’s putting line, talk while someone is hitting, or inadvertently cheat in some way.

Playing a round of golf should solidify your business relationships. When speaking to groups, I ask participants how they feel when they play with someone who plays with poor etiquette or cheats during a round of golf. Most of them agree that it’s a turn-off to have to play under those circumstances, and they do so only to maintain the business. Other business golfers, such as financial consultants, who are concerned with a client’s integrity and reasonableness of expectations, have said they won’t do business with that person if they don’t enjoy their round of golf. And, if they cheat, they’ll find another client that they can trust.

To make a positive impression about who you are and the company you work for, play your business golf rounds with proper etiquette and know the basic rules of golf. You don’t want to sabotage your business relationships when you’re trying to solidify them.

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You can make money from a business in two ways : by running it for income, and by selling it. Today we look at the selling option.

This year, some 700,000 American businesses will be sold. Most will be small and mid-sized businesses like yours. If you, too, are thinking of selling, consider these practical steps for making the process go smoothly.

* Determine a Realistic Price Range
* Understand the Tax Consequences
* Prepare for a Sale
* Seek Potential Buyers
* Negotiate Your Deal
* Sign a Sales Agreement
* Plan for the Closing
* File Paperwork With the IRS

Getting the Cash Out of your Business Note
Business notes, known more specifically as seller carryback business notes, are created when the buyer of a business can not or will not pay all cash. Frequently, banks and similar lending institutions are hesitant to loan money to new business owners who have minimal track records and where hard assets make up a small percentage of the total purchase price.

In the case where a buyer cannot obtain a loan, the seller is left with two choices (1) hold off until he/she find a buyer who can pay all cash or (2) carry back a note in order to collect future payments. The first option is often not realistic. In the second case, the seller is hopefully able to at least extract a large down payment to make extra sure that the buyer has some “skin in the game”. However, even then the seller is usually in a position that he prefers not to be in – he has no lump sum of money to either invest in other opportunities or to retire. Unlike a real estate note, where is there is a hard asset that is fairly easy to appraise; the business note is relatively risky to hold.

So, what is a business seller to do when he didn’t want to be in the lending business to start with and now has a need for immediate cash? What many people don’t realize is that the business note can be sold. The former owner can sell all or part of the note to get a lump sum of cash. In this way, both the goals of selling the business and getting the cash out of it are met.

In summary, selling a business note is an excellent way for the former owner of a business to get his cash out of the business. Whether the reason for selling the note is that the seller would have preferred all cash all along, that he now has large debts to pay, or that he has the opportunity to pursue other investments, the sale of a business note is a tool of which you should always be aware.

Our guest author, Afra AmirSanjari, is the Principal for Peacock Capital. Peacock Capital specializes in solving the cash flow challenges of Small/Medium Businesses, Government Vendors and Individuals with innovative financial solutions by providing a network for securing operating capital.

http://www.peacockcapital.com

The Money Blog has no financial holdings in Peacock Capital, nor knowledge of its affairs.

Writing in The Times (London) today, Anatole Kaletsky reminds us that “the financial hurricane season” is now upon us.

“Nearly all the greatest financial accidents — the Wall Street crashes of 1929 and 1987, Nixon’s closure of the Bretton Woods gold window in 1971, the Asian currency crisis of 1997, the Mexican and Russian defaults, the attack on the French franc in 1993, the sterling devaluations of 1949, 1976 and 1992 — have occurred between late August and October”.

On Wall Street buyers generally hold off until Hallowe’en, on October 31, while selling is automatic for various reasons: “…selling of equities is partly a passive phenomenon, since portfolios have to be liquidated when their owners die or cash retirement cheques or make insurance claims.

“These liquidations happen steadily through the year, regardless of seasons. Buying, on the other hand, requires conscious decisions and investors are less likely to make these when they and their brokers are away on holiday.”

So the next couple of months will be crucial for financial markets. Have yourself a safe financial hurricane season.