Anyone who has worked an hourly job can only begin to imagine the immense freedom and relief that would come with being your own boss. The idea is not as far fetched as it may seem-hundreds of people are starting their own home based businesses, making their own hours and getting passionate about what they do. Anyone can get into the home business game, whether they have any ideas of their own or not.One way to establish a home based business is to seek a franchise that interests you. With a franchise, your initial investment in the business is relatively low. You pay a startup fee to the franchisor, as well as ongoing royalties, and gain use of the franchise’s name, business plan, and support. With this type of home based business, you are essentially given a proven formula for success and an already well-known name with which to work. All that is left for you to do is put the business into motion with some time and effort. If this is your first time delving into business ownership, buying a franchise is probably the safest way to go. You are likely to learn quite a bit from the franchisor, as well as picking up secrets of the trade during the course of your business’s operation.However, if you would prefer to strike out on your own and already have a bright, original idea for a home based business, there are still many ways to hedge your bets and improve your chances of success. First, you should have a plan. Don’t jump in and start investing money in materials before you have a clear idea of the logistics. If you can, find somebody with experience who can drop you some pointers on how to get started and how to avoid costly rookie mistakes. Don’t know any successful entrepreneurs? Don’t sweat it. There is an incredible resource online, known as SCORE, that provides access to thousands of other small business owners, vendors, government agencies, and trade associations.In starting your first home business, perhaps the most important thing to remember is to make sure you have enough money in the bank to get by. Set aside sufficient funds to keep your bills paid for a least half a year into your business venture. Keep your family and your assets safe by planning ahead and you will avoid a lot of heartache if your home based business does not work out.
Women’s Home Based Businesses
Gone are the days when a woman, upon becoming a wife then a mother, is limited to tending the household chores, while her husband is the one working for the family. Women empowerment made it possible for the female populace to be treated as an equal to its male counterpart. In the establishment of businesses, women have as much initiatives as men, hence it is not surprising that women have set up their own home made businesses. Technology provides a great support for a business to be set up inside your home as the creation of a web-based venture can be done with ease.
For the single women out there, the advantage of operating a home based business enables them to generate income while at the same time, pursuing their other endeavors like higher studies. It may also serve as a supplement to their earnings in keeping their daytime jobs. The time devoted to maintaining a home based business is not too consuming as opposed to a regular, full time job that necessarily involves commuting time to and from the office.
For the married women, there are various advantages offered in setting up a home based business especially if they have small children to take care of. One of the benefits of operating a business at home is that the cost of daycare is eliminated particularly since daycare expenses are continuously on the rise. In addition, income coming from both the husband and the wife is a great help on the family budget. The other favorable aspect of simply having a home based business is the flexibility that comes with it, as there is not strict time to follow by the woman.
The most common businesses engaged in by women who work at home are those that require selling or auctioning off products. The reason for this is women are natural marketers and they know how to sell a good product if they see one. This does not mean, however, that women who are interested in starting their home based business should limit themselves to this option as there are endless opportunities out there.
How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?
I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.
A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.
So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?
The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.
I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.
Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?
Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.
A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.
But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.
So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.
They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.
But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.
But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.
But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.
And it cost them.
Learning Points
The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.