Darrell Davis

Looking for Another Income? Almost There...

For the past several years I have been searching for ways for the average person, with little or no money, to start their own business. I think my friends, I am almost ready to share with you what I have found, and what I can suggest for different people in different situations.

For me personally, I have always had a side business going. Sometimes, that was all I had. But what worked for me to earn money, does not work for everyone. Whether you have a job or not, one source of income is risky. This blog has focused on Personal Development for the most part, and we will continue to do that. However, while I am a fan of many inspirational speakers, I was always concerned that after the speech, and while I was feeling good, I found that often I didn't know what to do next. I wasn't presented with a vehicle to progress financially or career wise. I want to change that. I want to give you real, tested methods that lead to you earning money.

Over the years I have tested many systems and been ripped-off many times. But I can tell you this right now; there are real systems out there that we can use successfully without spending a ton of money. Please sign up for my email list so I can send you updates and tips for where we are going. Talk to you soon!

What's Your Plan "B"

We live in a time of great uncertainty. The economic news, generally, has not been good. More and more companies are laying off. People are talking. They are talking about their uncertain futures. Will they be next? Will they avoid the budget ax? The conversations continue. Unfortunately, what I am not hearing in these discussions is a "plan B."

I hear the concern in people's voices, the worry. And more than a few times I asked "So, what is your Plan B?" And was looked at like I was crazy! I continue," What are you doing, right now, in case you are one of those who lose their job? The blank looks are frightening.

I ask this question not only because jobs are at risk in today's economy but because, even in the best of times, I am preaching, "start your own business!"  It can be a side or part-time business while you keep your job. The best time to do this is when you already have an income. If you can launch, adjust and proceed or abort a business while you have a job, you are in a much more secure position than if you don't.

I believe, from hard experience that no job is secure and one source of income can be a fatal mistake. After all, any jerk can walk in one morning and tell you you're fired. And, had you put a second income in place, a part-time business, you are in much better shape. You now have the option of growing your business. This because you had a plan B.

Now, I realize starting your own business is not such a simple cut and dry thing. There are issues of having a viable idea, writing a business plan, funding and so on. And probable the biggest reason that people don't take action-fear!

In coming articles, we are going to explore all of these issues and more.  But for now, I just want to know, what's your Plan "B"?

Why I Didn't Sell to a Friend

When I am selling a product, I of course devise a marketing strategy to maximize results, i.e., sales!  So when I was showing around a new product recently, I asked a friend if he was interested in buying and he said he was. I made a note of his response and quietly decided I would not sell to him. Why would I take that position? After all, the goal is to sell as much product as you can. And this was a friend, someone you could probably count on for repeat business. So what was the problem?

Let me back up. The product I was selling was a very limited run. It was more a marketing tool than a profit driven product. Because I only had a limited number to sell, I had to make the most of my sales. In other words, I wasn't looking for customers, I was looking for fans! I was looking to sell to people who would tell other people and really talk the product up. So my very good friend, when I asked him if he wanted an order, mumbled something about,"oh, you mean that thing..." Not exactly an enthusiastic buyer! So I decided then that I would not waste a sale there.

So the point I am making is depending on your strategy, you may need to skip some potential customers. I was for the most part using this product to promote a brand. I needed to get the word out to as many people as possible about what I was offering. And one of the best ways to do that is to sell to fans.

Raise Your Value

In the course of doing business, you will sometimes find yourself on the short end of a contract proposal. You simply will not get them all. The key to success, however, is knowing when to pursue beyond a denial and when to raise your value before resubmitting (you do realize that with us, no is not no!).

I was recently denied a contract with a municipality and started to re-write it when I decided that I needed to raise my value before proceeding. I simple was not ahead of the field on this issue and any number of others could do the job. It is this honest and insightful analysis that makes the difference between a successful business and a frustrated one.

How you raise your value depends on what you do. You must do it better and more public. You must make the client "need" your services. Look and you will find the way.

One Heck of A Throw

This morning I was out very early- 5:00 AM.  It was still a little dark and as I turned left at a light, I saw a man throw something at a house.  The whole motion struck me as odd. He watched to see if his aim was true, satisfied, turned and walked back to his car. The man was delivering newspapers.

I can't exactly explain why I got such a kick out of seeing that. Maybe it was the fact that I had not seen that since I was a kid. Or that I just stopped thinking about how my paper ended up outside my door every morning.

I will say this for the man- who appeared to be in his early forties- that he was willing to work.  He was not still sleeping at 5 AM and waiting for the desk job before he took work. One heck of a throw and one heck of a role model.

Time To Move On...

After writing a three part series on Starting Your Own Business, many of you sent me emails saying how much you enjoyed it but didn't have much start-up cash. Because of that, I decided to start a forum of sorts on legitimate home based or internet businesses that were free of nearly free to start. It took on a life of it's own.

Well, enough is enough. I think I have put some information on this site to give you all an idea of what's out there. I have also put a few of those ideas on my page because I thought they would work for me (asterisk for Ultimate Wealth Building Program). It is time for me to move off of this topic. Or at least, refocus on what this site is all about. This page is about Personal Development. Of course, Money Making ideas is a part of that, but should not dominate.

I made a few mistakes during this exploration that cost me a few dollars. That is okay. My goal was to prevent you from making those same mistakes. Because of that, I have one or two more articles to go on this. There are some real sophisticated marketing schemes going on. Where money is concerned, so many people have a brooklyn bridge to sell you!

Remember, we will be revisiting this topic. But let me leave you with this advice. All money follows to value! If you have something of value, people will pay. If you keep your ethics and integrity, you will have the most important thing that wealth building is all about -repeat business! God Bless!

Ultimate Wealth Building Program II

Last time I told you I was writing with a smile on my face because the Ultimate Wealth Building Program, which I purchased for $49, was making me money and I had no idea why!

I also said I thought the program was a little misleading and yet I still recommend buying it because the educational material on there is amazing and can be applied to any internet business.

So, I call the support number to find out why I keep getting commissions and I haven't sold a page of peanuts! My guy Spencer had this to tell me: " Imagine how much you could make if you knew what you were doing." Good point.

"What if I can show you how to make enough money for you to leave your job? I can give you intense closed door training!"

Now I smelled a rat. This course cost $49 and I have been looking for a business that poor people can do. So I interrupted," Excuse me. Is this going to cost me anymore money?"

Let me tell you what this man said to me- sit down:" Yes. If I could show you how to make another $50,000 with just a $5,000 investment, wouldn't you be interested?" He smugly asked.

"No." I told him I was not looking for something I had to invest thousands of dollars in. I just wanted to know how this program worked. Spencer turned icy,"Oh, I thought you were serious about making money," he said.

I replied,"I am, but not giving it to you." He didn't like that and said have a nice day.

"Wait," I said, I still want to know how this system worked. Spencer replied, "Send your question to support@support blah blah dot com!!

Ultimate Wealth Building Program

I have to tell you, I am writing this with a smile on my face. This is quite an amazing thing going on here! This Ultimate Money Making system really works! I bought it, set it up on my Web site, but did no marketing because something smelled fishy about this program. I couldn't quit put my finger on it; you know, like was it salmon, bluefish or sardines?! I didn't know, just smelled fishy-and yet, I kept getting little commissions all week!

What the heck was going on here! I decided to call the help number and find out. I called and spoke to a very enthusiastic young man named Spencer. He was very upbeat. I told him I didn't understand how I was making money when I hadn't sold even one light bulb!

Spencer laughed and said, "Just imagine what you would be making if you knew what you were doing!" Fair enough. He had a point. A couple of times a day, my Blackberry would buzz and an email would notify me that I had earned a commission. It started getting funny to me. This past Sunday, I was laying on my but watching Columbo, and I was making money! What the Hell! was going on here!

I don't like writing my entries to long, so before I get into my conversation with Spencer, let me just say this: The organization that is running this business is being kinda of deceptive and look at the people who buy it as a target for sales pitches. Yes, the initial investment says $49.00, but you are going to pay more to get going.

Still, I have to end by saying I love this whole concept! Not the deception-it is certainly not what I expected -but I would tell you if you can afford a couple hundred dollar up front, make the purchase for the educational material. That alone is worth it. What you do with the rest of the material (and Spencer), is up to you.

Next time, I will get into my conversation with Spencer-what a piece of work.

More Money Making Ideas!

The ideas keep rolling in! I hope to be able to share with you as many money making ideas as we can. Of course if someone is selling Brooklyn Bridge's or lumber from the Sahara Forest, I hope you will trust me to not present it to your skeptical eyes.

That being said, I think before we are done with this experiment, many of you will be making extra money and some of you will have started your own full time business!

I want to present a business idea I received via email from Sister Mitchell, for you to look at and analyze. Remember, we will find some good ideas, some bad, and some ideas presented by people who should be locked up!

I may try it myself given that it is free to start. It is from the music lesson company Hear and Play. I recommend linking on, taking a look and letting us know what you think.