Looking for a Real Christian Internet Business Opportunity

Recently I was searching on the Internet for an online Christian home based business. Needless to say, the search was somewhat disappointing simply because of the huge number of websites all claiming to offer the perfect solution to my home based business needs. Unfortunately, very few of the companies I researched were actually founded by Christians. Fewer still were built around Christian business standards and ethics. The majority of companies offering home based business opportunities were simply Christian home business owners looking for Christian customers. Sorry, that's not what I was looking for. Anyone can claim to be a Christian, just as easily as anyone can claim to be a true Christian business owner. I didn't want to become part of an online business opportunity unless it was truly a Christian-based business, founded by Christians, operating on Christian biblical principles, and an online business that would allow me to be my own boss.

If you search Google for "christian home based business" most of the top websites are not Christian businesses at all. Most are Christian business directories. That's fine if I were searching for a typical job working for a traditional business, or wanted to start a typical "bricks and mortar" business. But I was searching for a true home based business where I could work from home on a part-time or full-time basis. I like the idea of working from the comfort of my own home, around my own schedule, and without making a huge investment and all the risk that goes into operating a typical "bricks and mortar" business

So, if you're like me and wanting to start your own Christian home based business, let me share with you some things I've learned. There are a few ways you can start this kind of business, but only one is truly a home based business.

You can always find a particular product or service that would have a wide appeal to Christians, and then market your business through traditional marketing methods such as print or media advertising. Of course the most effective marketing tool is the Internet. But unless you really know how to tap into the power of the Internet, you're basically at a loss. Even if you build a website, it will quickly become lost among the millions of similar sites on the worldwide web. It's sort of like planting a tree in a rainforest. You need to learn all the unique ways of driving Internet traffic to your website.

The most effective online Christian business opportunity is one that not only offers products or services that appeal to everyone - including Christians - but which also provides you with a complete turn-key operation, and will then teach you everything you need to know about Internet marketing. It should also be affordable. It shouldn't cost you a small fortune to get started. The up-front costs of getting into a good Internet business can range from several hundred to upwards of two-thousand dollars or more. Usually, the more you pay, the more you get. Just make sure there are no additional hidden costs for services you must purchase at a later time. Any additional costs, if there are any, should be purely optional and should not have a negative impact on your businesses ability to attract customers if you chose to opt out of those additional services. Plus, a credible online business should allow you to generate a fairly steady income stream within a reasonable amount of time. No Internet business opportunity, Christian or otherwise, can promise immediate profits. If they do, there is usually a catch. But you should be able to start generating real profits within 4 to 6 months after you start - assuming you are putting in the time, and following through on all the training you need to be a success.

But what if you're not "computer literate?" What if you barely know how to log onto your computer and surf the Internet? Can you still have a successful Christian home based business online? It all depends if the business opportunity you choose offers a truly comprehensive training program. Of course, some online businesses provide services where they do all the work of marketing and talking to potential clients. But those services cost, and will very quickly eat into your profits.

If you really want to be successful in business, especially online, you need to be patient, and take the time to learn how to do it all yourself. That doesn't means you must always do it all by yourself. You just need to know how to effectively market your business and talk with potential clients. Once you've learned those skills then you can decide how much of your own time you want to spend doing those tasks yourself, and how many you may want to outsource to others. But the bottom line is you need to have a team of real professionals backing you up, and offering you the best and most up-to-date Internet marketing strategies as part of a comprehensive training program. You not only need to learn marketing methods and strategies that will require an investment of your own money, but also effective marketing methods and strategies that are absolutely free. Also, that training should be available to you 24/7. Beside scheduled online training seminars, you should have access to a complete library of online training courses offering expertise in all areas of Internet recruiting and marketing. And perhaps most important, make sure you also have customer support 24/7. You should be able to get issues resolved within 24 to 48 hours of the time you submit a request. You should also have access to a comprehensive knowledge base or question and answer library where you can find solutions to issues on your own.

The bottom line is simply this. To find the right online Christian business opportunity will require a lot of due diligence. You need to approach the whole process objectively. That means look past all the fluff and all the glitz and glamour of claims, and thoroughly examine the basics of the business. Does it offer products and services that have a wide appeal to people searching for an online business? Does it offer a turn-key setup that will put you into business right away? Does it allow you to get into business without a huge expense? Does it provide you with a comprehensive training program so you can truly learn all the ins and outs of Internet marketing? Does it offer a 24/7 customer support and a thorough knowledge base or Q&A library? And perhaps most important of all, is it really a Christian business? Was it founded by Christians, and does it operate on sound biblical Christian principles of truth, honesty, fairness, and the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have others do unto you?

Business Creditworthiness

Criteria for Business Creditworthiness

Creditworthiness is probably the single most decisive factor whether companies will lend, increase line of credit, or sell to a business. Creditworthiness is not only based on your company's business reputation but also the company's overall financial strength. Banks, suppliers, and others who provide credit for your business, will examine the business credit report to determine the company's creditworthiness.

Your company's creditworthiness depends on 4 basic criteria,

Financial strength

Character Traits of the business

Economic environment

Financial Strength

The financial strength of the business is one of the most important variables to infer creditworthiness as it measures whether the company has the financial resources to repay its creditors. Fundamentally, it is the financial resources available to the business, which could be in the form of cash, funds from debt or investment. Business capital can be in the form of short or long-term. Short term Working Capital is the measurement of the availability of liquid assets of a company has to fund its day-to-day obligations, such as,

Repayment of interest on loan

Bill payments to suppliers

Employee salaries

Tax liabilities

These are elements in the business cycle that can quickly absorb cash. If working capital dips too low, a business risks running out of cash. The availability of a bank credit line is often used to smooth out peaks and valleys of a business cycle.

Long-term capital is usually a loan obligation with maturity date that is more than 1 year. When utilize properly, a company can optimize the use of the borrowed money to finance long-term investments and use the earned profit to pay for the interest of the borrowed money.

Lenders also calculate specific financial ratios to determine where the business stands within the industry and in comparison to other businesses that are similar in size. This portion of the credit business report closely examines the financial statements for items such as; working capital, debt to equity, cash flow and net worth.

Character Traits of the Business

Lending institutions compose an evaluation on whether the business has the management ethics to stand behind its business transactions. Character in business consists not only of ethical attitudes (such traits as high moral values, diligence, determination, confidence, perseverance, responsibility, resourcefulness, trustworthiness, efficiency, and respect), but also the company's credit history and other operational traits.

Business character is frequently determined by analyzing the credit history or credit score of the business. To acquire a business FICO score a business will require at least 4 trade references. Factors affecting a business credit score include:

Timeliness of payments

Unpaid accounts

Outstanding debt

Available credit

Although credit history is major factor, there are other factors used to judge business character and they include:

Owner's know-how and experience

Structure of business

Size of business

Years in operation

Economic Environment

The economic environment surrounding the business will have external events that can affect the operations of a business. These circumstances are all examined by the lending institution to determine creditworthiness. These external factors will include the overall economy, growth within the industry, government regulatory changes and more.

The business credit score is used by creditors to establish the risk versus reward of granting a business credit, and is also used to establish the interest rate on loans and business lines of credit. As the business credit report affects the operations of the business, it is within your best interests to build an excellent credit rating.

As it is with the individual credit scores, it is important to review your business credit profiles from credit bureaus at least once or twice a year. Make sure the information is accurate. Upon finding errors, contact the appropriate bureau and report the errors immediately with proper documentation.

Buying a Business

Before getting into business you will need to find what type of business you believe you are qualified to run and would enjoy owning. This should be based on your own skills, interests, personality and location (unless it is an online business) but in saying that you should still take an interest in the business overall. Working out this first hurdle will help you determine which type of business will provide you with the life style you desire, and hopefully turn a profit in your new business venture. Finding a business to purchase should be the final step in a process that begins with self-evaluation and a deep financial assessment.

When you have established a budget and the location you would like to be in, you should start searching for businesses for sale in local newspaper advertisements and online websites. In most metropolitan areas, the Weekend papers will have a large 'Business Opportuntiy' or 'Business for Sale' section and you can contact owners directly. Alternatively, you can also place an ad stating that you are looking to purchase a specific type of business.

Some websites these days even allow you to sign up for free and create a business wanted profile or even set alerts for the type of business you are looking for, this can be a great tool when looking to find your business of choice.

You can save your self considerable headaches by buying businesses which are already established, its always easier and safer then starting a business from scratch, not only that a huge saving of your own time.

Statistically a large number of start-up businesses will fail within the first 12 months, with those surviving often being sold to have their new owners make the real gains. So let the hardened entrepreneurs take the risk, develop the market, and find out what works and what doesn't. In buying an existing business you are getting;

(1) History Of the Business

The previous owner has operated this business and will be able to show you it's financial records, it's cash flow, sales and expenses. All this lessens the risk to you and your bankers, showing the companies performance and providing you with a platform on which to build.

Before starting out decide what you want, what your objectives are, and understand your strengths and weaknesses. Plan the process. This can also be found by looking up the businesses ABN using ABN lookup or other online tools

(2) The businesses database

These are the people or businesses that already do business with you. This means cash flow from day one.

(3) Existing products or services.

They have already been developed and accepted into the market place.

(4) Existing employees

Experienced and skilled staff who understand the business and it's customers, most valuable to any going concern. Save time recruiting new members of staff.

(5) Operating Systems

These are key in any business activity. How the business operates, what keeps the customers coming and the cash flowing? This ties everything together. It's your business formula developed by the previous owners; it may be perfect, or it could be in need of major changes.

The Purpose of a Business

When purpose is unknown abuse is inevitable. An understanding of the purpose of the Christian business will help us in our approach to handling and running our businesses.

Many say they have a Christian business, without fully understanding the concept of a Christian business.

The truth is, a business entity is neither Christian nor non-Christian. A Christian business is one run by a Christian, who engages Biblical values and principles as taught in the word of God, in the day to day running of the business.

The key to running a Christian business is a commitment to making decisions on the bases of scriptures and not on situations, feelings or what is acceptable to society.

As we run our businesses in the way of the Lord, we honor God and ultimately bring glory to His name.

This is the purpose of every Christian, in business or otherwise- to glorify God. And this also, is the primary purpose of every Christian business.

"........whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."1cor 1o:31

Our businesses must bring glory to God!

This can be achieved, as we use our businesses to serve God's purposes on the earth.

Early in a business career, the most important thing to the entrepreneur is how to break even and keep the business running. Later it becomes important to make profit and build a bigger business.

And this is why, it is crucial for the Christian business man and woman to have a priority system, that will help to maintain balance. Maintaining balance is important in a spiritual sense just as in a material sense.

If all other functions of successfully running a business organization are neglected in the pursuit of evangelism, the business would run aground.

We must position the business to generate revenue and make profit. God is interested in our businesses making profits. He wants us to prosper in whatever we do.

"Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."Isaiah 48:17

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3

Yet we must not neglect using the business to serve God, as we propagate the Gospel.

Therefore, the priorities really mean what are my goals, and can my goals be balanced to achieve the overall objective of serving God while meeting material needs.

Business as Instrument of Evangelism: When placed side by side, the profit of a business is rather trivial compared to the value of a soul. But if used properly a business can be used to change the lives of countless lost people.

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mat 16:26

An entrepreneur can use his business as a tool to influence people within his sphere of business dealings and operations by helping them to hear the Gospel of Christ. And thereby many are led to Christ.

Financing the Gospel: We can also set apart, a certain percentage of the profits from our businesses, for kingdom work. Sponsoring Gospel crusades, mission work and building worship centers are commendable and laudable things we can do for the kingdom of God, as God helps us to make profits in our businesses.

By this, our businesses are bringing glory to God, as lives are being transformed and impacted.

".....My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad;...." Zec 1:17

Carrying out all these, will not be difficult if we understand that all we have, we received of the Lord.

"For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"1cor 4:7

Also worthy of note, is the fact that all God has ever done, and He will ever do, will be done for His pleasure.

The business and the profit He gave you, He gave for His pleasure.

Lack of a Targeted Business Plan Causes Small Business Failure

Traditional thought about business plans is that you must have one to be a successful entrepreneur. However, there have been recent conversations by some business professionals that challenge this contention, instead recommending that entrepreneurs should spend their time running their businesses rather than creating plans. This exchange of ideas can only be a good thing, and the debate about the relevance of business plans will probably continue for some time.

Writing a small business plan is viewed as a burden by many entrepreneurs who see it as something that is done and then filed for future reference (actually, never to be seen again). Most of the business professionals who suggest that plans aren't necessary probably fall into this group. However, people who support the need for plans most likely see them as part of a process for business growth and development-a tool to use in truly understanding the business' mission, what needs to be accomplished, and how the business will meet targeted goals and objectives.

The decision to make or not make a plan may rest on how the term is defined. Business plans actually come in all shapes and sizes and meet diverse needs depending on if the entrepreneur just wants clarify about what needs to be done or if the goal is to attract financial institution or angel investor capital. Some entrepreneurs even use plans to create marketing campaigns or to attract stellar employees. All of the priorities listed here will play a critical role in how the term business plan is defined by individual entrepreneurs. Therefore, the idea of a rigid definition of what a plan is and what it does is not very practical.

The title of this article suggests that the lack of a business plan will spell doom for an entrepreneur. Why is this true, especially when many professionals in the business community don't think they are necessary at all? Well, the business plan concept actually represents the belief that an entrepreneur must take a honest, analytic view of her business, its operations and marketing models, and financial stability to determine what needs to be done-both present and in the future-to be success and profitable. It's hard to image this process occurring effectively if there isn't a plan of some kind in place (and in writing) that can be read, reviewed, and changed as needed.

The debate over the usefulness of business plans to entrepreneurs may be more productive if the focus is shifted somewhat away from the idea of having or not having one to a focus on determining how the plan can be shaped to meet the specific conditions, situations, and priorities faced by each entrepreneur. This change in focus would certainly produce greater consensus among professionals that business plans are critical and not having one causes small business failure.

How to Build Business Credit - Build Your Business Credit Fast

Learning how to start building or repairing credit for your business are imperative. Whether you are establishing a business or have an existing one, building a good credit rating is essential, as it helps to optimize your business operations.

In the initial stages of building business credit, more often than not, it is necessary to use your personal credit background to obtain funding to finance purchases and attain credit. However, the business credit profile should be separated from your personal one, as relying on one's own funding to finance the business leaves you personally liable.

The process to build up credit for your business must commence prior to starting operations. To start building credit immediately you must be looking on establishing the following:

Business as a Legal Entity

To separate your business credit score from your personal credit score it is necessary to establish your business as a separate entity. To qualify as a separate entity the business has to be structured as a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC).

Tax Identification Number

Acquiring a tax ID number (also known as an Employer Identification Number, or EIN) is the next step involved in building valuable credit for your business. Similar to the personal credit score which is associated with the individual's Social Security Number, the business credit reports are associated to a tax ID number. The federal tax identification number can be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service and there are a several ways to reach them:

Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Hotline at 1-800-829-4933.

Download IRS Form SS-4 from the Internal Revenue Service website

Download IRS Form SS-4 from the Small Business Administration website and submit to IRS by mail or fax. Directions for the SS-4 forms are provided online.

Business Bank Account

Opening a business bank account allows you to separate business funds from personal funds. Furthermore, a business bank account can also serve as a bank reference when applying for business credit.

How To Start Building CreditWith A Business Credit Card

As a business credit card can be used as a revolving credit line, it is simplest way to build up credit history with on-time payments. Timely payments eventually improve your company's credit worthiness which facilitates your ability to acquire a business loan. Therefore, use a business credit card for payments whenever possible. Unlike personal credit cards, having multiple active business accounts can be positive, provided that they are in good standing. However, limit the number of business credit cards when beginning and as the company grows you can continue to acquire more.

Business Phone Number

Acquiring a business phone line is important as business credit reporting agencies use the phone number to index your business in their databases. In addition, the credit reporting agencies use the telephone number as proof that you are actually conducting business.

Business Listing

Be sure to supply the exact same business address and phone number to every credit agency and trade credit vendor. Ensure that the business address and phone number are also listed in both the 411 Directory (White Pages) and the Yellow Pages.

A D-U-N-S Number

The D-U-N-S Number is a 9-digit number issued by Dun and Bradstreet that most companies utilize it to verify the credit history of businesses. The United States government and many corporations require their suppliers and contractors to have a D-U-N-S Number. Keep in mind that having a D-U-N-S number is just the beginning. You will need to start building your company's credit profile by doing business with creditors and/or suppliers that report to Dun and Bradstreet.

How to Start Building Credit By Registering with Credit Reporting Agencies

Many of your company's lenders and suppliers report information to the business credit reporting agencies about your company, such as how your business pays its bills or loans. There are many business credit reporting agencies such as D&B, Experian Business, BusinessCreditUSA, FDInsight, and ClientChecker. The majority of suppliers, creditors, and lenders pull their reports from Dun and Bradstreet, Experian and, Equifax Business. Registering an account with these 3 business credit reporting agencies is a good start.

Registering enables your company to start building credit through their credit databases. The database can also be used by potential customers, suppliers and lenders to obtain fundamental information about your company. As it is not mandatory, it may be necessary to ask businesses that you work with to report your timely payments to these business reporting agencies. These submissions enhance your credit rating and verify your registration with the business credit reporting agencies.

Compliance

Before conducting business, it is necessary to obtain all registrations, permits and business licenses that are required in your jurisdiction.

In summary, once the above list has been completed, the process of building business credit profile can commence. Obtaining trade credit with vendors is a good place to start. To build up credit score, it is important to seek vendors and suppliers that are set-up to report your company's payment history to the credit reporting agencies. Naturally prompt payments for purchases are essential in leading to a good credit score. If the business has an existing loan, timely payment of the loan can also help you establish a better business credit score.

As it is with the individual credit scores, it is important to review your business credit scores from credit bureaus once or twice a year. Make sure the information is accurate. Upon finding errors, contact the appropriate bureau and report the errors immediately with proper documentation. As the business credit report affects the operations of the business, it is to your best interests to have these agencies present an accurate picture of your business.

Six Simple Accounting "MUSTS" for New Small Business Owners

Every day, we meet with new small business owners. They always have the same questions about their businesses. This paper is to provide some simple answers to the most common questions.

1. What can I claim as a business expense?

Operating a business is similar to going on a safari to Africa. If I asked you "How much did the safari cost?" you would simply add up the receipts for the trip and tell me the cost. As a new small business owner, you are in an adventure of business. Any expense that you pay in order to be on your adventure can be claimed as a business expense.

The most common and straight forward expenses are those of advertising, office supplies, professional fees, insurance, freight, postage, meals and bank fees. These are straight forward because they are typical business expenses and don't require a lot of interpretation or calculation. You simply add up the receipts and you have the total expense.

Other expenses such as office rent, automobile, and wages are all acceptable expenses but are usually a bit more complicated to determine. These areas have various rules that apply that all business owners should know early in their adventure.

2. What do I need to retain to prove my business expenses?

So going back to the example of the safari adventure in Africa, if you were asked to show that you actually were on the trip, you would probably pull out things like plane tickets, hotel bills and meal receipts. Anyone could see from the addresses on the bills, the dates and the descriptions that you were in Africa, you spent money and a general time frame for the trip. This would provide good evidence of your trip to Africa. The same principles hold true for your adventure in business.

One thing that is hard to remember, even for seasoned business people, is to get the proper receipt for each and every business transaction. Many business people know the feeling of walking out of a restaurant or driving away from a gas pump and realizing that they didn't get the receipt that they need. In that moment, the business owner has converted a business expense to a personal expense.

The general rule of thumb in this area is that you need to get a receipt that shows the actual description of the items that were purchased. The receipt produced out of a debit or credit card processing machine that only shows the total amount in not going to cut it with a CRA auditor. Neither will the Visa or MasterCard statements showing a company name and an amount. In short, you need to get a receipt that shows the paper, pencils, gas or hamburger that was purchased to allow you to do your business.

3. How does office rent work in a new business?

While you are traveling around Africa, you are going to need to have a place back home to store your belongings while you are traveling. Some people might put this all in a storage unit and pay rent. Others will put their belongs into a friend's house and pay rent. Others might simply lock the front door of their house and continue to pay the rent or mortgage payments. This location, though, will be where you return when the trip is finished.

New business owners need this same type of space when they start their businesses. Most people will use some space in their homes. This space will usually be a den, converted bedroom or part of the basement. The Canadian tax system has a system to recognize the costs associated with this space.

The very general rule is that you will be able to recognize a portion of your home expenses as office rent in your business. The first step is to calculate the total costs associated with your home. This should include the mortgage interest, rent, the condo fees, the home insurance, the utilities, property tax and maintenance costs. Once you have these numbers, you calculate the total amount of space used in the house for the business. This amount in then divided by the total space available in the house. The ending result is the percentage of home expenses that can be claimed as office rent. For most of the businesses we deal with, the percentage amount is usually 10 to 15%.

4. How do automobile expenses work in a new business?

Pretend that you decide to take your compact car to Africa on your safari. If you were asked "How much did you spend on auto expenses on your trip?" you would probably come up with a total for the gas, the repairs and the maintenance while the vehicle was physically in Africa. You wouldn't add in the expenses of gas and repairs in Canada as these would not be costs associated with the Africa trip. Business auto expenses work in a similar manner to this.

Automobile expenses are very complicated for business owners. We won't try to explain all of it here. The important thing to remember is that you need to keep a lot of information in order to properly record the auto costs. You need to keep good records of how much you drive for business and how much you drive for personal. You also need to keep all of your gas and maintenance receipts. These receipts need to be the one from the gas pump or from the cashier. You cannot rely on your credit card statements to provide the evidence for these purchases. This then gives you the basic information that your accountant can use to calculate the auto expense for you.

The next step in the calculation is to identify those expenses that are business expenses and those expenses that are personal expenses. This is similar to our Africa metaphor in that you need to figure out how much of the overall costs for the auto are for business only. This is done be determining the total kilometres driven for business and the total kilometres driven for pleasure. These numbers are then used to determine what percentage of the total automobile costs can be claimed for business.

The other question that most new business owners ask is "What is a business trip". This is fairly easy for a new business owner as most of them operate out of their home. Thus, a business trip is any time that you leave the house to deal with a business matter. This can include traveling to meet with clients, getting supplies, depositing money in the bank or traveling to other cities to attend conferences. The amount of the mileage is basically from the garage of the house to the parking stall at the destination and back.

5. Do I need a business bank account for my new business?

If we did do a trip to Africa, it would be easier and simpler if you had one bank account for the trip only. If there were any questions about what you spent on the trip, you could simply go to the bank account and get a lot of the details that you would need. This is similar to your adventure in business.

Our suggestion is that you have a separate bank account that is used to record the deposits and the expenses for your business adventure. If you operate under a name other than your personal name, you will need a business account. This will probably require you to register a trade name at your provincial registry office. The separate bank account makes it much easier for your accountant to identify business only transactions. This ensures better accuracy.

6. What is a business meal?

On your African safari, you would include in your total costs all of the meals that you had while on the trip. You might also include those meals that you had before you left where you met with others to plan and organize the trip. You might also include a few meals after the African safari if they are a result of the trip. These might include meetings with a book publisher who is interested in your travel book or maybe meeting with an investor to review the results of the trip. In short, any of the meals that were required in order to plan or organize the trip can be claimed as an expense of the trip.

Sometimes it appears as though some small business owners go into business to simply claim all of their meals. They claim every meal they have as business meals whether the meal is at a restaurant, at home or in a field with the family. This is not very prudent.

So what can you claim as a business meal? Well, a business meal typically occurs in a restaurant. It usually involves two or more people although there is an exception. The reason for the meal is to allow the individuals involved to discuss topics related to the business. Typically, one person is trying to convince another person of a position or plan of action to follow to generate more sales.