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PART I: 101 Computer Home Businesses Profiled |
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1 | (174) |
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11 | (2) |
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Answering/Voice-Mail Service |
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13 | (1) |
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Association Management Services |
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14 | (2) |
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Astrology Charting Service |
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16 | (3) |
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19 | (2) |
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21 | (1) |
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Billing and Invoicing Service |
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22 | (1) |
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23 | (2) |
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25 | (2) |
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27 | (1) |
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28 | (1) |
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29 | (2) |
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Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Service |
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31 | (1) |
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Computer-Assisted Instructional Design (CAI) |
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32 | (2) |
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34 | (2) |
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36 | (2) |
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Computer Sales and Service |
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38 | (2) |
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40 | (1) |
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41 | (2) |
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Construction and Remodeling Estimating and Planning Service |
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43 | (1) |
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44 | (2) |
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Coupon Newspaper Publishing |
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46 | (2) |
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48 | (1) |
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49 | (2) |
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Databased Marketing Service |
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51 | (1) |
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Desktop Publishing Service |
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52 | (2) |
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54 | (2) |
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Diet and Exercise Planning Service |
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56 | (1) |
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Digital Photography/Image Manipulation |
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57 | (1) |
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Digital-Recording Studio/Service |
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58 | (2) |
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Disc/Media-Copying Service |
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60 | (1) |
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61 | (1) |
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Electronic Clipping Service |
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62 | (2) |
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Electronic Public-Relations and Publicity Service |
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64 | (2) |
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Employee Manual Development and Writing Service |
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66 | (1) |
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Event and Meeting Planner |
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67 | (2) |
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Expert-Referral or Brokering Service |
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69 | (1) |
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70 | (2) |
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Financial Information Service |
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72 | (3) |
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75 | (1) |
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76 | (2) |
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78 | (1) |
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79 | (2) |
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81 | (2) |
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83 | (2) |
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Internet Service Provider and Web-Site Hosting |
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85 | (4) |
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89 | (1) |
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Inventory-Control Services |
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90 | (2) |
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92 | (1) |
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Legal Transcript Digesting (Deposition Digesting) |
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93 | (1) |
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Legal Transcription Service |
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94 | (1) |
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Lifestyle and Hobby Resource Web Site |
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95 | (1) |
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Local Area Network (LAN)/Intranet Consultant |
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96 | (2) |
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98 | (2) |
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100 | (1) |
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101 | (2) |
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Medical Transcription Service |
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103 | (3) |
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Mortgage-Auditing Service |
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106 | (1) |
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107 | (1) |
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108 | (2) |
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110 | (2) |
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112 | (1) |
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113 | (1) |
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Personal Financial Management Services/Daily Money Manager |
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114 | (1) |
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Professional-Practice Management Service |
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115 | (2) |
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Professional Reminder Service |
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117 | (1) |
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118 | (1) |
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Property-Management Service |
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119 | (2) |
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Proposal and Grant Writer |
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121 | (2) |
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Public-Relations Specialist |
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123 | (1) |
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124 | (2) |
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Real Estate Virtual Tours and Brochure Service |
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126 | (1) |
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127 | (2) |
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129 | (1) |
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130 | (2) |
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132 | (2) |
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134 | (1) |
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135 | (1) |
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136 | (2) |
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138 | (2) |
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Software-Location Service |
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140 | (1) |
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141 | (3) |
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Sports League Statistics and Game Scheduling |
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144 | (1) |
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145 | (1) |
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146 | (2) |
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148 | (1) |
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T-Shirt and Novelty Design and Production Service |
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149 | (1) |
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150 | (1) |
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151 | (1) |
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Video and Audio Digitizing Service |
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152 | (2) |
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Virtual Assistant/Office Support |
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154 | (2) |
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156 | (1) |
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157 | (2) |
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159 | (2) |
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161 | (2) |
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Web-Site Promotions Specialist |
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163 | (2) |
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165 | (2) |
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Web Specialty Programmer: CGI Programming |
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167 | (1) |
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Web Specialty Programmer: Java |
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168 | (2) |
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Web Audio or Video Program |
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170 | (2) |
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172 | (3) |
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PART II: 47 Questions You Need to Answer to Start Making Money with Your Computer |
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175 | (76) |
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Why Do You Want to Make Money With Your Computer? |
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177 | (1) |
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Do You Want to Derive a Full-Time or Part-Time Income from Your Computer-Based Business? Do You Intend to Work Full or Part Time? |
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178 | (1) |
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Do You Want to Continue Working in the Same Field Doing the Same or Similar Work? |
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178 | (4) |
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Are There Other People Doing Something Similar to What You Would Do on a Freelance, Consulting, or Independent Basis? |
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179 | (1) |
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Can Your Current Employer Become Your First Customer? |
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179 | (1) |
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Could Any of the People or Companies You Currently Work With on Your Job Ethically Become Your Clients or Customers as Well? How Many? |
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180 | (1) |
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Are There Other Clients for Whom You Could Do Your Current Job on a Freelance, Consultant, or Subcontract Arrangement? |
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180 | (2) |
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If You Don't Want to, or Cannot, Do the Same Type of Work You've Been Doing, What Other Things Do You Do Well and Enjoy Doing? |
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182 | (6) |
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Who Needs the Kind of Products or Services You Could Offer? Make a List of all the Types of People or Companies That Need Them. |
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188 | (1) |
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Who is Your Competition? Is Anyone Else Providing Similar Services or Products? |
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189 | (2) |
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How Is Your Competition Doing? Are They Busy? Are They Turning Away Business They Could Refer to You? |
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191 | (1) |
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What Specialty or ``Niche'' Can You Carve Out for Yourself? |
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191 | (1) |
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How Will You Identify People or Companies That Need What You Can Offer? |
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192 | (4) |
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What Can You Offer That Your Competition Does Not Offer? Could You Do What They Do Better in Some Way? |
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196 | (1) |
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How Will You Let Your Potential Customers and Clients Know About What You Will Offer? |
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197 | (1) |
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Do You Know Anyone or Any Company That Needs What You Offer Right Now? How Many Such Potential Clients Do You Know? |
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198 | (3) |
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Do You Know People in Other Fields Who Work Regularly With the People or Companies That Need What You Have to Offer? Such People Can Become Your ``Gatekeepers.'' |
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201 | (2) |
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How Much Money Do You Need to Have Coming in Each Month? |
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203 | (3) |
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How Much Will You Need to Charge and How Many Hours or Days Will You Need to Bill for in Order to Produce the Monthly Income You Need? Is This Fee Within the Range People Will Pay You? |
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206 | (3) |
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How Can You Support Yourself Until You Have Enough Business Coming In? |
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209 | (1) |
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What Start-Up Costs Will You Have? |
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210 | (2) |
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How Will You Finance the Start-Up Costs Involved to Adequately Set Up, Equip, Supply, and Market Your Business? |
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212 | (2) |
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Do You Have a Good Credit Rating? |
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214 | (1) |
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Do You Have Two Credit Cards: One for Business, One for Personal Expenses? |
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215 | (2) |
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How Committed Are You to Proceeding With Your Venture? |
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217 | (1) |
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Do You Have a Separate Area in Your Home Where You Can Work Productively? |
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217 | (2) |
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Do You Have the Support of Your Family and Friends? |
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219 | (1) |
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Have You Checked the Zoning Regulations and Homeowner-Association Restrictions to See if You Can Legally Operate a Moneymaking Venture from Your Home? |
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219 | (1) |
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Will Your Neighbors Have Any Objection to Your Doing the Type of Work You Plan to Do from Your Home? |
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220 | (1) |
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Does What You Intend to Do Require Any Special State License? |
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220 | (1) |
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Have You Obtained a Local Business License? |
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221 | (1) |
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Will You Be Required to Charge Sales Tax on What You Offer? |
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221 | (1) |
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Will You Sell Your Product or Service Yourself or Will You Sell It Through Someone Else? |
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222 | (8) |
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Under Which Form of Business Do You Wish to Operate? |
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230 | (1) |
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Have You Selected a Name for Your Enterprise? |
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230 | (2) |
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Have You Opened a Separate Bank Account and Installed a Separate Business Phone Line? |
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232 | (2) |
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Do You Have the Office Equipment and Supplies You Need to Work Most Productively? |
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234 | (1) |
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Have You Established a Work Schedule for Yourself? |
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234 | (1) |
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If You Have Young Children, Have You Made Arrangements for Needed Supplementary Child Care? |
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235 | (1) |
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Have You Lined Up a Team of Professionals to Whom You Can Turn for Help if You Need It? |
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235 | (1) |
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Do You Have a Support Network of Professional Colleagues and Friends? |
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236 | (2) |
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Are Your Cards and Stationery Designed and Printed? |
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238 | (1) |
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Do You Have Adequate Insurance to Protect Your Business Property and Liability? |
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238 | (1) |
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Have You Made Plans for Obtaining Health Coverage if You Are Leaving Behind the Health Insurance You Had at a Job? |
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238 | (3) |
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Have You Written Down Specific Measurable Goals for Your Business With a Target Date and Action Plan for Each Goal? |
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241 | (1) |
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Do You Have Realistic Expectations? |
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242 | (1) |
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Are You Willing to Read, Take Courses, Study, Use Consultants, and Otherwise Learn What You Need to Learn to Succeed on Your Own? |
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243 | (3) |
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Where Will You Turn to Obtain the Additional Information and Expertise You Need? |
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246 | (1) |
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Are You Willing to Experiment Until You Find the Combination of Products, Services, Pricing, and Marketing Methods That Will Work for You? |
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247 | (1) |
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Do You Have or are You Willing to Develop the Traits Necessary to Manage Yourself and Make Your Business a Success? |
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247 | (2) |
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Are You Willing to Stick it Out and Persevere Until You Succeed? |
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249 | (2) |
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PART III: Using Your Computer in Business |
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251 | (98) |
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254 | (15) |
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255 | (9) |
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Protecting Yourself from the Computer's Occupational Hazards |
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264 | (5) |
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Using Your Computer to Manage Your Money |
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269 | (14) |
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Finding a Simple Way to Manage Your Money |
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269 | (2) |
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Determining What You Need to Charge and How Much Business You Need to Generate |
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271 | (5) |
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Keeping Track of Your Money |
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276 | (1) |
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Analyzing Your Profitability |
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277 | (3) |
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280 | (2) |
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Preparing Estimated and Year-End Taxes |
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282 | (1) |
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Computerizing Your Administrivia |
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283 | (11) |
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Organizing Tasks and Responsibilities |
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284 | (1) |
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Everday Essentials for Managing Information in Your Computer |
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285 | (2) |
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Making Time to Do What Needs to Be Done |
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287 | (5) |
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292 | (1) |
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293 | (1) |
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Using Technology to Market Yourself and Increase Your Business |
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294 | (32) |
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Generating a Steady Flow of Business |
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296 | (1) |
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Keeping Track of Your Growing Sphere of Business Contacts |
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297 | (3) |
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Making Sure Your Clients and Customers Keep You in Mind |
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300 | (5) |
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Creating a Professional Image for Your Business |
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305 | (5) |
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Making Sure Clients and Customers Can Reach You: The Telephone |
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310 | (1) |
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Taking Messages When You're Busy or Out of the Office |
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311 | (3) |
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Receiving Calls When You're Out of the Office |
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314 | (3) |
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Handling Incoming Calls While You're on the Line with Someone Else |
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317 | (2) |
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Not Enough Telephone Lines |
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319 | (7) |
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Using Your Computer to Go Online to Find Customers, Collect Money, and Get the Information You Need to Compete |
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326 | (23) |
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Identifying Prospects for a Mailing List or Direct Solicitation |
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332 | (1) |
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Obtaining Credit Information About Clients and Those Who Owe You Money |
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333 | (1) |
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Finding Facts Fast for Business Plans, Proposals, Reports, and Decisions |
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334 | (3) |
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Keeping Current in Your Field |
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337 | (1) |
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Finding Names and Titles for Your Mailings and Sales Calls |
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338 | (1) |
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Finding a Supplier for Hard-to-Find Items and Locating Good Prices |
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339 | (1) |
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340 | (1) |
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341 | (5) |
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Tips for Using Online Services |
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346 | (3) |
| Appendix: Additional Useful Web Sites |
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349 | |
Other versions by this Author