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Plan To Succeed With Information Product Creation: Why You Need To Split Your Process Up

One of the keys to succeeding in information product creation is to break the process up into discrete steps. This frequently isn’t an instinctive reaction for the typical information marketer. Especially on the internet where small sized learning products are the norm.

However, it is extremely important to your ultimate success. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you don’t do this you probably won’t succeed… even when you are starting out let alone as you move forward.

Your product creation system should do this for you if only to help you to understand the overall task.

But why?

In this article, I’m going to ignore chunking and focus on the practical aspects. That’s not to say that chunking isn’t important. It is. It’s important to understanding and to learning the process. But while you can use the same chunks as you move forward, long term your focus needs to be on the operation of the system not the understanding of it. Unless of course you are constantly training new people!

So why is chunking important to long term use of the product creation process? (Yes, I know systems design uses a different term for this process but I’m not teaching you systems design. So I’m going to use the word learning content designers use.)

The first reason that having individual discrete tasks is important is one of schedule estimation. Frequently it is very difficult to estimate how long the total task of creating a product will take. After all, the size and type of the products matters as does the number of products in your product funnel. And those are just the most obvious elements. However, estimating a discrete task is often much easier. The total can then be estimated as the total of the discrete tasks.

Secondly, scheduling a large task can be problematic. However, by segmenting the task into a number of discrete tasks, you gain a much greater flexibility in scheduling. Not only that but as your business begins to add people you are able to schedule multiple people to the product creation.

Finally, segmenting a large task into smaller discrete tasks allows you to have much better control over the product creation. This affects two different areas — status and quality.

By segmenting your process into discrete tasks you are able to schedule and record the progress at much more detailed level. As a result you are more in control of the status of the product creation. You know what everyone is doing. When they should complete it. And how much it should cost. You also know exactly what has been done.

You also improve your overall quality. Instead of waiting until everything is done you can check quality as you go. This allows you to immediate react to low quality products without absorbing their costs. This means that you have less rework and your rework costs less. And if the product is not going to meet its quality requirement you will know about it in time to stop the development, change the requirement or fix the product.

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Getting Started in Real Estate With Little or No Money

You’ve seen the late-night infomercials with self-anointed gurus promising you millions in real estate profits with no money down. The truth is that many of these charlatans never made a dime in real estate, but instead built their fortunes through selling over-priced or useless information to unsophisticated investors suffering from insomnia.

Most of us are smart enough to realize that no real estate “system” is foolproof, and if anything seems too be good to be true, it probably is. However, that doesn’t mean that you need excellent credit and a surplus of cash to get started in real estate. Here are some strategies for financially-constrained aspiring investors to begin generating real estate cash flow.

You Don’t Have to Own a Property to Make Money From It – Be a Dealer

There are two types of quick-sale real estate investors – retailers and dealers. Retailers buy properties outright and sell them for a quick profit. Their risk is highest, but so is their potential reward. Contrary to the late-night realty televangelists, retailers typically need substantial cash for a down payment, and at least decent credit.

Dealers, by contrast, buy and sell contracts, not properties. They find bargain properties and sign purchase contracts with their sellers. Dealers then sell these purchase contracts to retailers, making a solid profit in the process. This is known as “assignment of contract.” Usually, the only cash required is the earnest money to secure the deal. A good dealer can then flip the contract for a quick $1,000 to $3,000 without ever taking possession of the deed.

Use a Double Closing for Greater Profit Potential

A double closing allows a dealer to earn a higher profit margin than an assignment of contract. With an assignment of contract, there is always potential that the deal will ultimately fall through. The dealer is protected in this case because she has already received her proceeds from the sale of the contract, but the retailer who buys the contract from her is wary of the deal falling through, and thus, will factor it into the price he is willing to pay. With a double closing, the dealer assumes more risk, because if the deal falls through, she receives nothing. However, with this greater risk comes a greater reward.

A double closing begins with the dealer signing a purchase contract with the property owner. Then the dealer signs a contract with the retailer, in which the retailer agrees to buy the property from the dealer at a higher price, and deposits that amount in escrow. The property owner signs the deed to the dealer, who then signs it to the retailer. The retailer then signs the loan documents, and the process is complete – the property owner is paid his asking price, and the dealer is paid the difference. Note that the dealer came to the table with no money, and her credit was never an issue.

Be a Scout – No Cash or Credit Required

In addition to dealers and retailers, scouts are a third type of real estate “flipper.” Instead of flipping actual properties or contracts, scouts flip information.

Scouts face even less risk than dealers, and have almost no cash or credit concerns. They simply gather information about distressed properties and sell it to interested dealers and retailers. In effect, scouts do the dirty work for real estate investors, and investors are willing to pay them handsomely for doing it. Typically a scout will gather the following data on a potential deal: The owner’s name and contact information, the asking price, information about the mortgage and whether payments are current, outstanding liens on the property, a photograph of the house, and pertinent information about the owner’s motivation to sell – i.e. is he in the middle of a divorce, foreclosure, job transfer, etc.

Investors typically pay scouts between $500 and $1,000 for good information, but what happens if an investor doesn’t pay? Simple – don’t take any more deals to them. Successful investors realize the value of good information, and they are more than willing to pay for it.

Take Over the Seller’s Mortgage Payments

Prior to 1989, almost all home loans were freely assumable. This meant that anyone could take over the payment of the loans without objection from the lender. However, due to a climate of rising interest rates that began in the late eighties, virtually all home loans issued since then contain a “due-on-sale” clause. This means that when ownership of a property is transferred, the lender can demand payment, in-full, of the outstanding loan.

However, “due-on-sale” is merely a clause – not a law. It is the lender’s prerogative as to whether or not this clause is exercised. If you buy a property and take over the loan payments, there is a distinct possibility that the lender won’t even notice. There’s an even greater chance that the lender will choose not to exercise the due-on-sale clause, so long as you make timely payments. After all, the cost of enforcing the clause is significant, and as long as the lender is being paid, it is unlikely to care who signs the monthly checks. Armed with this knowledge, you can potentially buy properties without a credit check.

Real Estate Success Always Requires an Investment

There are ways to profit from real estate without significant financial investment, however, that is not to say that success comes free and easy. At the very least, you will need to make a substantial investment in yourself. In order to succeed, you must be willing to work hard. Even with a million dollar real estate portfolio, your brain will always be your #1 asset. Be sure to invest in your education on a daily basis, and learn as much as possible about your local market, real estate law, and investment strategies.

How to Start a Home Based Business Today – The Easiest Way

It is so attractive to start a home based business as there are so many benefits. Like more time with the kids and spending more time with your partner. So why are so many people not succeeding?Of course many people have the idea with bags of enthusiasm. However many fail and they go back to what they were doing.Of course other people go on to build a very successful home based business because when they fail they do not give up. Instead they learn from their mistakes and pick themselves up and start again. No one said it was going to be easy and no one said it was not going to take some hard work at firstThe great thing is that it is possible for anybody to start a home based business. One of the easiest ways and quickest ways is to start being an affiliate marketer. This is where you market or sell another marketers products and earn a good commission.Many businesses online have affiliate programs for you to join and sell their products as an affiliate marketer. You don’t work for these companies you promote their products and earn commission.You don’t really need to be a salesman. You can write a blog that follows the same subject as the product you are promoting. Then place adverts on the blog that point to the company’s web site. Every time someone reads your blog and clicks on the advert which produces a sale – you earn a commission.You can furnish your blog with articles that you can write based on free content of the same subject. You can also submit your articles to article directories. As they rank high in the search engines people are likely to read your articles, click on your link to your blog and then purchase the product you are promoting.This is how you can start a home based business. Why not give it a go?