The Friends In Business Beginning Entreprenuer's Toolbox

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Scams 101

Where do I start?

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"Seven years to pack a toolbox?"

Yes indeedy! I take my responsibility very seriously.

MaaMaw's Toolbox

Home!

Our Fabulous Forum!

The FriendsInBusinessBlog!

The BEST Webhost!

My Favorite Gurus!

And I confess, I inherited just a tad of my late pappy's obsessive-compulsive disorder --

a problem for me,
a virtual insurance policy for you :-)

My choices are the result of seven long years of searching, visiting, reading, testing, ash-canning, and starting over. Thus, it is with total confidence that I shriek, "IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!"

Everything on this page has earned *MaaMaw's Personal Seal of Approval* and is guaranteed to fit snugly into the "100% Scam-Proof, Top-Of-the-Line, You-Really-Can't-Afford-To-Miss-This" department.

MaaMaw's Toolbox is a work in progress, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often.

One last thing before we start:

I never said this list was exclusive, so don't get your bowels in an uproar. I'm not here to bash those who didn't rate or are yet to be discovered but to sing the praises of the people, places, and products that have earned a permanent home in

MaaMaw's Magnificent Toolbox (or is that "Magnificent MaaMaw's Toolbox"?)

(Syskitty's note --The old beloved toolbox was battered and worn, and after Lesley's death, it started suffering from 404-Linkdeath Syndrome. I'm working hard to update this page, because in the past she'd linked to so many tools that I had used.)

THE WORLD'S *BEST* WEB SITE HOST

I've been with AllWebCo since time began (seven years and counting), and I honestly don't believe there is a better web site host on the planet. Their rates are extremely low, but somehow they manage to keep their service second to none -- and that has never wavered, even in the middle of two devastating hurricanes. I can't begin to tell you how good they've been to me (but I'll surely try :-) Learn more...

DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION

Yes, I'm recommending AllWebCo again -- not because I get a commission (I don't), but because they're the best. Come on, it's only a domain name. Who cares, right? I care -- and so do they. I can't always count on myself to stay on top of things. I need someone who will track me down before I miss a deadline, and AllWebCo has done that for me time and time again. My domain names are too important to mess around with. As far as I'm concerned, peace of mind is well worth a few extra pennies. Learn more...

QUESTION ABOUT WEB SITE DESIGN?

You can always count on Steve MacLellan to come up with the answer. A FIB participant for years, he knows so much it's almost scary, and he's always willing to help. Visit Steve's discussion board...

NEED TO FIND YOUR NICHE?

Niches are the way to riches -- find your own little corner of the Internet and market the heck out of it (and, no, "marketing info products about internet information products marketing" isn't going to be it, no matter what kind of chirpy info-letter-pages you run into. And there's a lot of them out there, let me tell you!) However, John Thornhill HAS been writing about and teaching about finding niche internet markets and reaching them ever since Moses was a corporal (as my dad says.) His "Niche Navigator" ebook is only $17, and believe me you can get $17 worth of advice from it

Success Stories and Case Histories

THE BUSINESS FASTLANE

For mere peanuts, you gain immediate access to articles and ideas by some truly great marketing minds (including the amazing Don Alm). And oodles of case studies -- more than 357 of them! -- many of which come complete with all the "secret details" you need to ethically steal these rock-solid, tried-and-true business ideas. They range from everyday to, shall we say, bizarre (hey, don't knock bizarre; it can make you rich). Some require specialized skills... many require absolutely none. Learn more...

THINK LIKE A REAL ENTREPRENEUR

All the good advice in the world isn't worth a rat's patoot if you run around like a kid in a candy store. So kick back with our Fabulous Featured Article on how to think like a real entrepreneur) by artist-author MCA Hogarth.

Cool Tools (and books!)

PRE-PACKAGED WEBSITE DEALS
If you're all excited now and want to run off and do your own website -- but can't tell the difference between HTML code and a really really hard math problem, then trot on over to see Lee Dobbins. She builds custom websites using Word Press blogging software (which means your website will be easy to update, easy to install, easy to tinker with, and all that jazz) -- plus she's one of the Nice People on Internet. Templates start at $29.00 and for another $10 or so, you can buy some pre-written articles so your site won't look so bare.

SEAMONKEY SEE, SEAMONKEY DO
If you're the same kind of lunatic coder that I am, and don't want to spend a bazillion dollars on WYSIWYG HTML Editors (and if you know what that means, you ARE one of us), then check out Seamonkey. It's the old Mozilla Netscape Navigator with the simple Composer tool that lets you get on with creating a webpage and best of all it's free. That's what I'm using for these pages. Easier than CoffeeCup. Trust me on this one.

ADSENSE 101
Adsense Marketing -- everyone's talking about it and by the time you get done reading all the pages on this strategy and that one, your head probably hurts. Mine did. If you're a fan of the "For Dummies" series (and there are some great books in the series), you will probably enjoy Adsense For Dummies. Even the experienced can learn a few tricks from it, but I think it's a better choice for people trying to get started with Adsense and wondering what in the heck it means and how to do it.

Ebay is still one of the easier ways of making money. Several folks recommended Deb Henry's "Fishing For Niches" as a good starter manual, particularly for people who love to shop on Ebay and want to try turning a profit instead of spending all their cash on goodies. Don't get me wrong -- I like goodies, but I have a garage full of them and if I could foist them off on other folks for money, I could get... MORE GOODIES! Anyway, Deb is a certified Ebay Education Specialist (yes, there really IS such a thing. I checked. With Ebay.) and has ways to help you find people willing to part with their money niche customers on Ebay.

Legitimate Business Opportunities

KAESER & BLAIR ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES
I was a Kaeser & Blair business owner for a short time, and I bombed royally. (It was before I figured out that, for me, waking up every day knowing I had to approach living, breathing prospects was even more horrifying than a chocolate famine.) However, I was with the company long enough to know that the opportunity they offer is absolutely legitimate. They've been in business for well over 100 years and are highly respected in the industry. So... if this sounds like it's right up your alley, I strongly recommend you contact Dennis Bevers. He has been doing extremely well with K&B for many, many years. If you're serious about building a successful advertising specialties business, you won't find a better guide than Dennis. Learn more...

♦ REFRESH to rotate MAAMAW'S CLICKY NOTES thru this space..... Timely Tips, Best of the Boards & More ♦

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS! Research all business opportunities thoroughly, and never blow off other people's bad experiences. Ask around (and listen!). The Scams101 Message Board is a good place to start. What's that? You've found a Biz Op and you're wondering if it's endorsed by FIB?... Not unless it's listed in MaaMaw's Magnificent Toolbox.

THIS BOARD IS BEING MAINTAINED ON BEHALF OF LESLEY'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Lesley Fountain
Died August 21, 2009

Current webmaster: Mel. White (webmaster@friendsinbusiness.com)