How do you choose the best home based business? There are a lot of factors to consider because there are many different kinds of work you can do. You may also need to consider factors such as the amount of money it will take to get started and whether you have the skills to succeed.What are you good at? The best home based business for you is going to be one that makes use of the skills you already have. If you don’t know how to cook, starting a catering service is probably not a good idea. Think about all of the things you know how to do already. What jobs have you had in the past and what skills did you develop while you were working there? What are your hobbies? Do you know how to build model airplanes or repair a leaky faucet? These are all skills that can be made into businesses.Why should you base your home based business on your existing skills? Your best chance of success is to do something you already good at. If you decide to design jewelry but you have never made a single necklace, it is going to take you some time to get good at it. There is a learning curve for everything. Start a service that depends on your existing skills to cut out the learning curve and go straight to the point where you are able to make some money.How do you get started with a home based business? The best way to start is by telling your friends and family about it. Tell them what you are doing and ask if they know anyone who might need your services. You can also post flyers on notice boards at local stores or place a newspaper ad advertising your service.

As more and more marketers join the ranks of affiliate marketing today, there is a growing need for individuals to learn how to build a successful home based business and do so in a short time. Personally, it seems with the rush of growth in this market so many start out with a great drive and purpose but quickly fail at building that business due to not having a good plan.So what will you need to do to make your business successful? I suggest the following 5 things:1.) Find Professional Support:You will need to find a community of people that will support your efforts, help you as you learn, and give you positive direction and encouragement. I have found such a community and do suggest that you join as soon as you can once you decide you want to try to build a successful home based business.2.) Find Personal Support:This can come in many forms. Spiritual, Emotional, and in my personal opinion your health being a main concern. When people decide to “do what it takes” to build a successful home based business they quickly learn that it is not as easy as they might have thought. This in itself can lead to issues or problems with their health due to long hours working hard on their business. So, find support for these three areas and give yourself time to rest.3.) Find Hope:Did you know that hope drives all humans? Hope is what we feed off of and dream about. Hopes can become dreams and those dreams are what drives us to our goals. The hope is to build a successful home based business. That hope builds in us to become a dream to do so. That dream then becomes the drive and motivation we need to succeed.4.) Find Personal Goals:As we just saw, dreams build up in us and motivate us but where does that all go? If you set goals for your business you will be successful because you know have aim. You have gone from hope to a dream to an action and you must aim that action like a gun, so to speak. Set goals, make the attainable, pursue them with your action and follow through!5.) Find Success:If you have done all of the above, you can become that great Internet marketer you have dreamed to become. Success is not just making money. Success is building your home based business into something you work hard to achieve and something that you are proud of once it is built. Find success in even the little things and that right there will drive you to greater goals!

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.