Starting your Christian home based business is a big decision. There are so many factors to consider. Will you be able to make the income you desire? Can you create the lifestyle you’ve dreamed of? What kind of hours will you have to put in to be successful? What are the risks? What are the rewards? Here are some good thoughts about starting a Christian business from home.First of all, you need to know that business isn’t evil. When the internet first came out, Christians were skeptical and many even said that it was evil. There are certainly quite a few things on the internet that are evil but the internet itself is not evil. You can download your favorite preaching, connect with missionaries around the globe and discuss theology on blog forums. The point is that, whether a medium is good or bad is determined by the person using it. Your business can be a tool that is used for good.A business is, essentially, a solution to someone’s problem.As a business owner, you are solving problems. The size of the problem that you fix determines how much you get paid. A doctor gets paid the big bucks because he solves a big problem. A fast-food chain worker doesn’t really solve a big problem and their paycheck reflects that. Everyday people type their specific problems into Google and hope that someone out there has an answer for them. You may have the answer to their problem. If you have something that you do well, whether it be teaching science, day care or selling a product, you may have a home-based business that is just waiting to take flight.One of the best parts about having your own business is that you can create a schedule that fits your lifestyle. That could be evil if your lifestyle includes binge drinking at the clubs. Running your own business could mean more time with your family, coaching little league, going on missions trips, volunteering at a soup kitchen or working with your church. All very good things. It means that when something like what happened in New Orleans or in Haiti happens, you don’t have to wonder if you have time off. You can get on a plane and help. That is a very good thing.Lastly, after getting paid for solving someone’s problem, you can earn a great income. By starting your Christian home based business you will have money. Money has a bad reputation in the Christian community and for good reason. People do a lot of evil things with money. You don’t have to be one of those people. The love of money is, in fact, the root of many, many evils. You don’t have to love money. You can tell a lot about a person by how they spend their money. It is an outward expression of what is inside a person’s heart. As a Christian, there are many good ways to spend your money. You can start a trust for your child’s education, give to charity, give to your local church, orphans and widows would also appreciate the fruit of your labors.There are plenty of good reasons to start your Christian home based business. You can solve problems and help others, create a schedule that fits your lifestyle, earn a great income, and you can work for yourself and know that your business is anything but evil.

Do you like getting up before you’re awake and going out in the dark and cold of winter, then sitting in traffic for hours day in, day out? Thousands of people have quit that daily grind and have started their own MLM home based business. They can set their own schedules, get up when they want, and have a real life, being around their families and loved ones when they want and taking vacations exactly when they want to, not a few days here and there to fit in with their miserable boss’s wishes!Have you been considering some kind of home based business, but afraid to think about it seriously? Perhaps you have looked at a few MLM businesses, and some of the scams that are out there too.MLM Home Based Business – the Hard FactsIf you want to know the hard facts about MLM, or multi level marketing, you should know that there are a lot of things to consider.First, if someone tells you it’s easy, he has obviously forgotten about the long hours he put in at the beginning. Perhaps it’s easy for him now, but there are a number of crucial factors you should take into account before you write a buy-in check, or sign on the dotted line.Be aware that there are less than 30 MLM companies that have been around for over 10 years. There is nothing wrong with the business model, just that all those companies that failed simply did not set things up right.These companies could see that having a system where one person recruits many others, called a down-line team, would mean having ever increasing numbers of people selling their product. Great! What’s wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. So where did they go wrong?There are two main reasons these companies folded. First, their products were not as desirable as they thought they would be or not profitable enough, or second, their compensation plan sucked.MLM Home Based Business Due DiligenceWhen you are looking to join an MLM home based business, the compensation plan is the first and most important thing you should look at. Ask questions. Ask what system they use. There are many complicated systems out there, so make sure you understand what you are getting into.Then look at the product. Is it well advertised, is it something most people would want that they can’t easily get in a store, is it good quality and is it enduring? Will people want this in five years time? If they don’t, then where will you be?Mary Kay, for example, has endured because its compensation plan allows for everyone to make money. The more you sell, the more you make, simple. They are also pretty tight about territories too, no good trying to sell in a small area where 20 other people are selling too.If you have a company in mind, get on forums and find other people to talk to who work for that company. You will have to look out for people who have failed though; the attrition rate is very high in any MLM business, mainly because people think they are going to make money from day one, or they don’t put in any effort.The Bottom LineBuilding a profitable home based MLM business takes time, skill and a major commitment. So doing your due diligence before you invest your hard-earned money is a good step in the right direction.You should also outline a sales and marketing plan to promote both the product and the opportunity – before you sign up. Seriously. Because the only way you will ever make any money is sell the company products, services and recruit others to do the same.Do you have any clue how you will go about making this happen?Do you have any idea what you need to do to create a steady stream of highly interested prospects to take a look at your wares? Will you build a web site and market online? How will you drive traffic? Do you intend to run ads or participate in a company or team sponsored advertising co-op? What kind of budget do you have to invest into your business? What type of training, tools and advice will you make available to your new team members.

Every day more and more people across the globe are becoming financially free by setting up their own Internet home based business. It is no longer a case of whether it’s possible or not; you either join the revolution or you watch and wonder what if. So let’s assume you want to get involved and try to clear up some of the urban myths about Internet home based business.Myth 1
They are all scamsThe first thing to clarify is that in my experience about 95% of the Internet home based business models out there are genuine opportunities but that doesn’t mean to say that they are all worth doing, not by a long way; some of them just don’t even come close.So how do you figure out which ones are good and which are bad? Well for me it was purely trial and error. I hit a few dead ends and bad apples but it was all worth it in the end, I can tell you. But I don’t want to digress into my story, let’s get back to dispelling the myths.Myth 2
It’s only technical people and computer wizards who can make a success of it.This is simply not true. Many people on my team come from all types of backgrounds from nurses to retired teachers. It doesn’t matter what your history is, everyone can learn how to run a successful Internet home based business in under 6 months.Now 6 months may not sound that appealing but think how long you’ve been in your current day job, probably the one you don’t even like that much. Now imagine that in 6 months time you can be financially free working from home; exciting isn’t it.Myth 3
It’s only the people at the top that ever make any moneyThis myth has come about from all the multi-level marketing (or MLM) systems out there but is not the case with the Internet home based business models that I suggest you look at.Through the power of a new model called GPT (or Get Paid Today) you can set your business up so that you get paid every time you make a sale and not just when your team sells for you.Myth 4
You have to work full time to have any chance of successAgain, not true. When I started I was working just evenings and weekends and was able to almost duplicate my normal income within 3 months. The real key to success is not really the amount of time you put in but how you do it. You need to work on your Internet home based business every single day no matter how small and I do mean EVERY single day and you will make it a success.Internet Home Based Business AutomationAs I mentioned before it is possible to become financially free in 6 months with your Internet home based business but this will require some commitment on your part. You need to treat it like any other business on the planet and give it constant daily action to keep the fuel burning. You also need to find the right online system to work with, one that will not just educate you but also give you the opportunity to scale it up and take it to the next level.

It’s in markets like this that a commercial real estate management portfolio is of prime importance in the function of the real estate business. The management portfolio allows the agent to have a supply of properties for sales or lease in the future, as well as management fees from the portfolio in the meantime. In effect, the management portfolio is a source of controlled stock for the agent to sell or lease in the future.

Property Agents Building the Portfolio?

So how do you build a commercial property management portfolio? The simple answer is that you build it from the sales and leases that you do in the current market. The landlord is most receptive to the change of property manager when they are purchasing the property or when they are undertaking a new lease.

Referral business from other property owners and business leaders is also a way to get in touch with the landlords that may own property and want to outsource property management services. In saying that, a real estate agent is always far better positioned to capture local market intelligence and enquiry that can shorten a vacancy period for a tenancy in a landlords property.

Agents Should Protect Their Property Management Portfolio

It should be said that a property management portfolio should be protected and serviced well by the managing agent. Commercial and retail property is not like residential property; you need knowledge and the right people to do the management process well.

Costly mistakes can be made if the property manager does not understand the property type or local area. Landlords will happily move to another agent if too many mistakes are made.

Here is why:

The tenants in the property should be optimised in a tenant mix plan. This says that the tenants require strategy and placement into the property. When you have multiple tenants in a property, this becomes even more important.
The income for the landlord comes from the leases that should be optimised and managed for critical dates
The expenditure in the asset will need controls and budgets to ensure that cost standards are maintained and do not blow out beyond the standards in the local area.
Every lease should be managed so the vacancy factors in all properties are minimised.
When a vacancy occurs the property manager should proactively market the vacant space to the right target market to attract property enquiry.
The maintenance processes in a commercial or retail building today require expertise and understanding especially when it comes to essential services and satisfying the codes that apply to building operation and function. In many cases you will need the assistance of a building engineer to oversee matters of compliance today.
Build the right management portfolio and then protect it with good service and good people. Landlords and tenants will appreciate the care taken. Your agency business will grow around a sound and stable property management portfolio and client base.

Your 401(k) plan (or 403(b) or 457 Plan for that matter) is likely managed by one of the following companies: Ameriprise Financial, Credit Suisse Securities, Deutsche Bank, Edward Jones, Graystone Consulting, J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer & Co., Raymond James, RBC Wealth Management, UBS Financial Services, or Wells Fargo Advisors. These companies and their financial advisers control most of the retirement wealth in the United States.

Now, ask your financial adviser if you can invest directly in real estate with your current plan. They will probably tell you that you cannot invest directly in real estate, but they have a number of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) you can choose from. Even though a REIT has real estate in its name, it is not an investment in property. REIT is an investment in a fund that obtains its cash flow from investment properties. It is different from a direct investment in real estate.

REITs do not typically let you leverage your investment, which is one of the most powerful forces for creating long-term wealth. Even with an investment in a REIT, your retirement portfolio is likely 70 percent or more invested in various mutual funds, all of which experience stock market volatility. That’s neither diversification nor smart asset allocation investing. The Internal Revenue Service will let you invest directly in real estate, but your plan administrator will not. Why? Because they’re not set up to handle the administration nor do they earn a commission by recommending direct investment in real estate.

Let me give you an example: Say you have only one asset, $200,000 cash and no liabilities. You decide to invest $100,000 in mutual funds and $100,000 in direct real estate investments, both of which are appreciating at 6 percent per year. The only difference is that you can borrow additional money from a bank to buy more properties. You obtain a 20-year amortizing loan at 5 percent. To be conservative, you borrow only $300,000, so you have a 75 percent loan-to-value ratio. After 20 years, your mutual fund investment has increased to $320,714, while your real estate investment has increased to $1,282,854, an increase of $962,140 over the mutual fund investment. That’s a 300 percent increase in value with the same $100,000.

What about the payment of the debt over the 20-year holding period? The mortgage has been paid off by your tenant who operates his business on your property. You get the tax benefits of depreciation and interest write offs, if you’ve invested personally. If you’ve invested your money through a Self-Directed 401(k), that money is growing tax-deferred or tax-free, depending on whether you have a Traditional or Roth account.

You think this is unrealistic? The only unrealistic expectation is to think that your mutual fund accounts have appreciated at 6 percent. According to Dalbar, Inc., the average mutual fund investment has gone up on average of 3.27 percent over a 20-year period. The National Association of Realtors, on the other hand, reported that real estate has appreciated in value an average of 6 percent over the past 30 years, even with the downturn in the economy that occurred in 2008.

If most financial advisors preclude you from investing directly in real estate, how do you invest in real property with your 401(k) account? The answer is, you don’t with your company 401(k) account. The only money you should be investing in your company 401(k) account is enough to get the full matching funds. For instance, if you are making $100,000 a year and your company offers a 4 percent match, you invest $4,000 in your company 401(k) to get the 4 percent match. They do a 100 percent match up to 4 percent of your income. Then you create a Solo or Individual 401(k) account with an administrator/custodian that handles Self-Directed Accounts and invest the rest of your retirement funds in that account up to the $51,000 contribution limit if you’re under 50 or $56,500 if you are 50 or older.

So, if you contributed $4,000 to your company 401(k), and your employer matched it with another $4,000, you can contribute $43,000 to your new Self-Directed Solo 401(k) account. If you’re 50 or older, it would be $48,500. That amount can be invested each year for you and your spouse, if you have it set up properly. There are no income limits.

Eligibility for a Solo 401(k) account requires two things: (1) the presence of a self-employment activity; and (2) the absence of full-time employees. So you set up a consulting business either as an S-Corporation or limited liability company (LLC) and pay yourself a salary, 100 percent of which can be contributed to your retirement fund. Then you invest in commercial, income-producing real estate investments. It’s that simple.