Does It Really Take Money To Make Money (Online or Offline)? A Reality-Check of 2 Case Studies

The short and simple answer to this question is NO!

Now, before you start screaming that I am crazy, out of my mind, have lost my marbles and all the other things that generally get tossed around when someone has the nerve to state something like that, let me clear a few things up.

It does not take a monetary investment to get your business off the ground (aside from the everyday items you already have around your house).

It does take time, effort, drive and determination on your part to do it though, a good dose of imagination, sprinkle in some luck for good measure and most importantly, it takes a dream. Now I am not going to go into any of the usual dream-building, nor will I tell you exactly what to do, or how hard you have to work to do it. You already know the answers to these things.

NOW, to make it big (and trust me, what you consider to be 'big' may differ greatly from every other reader of this article) it will at some point take monetary investments. There, I said it. At some point, if you really want to break out and make some serious money, you will have to invest some money in your business.

But that does not mean you can't get started for free, work hard, and see your cashflow begin to roll in. At that point, reward yourself, you've earned it, maybe take your loved one out for a dinner, because he/she probably had to put up with quite a bit already.

Being an entrepreneur is not hard, but the dedication it demands can be hard on any relationship, so take a night off.

Ok, now we're back, had a great and wonderful evening, time to get back to work. The next step is to take some of the money you are making and if at all possible, invest it all in growing your business (after all, you probably still have a job that pays your bills at this point).

If you reinvest at least a healthy part of what you earn from your new venture, you can achieve the success you dreamed of, but beware, it can be an pretty strong temptation to start tossing your money out the window, but I know you are strong enough, deep inside (go ahead, grab yourself by the collar and shake a little) to overcome it.

Let me give you two examples from my own experience that I hope will inspire you to take your dream, embrace it and get you rolling with your own vision.

Case Scenario 1: Offline Food Delivery Service

While still living in San Antonio, I was working part time at a Pizza joint delivering pizzas a few nights a week. I had a full time job as a dispatcher, but with a wife (now ex-wife), two kids, a dog and a cat, and all the bills that come with a family, things can get tight. The team that managed this little franchise was doing a pretty poor job at marketing, and an even worse job at managing. Well, enough of the ugly picture, it just gets worse. Time to talk shop...

I wanted to do something a little different, help my colleagues (who were just as fed up as I was), so I happened to notice that most of the deliveries (and probably the only thing really keeping that pizza shop going) was the local Air Force training facility.

So I sat down one weekend, with my ex-wife and laid out the plan (You have to have a plan. Let it start as a vision and a dream, but make sure you write it out step by step).

The plan was simple, take orders from the Airmen, pick up food, take the food to them, and get paid. Easy, huh?

Ok, here's what I did, I made some flyers on my beat up old computer, used a freeware contact management software to keep track of customers and an old tin lockbox I had in the garage for a change drawer. Bingo, N.E. Deliveries was born.

We would take calls from the local servicemen and my ex-wife would jot down their order. She then paged me, since I normally hung out (if I wasn't on a run) near Fast Food Central (a little corner where a bunch of the main chains all had a shop). I called her back from the payphone (I didn't have a cell phone at the time), took the order, grabbed it from the store and took it to the Airbase. Cost to the Airmen? Price of the food, plus a $5 delivery charge and whatever they wanted to tip me. Understand the scenario please, these men and women, come out of basic training and haven't even seen a Big Mac in ages. Now they are at a technical school, which still doesn't give them the freedom to run down the street and grab a taco.

It only took one weekend and I had made more money with this venture than I had during the whole week of delivering pizzas every night.

But here's the kicker. Word spread real fast, I got too busy and I was even getting orders to go pick up pizzas at my old shop (they couldn't deliver fast enough and people were willing to pay the delivery charge for good and fast service). We even started getting calls from the local neighborhoods, were our fliers had spread to, or other personnel, who were not in training at the airbase, lived.

Uhoh, we ran into a big problem, too much business. (What a wonderful problem to have). It happened that I kept running into some of my former colleagues, and boy I tell you, the first few times they saw me show up at their shop to grab a pizza and then a little while later some others saw me deliver their pizza to the airbase, wow, what a rush that was and it was the turning point for my company. 4 of the drivers that I was pretty close to and that I had great respect for came on board with me instead.

The end scenario was that we delivered a lot of food to hungry people and made everyone happy in the process. And the drivers were able to make more money as well.

Scenario 2: Online and offline Telecommunications Brokerage

Unfortunately, N.E. Deliveries had to stop when we were transferred to Japan (thinking back, I know I could have sold the concept and kept it going, but I was still new to business thinking).

So, here we were, overseas in a new country, not a lot of jobs to even start with, what to do.

I happened to notice that a lot of the phone services for calls back to the States were very expensive and even more so in my case, since most of my family lives in Germany.

I also happened to have noticed this online company, which was giving away free dealerships for long distance calls, callback programs and a few other telecommunications services. And who doesn't like free? Not only that, but their rates were pretty good, they offered not just one service from one company, but a lot of them together. So I sat down at that old beat up computer again, cleared out all the contacts from N.E. Deliveries out of the same old freeware contact manager, and created some new flyers. I was able to hang them up in a lot of areas at no charge and started to get some calls in. Now, part of my online business meant, I could literally just send them to a website, let them pick the service they wanted and just wait for my check. The problem I saw though was that a lot of military people overseas at the time were not familiar with what a callback service is, so I decided to help. I put my phone number on the flier, and when someone called, I explained to them briefly the cost, how it works and what makes it better for them than using, say a calling card. I would even go visit them to show them how and even set up an account I used for myself as a demo account and would allow them to call home to the United States for 5 minutes for free, just so they could say hi to someone special in their life.

Just doing something simple like that (and it really didn't cost me much on my phone bill) generated a lot of extra sign ups, since I went out of my way to give them more information than any of the other companies that were trying to push their services.

Ultimately, this lead to a steady, monthly stream of income and several other opportunities to work with other companies as a telecommunications consultant. The best part? I learned everything I needed to know from the online company I signed on with, I still learn a lot even now. I am still receiving paychecks from clients that signed up with me all those years ago, who now have services through me in either the United States or in some of the other countries they are now stationed in. And once I took some of that income and placed a small display ad in the local military paper, wow, things really started to take off.

The overall thing I want you to leave with after taking the time to read all of this is plain and simple: YOU CAN MAKE MONEY OFF-LINE AND/OR ON-LINE, without investing any additional money (I only gave you two examples, but your imagination will guide you well, as long as you think outside of the box). And you can grow your business even more by reinvesting some of your earnings (if not all) into your new venture.

I know you've heard it a thousand times before, but I have to say it anyway. If I can do it, so can you. I have no special education (aside from the school of hard knocks), no degree, none of those things. I am just an average guy, with a computer, an internet connection, a printer and most importantly the dream, desire, vision and determination to succeed.

Here's to your success,

Xavier Nelson is the publisher of eBusinessCornerNews, your source for reviews, articles, free resources and more. Get your free subscription at http://blog.makemoneymarketingonline.com right now.

Don't forget to grab your free copy of the new, rebrandable ebook "Time to laugh" at http://freestuffbazaar.com/timetolaugh and promote your website and grow your list further. My gift to you.

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

INTERNATIONAL: An 'entrepreneurial society' has costs
International Herald Tribune, France - 1 hour ago
Entrepreneurialism is fundamental to capitalist development, economic growth and renewal. However, some innovations created by entrepreneurial activity can ...

Entrepreneurialism And The Dwarf House
Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 25, 2008
To become an entrepreneur is enjoyable when you have a passion for a business idea you are passionate about. However, if you have to become an entrepreneur ...

BBC News
City company builds new global HQ
BBC News, UK - Aug 27, 2008
"The company represents the very best in Scottish entrepreneurialism - nurturing a good idea, combined with a passionate belief in what they are offering, ...

Home Based Early Childhood Educator
Seattle Times, United States - 8 hours ago
... client/customer service orientation, embracing a team player orientation, entrepreneurialism, and maintaining a professional demeanor. ...

Ashoka and the art of social entrepreneurship
Real Business, UK - Aug 27, 2008
His big point is, however, powerful and one that Real Business has been arguing over the past few years: that entrepreneurialism has the power to change; ...

If we continue to be entrepreneurs we will be strong
Liverpool Daily Post, UK - Aug 26, 2008
Whatever happens now, we need to hold on to that sense of entrepreneurialism during the months ahead. That way we have a chance of coming out of this ...

Economics Ain't Gymnastics: Why China Won't Overtake America
U.S. News & World Report, DC - Aug 13, 2008
Instead of looking inward to the core American value of individualism and entrepreneurialism, they looked eastward to Japan and saw a high-tech, ...
Alone or Together: Paths to Glory New York Times
Should We Give China a Break? Washington Post
all 3 news articles

Bringing a 'cultural revolution' to automakers
MLive.com, MI - Aug 11, 2008
Now, we need to foster a climate of entrepreneurialism that popularizes risk and encourages innovative thinking. For the auto industry, Martens believes ...
• Shift to hybrids means automakers need 'cultural revolution ... MLive.com
all 3 news articles

Domestic drilling keeps our money here, builds economy
Idaho Press-Tribune, ID - Aug 24, 2008
Republicans understand that free markets, capitalism and entrepreneurialism make the world go ‘round. A principle lost on the Dems. ...

Secrets of Entrepreneurial Success Revealed
PR Web (press release), WA - Aug 17, 2008
Meanwhile, a wealthy background appears to deter entrepreneurialism, with more than nine out of ten successful business people describing themselves as ...
Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Creates Prepaid Card Solution ... PR Web (press release)
all 5 news articles

Pre-Money vs. Post-Money Valuation

When a company decides that it must raise capital, a key question that must be answered is how much the company is worth. For example, if the... Read More

Adding a Service After You Buy a Business

When you buy a business, you should have a plan. Why have you chosen that particular business? Why that particular time to buy a business? What can... Read More

Entrepreneurial Business Plan The Down And Dirty Way

Does the idea of running your own business sound exciting? Do you have a business up and running and want to take it to the next level?After... Read More

Needs Versus Wants For Entrepreneurs

How often do the words "I need" come out of your mouth, as it relates to your business? When you run your own company, it's easy to... Read More

The 7 Major Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Overcome Them

This year, over 800,000 of the approximately 2,000,000 start up businesses will fail!Nearly 1,000,000 of those remaining will fail within 3 years. Why do so many businesses... Read More

Can a Microbusiness Help You Enjoy a Better Retirement?

Not having enough money for a comfortable retirement tops the list of financial concerns among aging Americans, according to a recent Gallup Poll. It even outweighs peoples'... Read More

The Entrepreneurial Difference

Who would ever have imagined that going door-to-door in my neighborhood selling figs from a bright orange shopping cart would have been my entrepreneurial beginnings? I surely... Read More

Lessons Learned from One Entrepreneur on Vioxx

For the past ten-months, I tried every drug from the popular Vioxx, Celebrex and Aleve, to the long-standing Percocet, Ibruprofen 800, with some other fabulous ones like... Read More

The Magic of Float

If you've ever received a service today and paid for it in 30 days you've experienced the concept of "float" ? the time difference between when you... Read More

Herb Filled Pillows Make Over a Million Dollars

Lauren Rosenstadt was a single mom working at a herbcompany in Bethesda, Maryland. A herb (pronounced "erb") isa plant that has medicinal, savory, or aromic qualities. Oneday... Read More

Increase Profits with No Pain, No Change Approach

Implementing changes, even when they're good for your business, can be tough. As the old adage goes, old habits die hard and it's just as true in... Read More

Focus is the Key to a Successful Startup

The definition of a startup means you have very few resources to employ and little time to get them to do something valuable. The clock is always... Read More

How To Start a New Business

While it is tempting to just leap into a new business because of it's exciting possibilities, a few key planning points will vastly increase your chances of... Read More

An Entrepreneurs Challenge

Living in the twilight zone has its advantages. In the early days of starting my business, I found the limitations of living in a rural area to... Read More

Why I Should Go In To Business

Rohit Kochgaway was very upset with his boss for his rebuking him today in office. He was very upset with his job. When he reached home in... Read More

10 Ways Entrepreneurs Shoot Themselves In The Foot

Entrepreneurs and their businesses have a tendency to ambush themselves when they aren't looking. This affects how much revenue they can generate, how fast their business rises,... Read More

Financial Strategies for Transitioning from Salaried to Solo

7 Financial Strategies for Transitioning from Salaried to SoloA 40's something woman was talking to me the other day about her growing sense of frustration with "working... Read More

Dream It, Create It, Become It! Design a Dream Board

Have you ever heard of "Dream Boards" or "Treasure Maps"? A Dream Board is a visual picture of the dreams you have for your life. Some of... Read More

The Fear Factor

I recently conducted a lil' survey asking my colleagues what were their biggest fears when thinking about starting a business or running their business. The following are... Read More

Ex-Yankee Pitcher Pitches Barter As Powerful Business Tool

Mission Viejo, CA - June 14, 2005 - Bob Meyer, a former major league pitcher in the 1960s who signed four-consecutive major league contracts with the New... Read More

How To Find Hot Online Business Ideas

Would you like to find the key that unlocks the door to a gold-mine of online response, sales and results for your business?It seems obvious that you... Read More

Selecting a Venture

The basic rule is simple: "Find a market need and fill it!" The process of finding the need, and the method chosen to fill it are where... Read More

Top Ten Ways to Increase Your Profitability

1) Go back to basics. Take a couple of steps back and address the fundamental facts or principles of your business. Going back to basics can mean... Read More

Entrepreneurs - Your Well Being Should Come Before Profits

I believe the spiritual aspect of life, especially to entrepreneurs, is very important. While business may be the focal point for an entrepreneur's life, it's your outlook... Read More

Increasing Business BIGTIME with a Successful Referral System

What I've discovered from most of my small business clients is that most would prefer to build their business through referrals rather than through direct mail, advertising... Read More

Opportunity Does Not Knock

Q: I'm graduating this year with a degree in business and would like to start my own business rather than get a corporate job. I have a... Read More