Small businesses often need a little financial help to get started. This can come in the form of loans from banks and financial institutions but you must pay these back at some point. Obtaining a small business grant may be a better solution for a start up company strapped for cash. These can often be found at the state level.

Small Business Association

The Small Business Association offers much information on loans for small businesses. They focus on certain aspects of small businesses such as women and minority owned, green energy business and those improving child care. There are also state grants available there for business that are profitable for your particular state like tourism and specific product sales. Check the Small Business Association website given at the bottom of this article for a list of grants that your business may qualify for.

U.S. Government

 There are several small business grants offered by the government for each state. Their website has a grant search tool that can help you find the perfect grant to apply for. There are also many other financing options available for small business owners. It is important to make sure that you qualify for each grant you apply for. Even one small mistake in paperwork or documentation can disqualify you for the grant you’ve chosen. Check the government website link at the bottom of this page for information on their financial aid for small businesses.

Minority Business Development

 The Minority Business Development Agency helps small businesses owned by minorities. They give links to each states application and small business grant applications and check lists. They offer other information on starting and running a small business such as employee relations, business tools and national news of interest to small minority owned businesses.  This can be a valuable resource for many aspects of owning and running a small business. Check the resources section of this article for the website link.

Grants.gov

 Grants.gov is a wonderful tool for small business owners looking for financial aid for their business. There are more than 900 grants from over 26 government agencies focusing on many different groups and qualification points. It also offers a tracking device to help keep track of each grant applied for and the status of each. There is a whole section for applicant resources with articles, checklists and links to help become more educated on the grant process.

The Foundation Center

The Foundation Center is a subscription service that hooks up small business owners with various grantors. There is a lot of free information here as well. There is an online orientation that walks newbies through the process of grant seeking and all the in’s and out’s of the process in a step by step method. The subscription fee entitles members to the database of over 80,000 grant makers.

Autumn for me is about getting grounded. Its about reminding myself of the most important things in my life and remembering to appreciate them. When I get in this frame of mind, away from the heated and frenzied days of summer, that I take up old routines like bigger fancier meals stock full of southern comfort foods.

Cooking so much gives me time to think about myriad subjects as the spoon goes round and round and my thoughts with it. The days activities, tomorows wish list, holiday preps and end of year wrap up neccessities all travel around in my head. New ideas present themselves, both personal and public, work ideas, family ideas, relgious thoughts, spititual ideas… And I feel more open to new ideas and to other perspecctives.

I wonder if its this karmic, renewal process that happens to me each year or if its just luck but I have found a new cook book that blows my mind. Its a Vegan cookbook but that ‘aint it, friends and neighbors. Bloodroot Volume 2 by Selma Miriam and Noel Furie is a collection of recipies from the famous vegan restauraunt, Bloodroot.

Its not just a cookbook but a series of fiery essays on feminism, vegetarianism, and a really interesting piece on the merits of coconut milk as opposed to dairy. Its like reading Ms Magazine with a WHOLE lot more recipies.

I really like the fact that the recipies are divided into seasons. Thats way fun. I loved the Banana Soup!

The Best news is Im giving away a free copy of this fantastic cookbook to one lucky winner.

In order to register for the cook book please blog about the contest and leave a post here telling us about it. Twitter about it for an extra entry. On 10/20/09 we’ll chose a name from all the entries and post the winner here! Good Luck!

It’s been one of those already and it is barely 9 a.m.

I got up at 5 and got kids off to school. I was so wide awake and full of ideas I thought this would surely be a great day. But…alas…

My first issue was with my cell phone. Seems my charger has quit cooperating and will not charge the phone. This is particularly aggravating since I just bought a new battery for it this week.

I go for my coffee machine determined to get back on the right track but instead of making coffee it sputter and spurts and coughs up a thick brown sludge that may resemble coffee in some alternate universe. But here, not so much.

I decide on herbal tea instead and as I open the backdoor to enjoy it on the porch with a bit of fall air- my beloved dog King has been left outside all night and is highly pissed about it. He runs past me into the house at lightening speed and spills steaming tea all over me, leaves a trail of wet dog and mud all across me and my floor and jumps directly into bed with my four year old son who  rivaled the dog in the bad attitude arena.

Now my tooth hurts and my car wont get out of second gear. Its pouring down rain and the satellite wont come in.

I think Ill go back to bed.

I happened across a blog while checking out my fellow blogstresses comments over at the SITSgirls site. Just Add Walter is a young moms blog who is going to nursing school while attending to her family and her own life. Its funny and relevant and I really enjoyed my time there. It distracted me from about 15 minuets of work which I truley appreciate!

She’s having the most awesome contest right now for an adorable monogramed scarf and glove set. Head over and check it out!

How many of us made New Years resolutions that are now defunct? Stagnating in your mind somewhere between loosing weight and reorganizing the bedroom closet are those goals you had for your home business. Autumn is most often a busy season for entreprenuers and being organized and in controll has a direct result on the money you bring in. It isnt to late to take rotten resolutions and turn them into September solutions with a few tips from Mother Nature.

Begin with your home office or work space. What happens in your yard and the world around you each year in the Autumn? Old scenery changes and new colors take its place. Your suroundings are different which spurns new thought, new ideas and new creativity. Go through your deask or workspace and clear out all the clutter. Throw away the note pads, crumpled paper and nubby pencils. Gather all your post-it notes, highlighters, pens and pencils and put them in a convenient spot. Move your desk a little to the left and add a new rug. Put a big bouquet of Mums and Black Eyed Susans on the side table and keep a little pumpkin spice candle burning near by. Its Fall! Enjoy the season and revel in all it brings, mind- body and soul.

Reorganize your goals next. Give yourself a good hour to go over all the goals you had planned to reach this year  and determine how far you are from reaching them. Some you may have made some progress toward and others may not seem so important anymore because of life changes and environmental circumstances. Decide which are still relevant and worth your time then rearrange them  by which you are closest to obtaining and which still need considerable work. Make note of any new contacts or ideas you have to progress yourself forward.

Harvest time isnt just a prelude to the cold months of winter but a respite from the frantic heat of summer. Take this time to rejuvenate. Put your priorities back in order and get ready to take the long winter months by storm.

Here is a great article on Fung Shui Fall Organizing tips from Care2.com.

I found this article on Yahoo. You can do this and make money by Christmas.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107808/three-real-ways-to-make-money-from-home-in-your-spare-time.html

One thing that many newly appointed work -at- homer’s do not take into consideration is what I like to call the “qualm quandry”. The qualm quandry is the never ending battle to stay working and keep on top of your game when your family is fighting against you, either purposely or not.

In the time that I have had this blog and the blog that preceded it, Managed Mayhem, I have had several catastrophes. I mean biggies. So I come from expereince. My m other died of lung cancer, my home flooded, I had someone I considered a close friend whom I had helped out repeatedly turn on me and try to ruin my career, I had marriage issues, teenage son issues and my father sied of lung cancer. I have had a breast lump issue that continues to haunt me and a tumor in my stomach. Is that enough? I have more if not.

The point is that during all this, I still needed to eat. My children still needed shoes and I had to keep the lights on.

What to do? Ah the “qualm quandry”. There is a way out of it. And its the only way.

Follow these tips to make through to the other side- ALIVE!

PRIVACY!

You must have privacy to work at home. Thats one of the biggest mistakes Ive ever made in my work at home career. I would work in the living room and in the kitchen. “After all-” Id say to myself, “I work at home to be around my kids and family. So why not be around them!”

But then someone would need a drink, someone would need a kiss, a fight would need refereed, hubby would need attention, a funny commercial would come on, the dishwasher would over flow, and then SHAZAM! the day would be gone and so would the work that I never got to do in the first place.

It is imperative to have privacy. Besides the reasons above, when tragedy strikes or qualms arise, there has to be a place where the entreprenuer can go to feel safe and at ease and able to think clearly for even just a few moments.

Seperation

Being able to seperate your home life from your work life is extremely hard when their all held within the same four walls. But again, it is imperative. When you go into work, you have to shut the door to your personal life just as you would if you were at an office, a restuarant or a department store job. Do your job. Concentrate on it and shut out the rest. This not only helps you to get your work done but eases your mind from the constant diatribe of of problems that race through when times are tough.

These are only a few of the things that have helped me in my quest to work from home. I hope that they help you as well.

My oldest and my youngest. Life is good.
Also, my four youngest and our latest addition to the family- King. A Freecycle find. Thanks Melanie!

Now more than ever before people are turning to the Internet for the answers to their educational questions. What once took hours of research to find out can now be discovered in minuets. Every topic imaginable is made available. Niche websites that offer hard to find and rare classes and syllabus choices are in a good position to make a large amount of money. Education websites garner thousands of visitors a month and that translates into big bucks. If your looking for a way to cash in on the many hits your educational web site is getting check below for the top five educational affiliate offers.

Vienova
www.vienova.com

Vienova offers superior online education services to customers all over the world at competitive rates. They have one-on-one online tuitions for a assortment of subjects like Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English. They also have test prep courses achievement tests like the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, SAT and IELTS. Affiliates earn $50 for every student registering for a monthly package.

Excom Education
www.excom.com

Excom has an IT Program that offers instructor-lead technical classes. They guarantee their graduates to obtain a job within four months of completing all modules. Affiliates earn $10 per lead, which is paid monthly by check, wire or paypal. There is a minimum payout of $100.

Training Link Education
www.traininglink-education.com

Training Link Education is a top Internet provider of accredited correspondence courses and distance learning programs. They pride themselves on their ability to provide accredited, recognized education for those who cannot access it otherwise. Affiliates earn five to ten percent commission on sales. They pay monthly by paypal with a $100 minimum payout available.

Forex Business School
http://www.forexfff.com

FOREX Business School is an Internet learning service dedicated to educating currency traders and helping them achieve success by giving them the specialized knowledge and understanding necessary to be successful. They pay a 5 percent commission per sale. It is paid monthly by paypal after a $50 payment threshold is obtained.

Be A Better Writer
www.beawriteraffiliates.comrm

They sell ebooks on how to write better term papers, reports and letters. The traffic you send them will have instant access to complete downloadable chapters and hundreds of writing tips, activities and exercises. Earn 15% commission on all sales of Be a Writer (316 pages/$16.95). Be a Better Writer (286 pages/$16.95). 2-book bundle ($33.90) . Monthly payments are made through Paypal with a $25 minimum.

Having a wonderful website with a fantastic audio book affiliate link isn’t all you need to make money. If your not promoting your audio book affiliate program your missing out on lots of cash. Your site might be great and get tons of traffic but that’s only half the battle.

Promoting your audio book affiliate program is the main ingredient in your recipe for success. Promoting is how you get your visitors interested in your audio book affiliate program. It brings their attention to the book and draws interest in the book.

Promoting can be done in so many ways. The costs of promoting your audio book affiliate program run the gamut from free to hundreds of dollars a month. It’s a good idea to start out with something free and build up the interest in your product. That way you make money to invest in your audio book affiliate program.

One of the easiest ways to promote an audio book affiliate program is to write an article on it. If your smart, you’ve chosen a book that you enjoy, that you believe in and that compliments your site well. Take your own thoughts, feelings and experiences and use them to write an interesting and informative article on the audio book.

Consider giving away something to encourage your sites visitors to purchase a audio book through your affiliate program. Any kind of free product draws attention to the program and sparks an interest. You can write an ebook on a related subject, give away stickers, pencils or recipe cards.

Utilize the tools that the audio book affiliate gives you. Most audio book affiliate programs make available marketing tools like cool html buttons and banners as well as sales and marketing reports to track your payments.

The key to any promotional project is to understand that there will be problems the first try. Just keep researching, learning and applying your new knowledge to your audio book affiliate program and you are well on your way to a great passive income!