Hello,
I would like to know a good list of business that are good to "invest in".
Basically meaning, throwing some capital into and getting a steady return.
Dont focus on the US as i am not situated there.
Places like RU/IN/PK/EU.
Amount of capital that can be invested? maybe 10000-40000 USD. Not too much.
Offline/Online, doesnt really matter.
Find as many avenues as you can, then focus on a couple and go in detail into them.
For example, online -> web hosting. etc.
(note, I do not want to start a web hosting company).

I want something easy to manage, basically as a side business which
will give me a kinda steady income.
Or maybe not even a business, but just something to invest in which i
will not need to manage to give me a steady income.
Im not really a person to stay at one place for any amount of time. So
i will probably hire people to manage it, unless its an online thing.
So give more importance to online rather than offline.

But dont leave out offline business totally.
I know this is going to be a hard question to answer since ive left it
pretty damn vague.
quick + detailed answer = Big tip as usual :)

Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 04 May 2004 11:53 PDT

Hello w00t-ga,

Interesting question.  If we had any "sure things" to offer, I'm
certain we would all be invested in them ourselves.

Can you let me know a few things:

--How quickly would you expect your investment to begin realizing a
return.  That is, do you expect income in the first year, or are you
willing to wait a few years?

--What sort of rate of return would you consider reasonable for your investment?  

--How would you characerize your "risk tolerance".  Are you willing to
take a big chance with your money for (possibly) high returns, or do
you want to play it pretty safe?

--Lastly, have you considered investing conventionally in stocks, real
estate instruments, and the like?  Should these be among the things we
consider as possible investments for you?

Let us know your thinking on these issues, and perhaps one of the
researchers here can craft a reasonable investment strategy for you. 
\

Cheers,

pafalafa-ga

---

Clarification of Question by w00t-ga on 05 May 2004 03:52 PDT

--How quickly would you expect your investment to begin realizing a
return.  That is, do you expect income in the first year, or are you
willing to wait a few years?
Income in the first year.

--What sort of rate of return would you consider reasonable for your investment?  
nothing too low. No specific number. Just whatever you think is reasonable.

--How would you characerize your "risk tolerance".  Are you willing to
take a big chance with your money for (possibly) high returns, or do
you want to play it pretty safe?
Focus on both, high and playing it safe.

--Lastly, have you considered investing conventionally in stocks, real
estate instruments, and the like?  Should these be among the things we
consider as possible investments for you?
I doubt it, highly.

Thanks.

Dear w00t-ga,

You're right about a business online being your best bet. Clearly, you want 
to remain involved, but be free to travel. Online businesses don't cost a 
fortune to set up. The operations and marketing - using a virtual assistant,
or a marketer or consultant, and advertising costs are where your money will
go. 

One of the consistently hottest (legal) areas is online dating. 
There are several companies already prominent in this space. 
That's a good thing - it means you don't have to spend tens of 
thousands re-creating the wheel. You see, the best ones have 
affiliate programs, which will pay you commissions for sending 
them new members. Your job would be to set up your site, market it
and send your visitors through to their sites. You would earn a 
commission for all referrals. As you increase your volumen, you
can negotiate higer commissions. 

In fact, you could even set up a dating site that reviews all the 
online dating services. Add some blog software to encourage visitors
to post their experiences with the other dating sites. 

Some of the better sites to use, with affiliate programs.
Most pay when members join. Some pay per click:

Match.com
http://affiliates.match.com/

Date.com
http://webmaster.date.com/

DatingTech.com
http://DatingTech.com/Partners/

Adult Singles - pays per click
http://click.adultsingles.com/partner/

DarkBlue offers several targeted, or relgious, dating sites  
http://www.darkblue.com/advdirectory/index.htm?cat=336

There's a reliable list on Allan Gardyne's Associate Programs site.
Allan and his staff look over each site before adding it - and readers
rate the affiliate programs. 
http://associateprograms.com/search/Lifestyle_and_Society/singles/


The key to making any online business pay well is to build the mailing list
and give your members value.  So, once you go to the trouble of bringing people
to your dating review site, have them sign up for your newsletter. Send them 
something each week, let's say on Thursday, to help them plan their weekend.
If they want to meet singles - http://www.matchlive.com/. If they have a date -
weekend dating ideas, discounts to restaurants or travel, articles on how
to dress for a date, how to behave on first dates...a series on how to 
behave on subsequent dates. 

Using autoresponders, like the ones on aweber.com or 1automationwiz.com, 
you can have people subscribe to a series of courses that start when they
are ready, and go in order. For instance, the person who's going on his or her
first date - signs up for the first date tips. They would automatically get
a series of e-mails, each week, afterwards, walking them through what to do next.

If they reach a point where they're comfortable with their own direction, they
could leave that list and sign up for tips on local date ideas. They
could pick music, theater, etc.

Your staff could build up each of those messages, many of which would use
affiliate programs to provide values - like the entertainment.com books, or
other programs you'll find in the travel category 
http://associateprograms.com/search/Sport_and_Recreation/travel/
or the restaurant category
http://associateprograms.com/search/Entertainment/restaurants/


If you prefer a different industry or want more ideas, let me know. 

Whatever you do - pick ONE industry and focus all your energies on that market.
That way, once you build up a loyal following, you can always add products 
or services that would interest them. 

How's this for a starting point?

I can help you use the same kind of creativity with any industry or business 
idea you like. 


Best wishes

Your TaxMama-ga

E-Publishing is a very low cost proposition. The investment you're
talking about is plenty. Since you're primarily looking to do a a
fairly hands off situation where you're providing the cash investment
and the supplier is providing the product, this would be a good fit.

There are plenty of resale rights products that are available
immediately for variouls amounts, from a monthly fee to outright
purschase. The greatest outlay would most likely be the
marketing/advertising but considering that even with a high
advertising budget, the net profit is on the LOW end 50% and can go up
to 90% per year.

Profitability could be within a few months of startup using Google Ad
Word campaigns. Being that they are highly targeted ads and you only
pay for click thoughs, you or your JV partner can determine the best
advertising bang for your buck.

Has anyone heard of http://success1.webwealth.us Not sure if it is for real