So you want to start a home-based business. Well you aren’t alone. Did you know that in the United States there are about 12 million home-based businesses? A lot of people have chosen to abandon their 9-to-5 rat race. So let me ask you, why do you want to work from home?”I’m tired of answering to someone else. I want to be my own boss.”Good answer, but remember, when you become your own boss, the buck stops here. You have no one to blame but yourself. And, speaking of bucks, don’t expect a consistent bi-weekly or monthly paycheck. But the sky is the limit!”I want work as often as I want, when I want.”Another good answer. Flexibility. Your new-found freedom will allow you to attend your kids’ ball games after school or take your spouse on that mid-afternoon date. Maybe your outlaws (sorry, I mean in-laws) are visiting. You won’t have to disappear for 8 hours every day. Are you a morning lark or a night owl? You can choose to work at times when you are most productive. The more you work, the more you make. You can put in as many hours as you want, and get paid based on amount of work you do, unlike that salaried job.”I’m tired of making money for someone else.”Great answer! In a home-based business your profits are yours to keep. They don’t go to someone else’s bottom line. You’ll also find it’s a lot easier to give yourself a raise when you’re the boss.”Wait a minute! I can’t afford to quit my job and start cold turkey working from home.”Then what are you going to do? Fortunately, there is a great option for those who need to “ease in” to the home-based business world. AND, the start-up cost can be as much or as little as you want to make it. I’m referring to the home-based affiliate marketing business.What is affiliate marketing? Considered a widespread method of website promotion, affiliate marketing rewards an affiliate for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer provided through its efforts. It is a modern variation of the practice of paying finder’s-fees to individuals who introduce new clients to a business service or product. In a nutshell, as an affiliate, businesses pay you for sending them a new client/customer. In some cases you can get paid whether or not they purchase a product or sign up for a service.The beauty of a home-based affiliate marketing business is that it allows you to begin building your business part-time until you reach a point that you’re affiliate business is generating as much revenue as your 9-to-5 salary. That is when you “fire your boss.”Let’s see…..be my own boss, or fire my boss. Your choice.

Ownership in Mexico – Separating Fact from FictionThe “Gunslinger Days” of buying properties in Mexico are over. Banking on the words “That’s the way we do business here!”, and trusting “Thy Seller”, have given way to U.S. Title Insurance and bonded escrow accounts.During the last ten years, property in Mexico has become a lucrative and viable investment strategy, bringing with it a new breed of sophisticated investors. U.S. title insurance, bonded escrow accounts and comprehensive title searches are “in”… promises and handshakes are “out”.Owning property in Mexico is easier and safer than ever, because now there are established and well defined rules regarding non-Mexicans owning land in Mexico. These rules are in place to protect your ownership rights and to promote the sale of real estate to foreign investors. The key is a safe, established and perpetually renewable Mexican Property Trust called a “Fideicomiso”.What is a “Fideicomiso” or Mexican Property Trust?With the advent of the North American Treaty Agreement, the Mexican Government recognized that it was critical to make foreign investment in Mexico safer and easier than ever. Because the Mexican Constitution prohibits foreigners from purchasing or owning real estate within 60 miles of an international border or within 30 miles of the Mexican Coast, a new, safe method of holding title was created. This new instrument, modeled after the one in Monaco, allows ownership through a Mexican Property Trust, called a “Fideicomiso”. This is a trust agreement, much like an estate trust, giving you all the rights of ownership.The Department of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City issues a permit to a Mexican Bank of your choice, allowing the bank to act as purchaser for the property. The bank acts as the “Trustee” for the Trust and you are the “Beneficiary” of the Trust. This is not an asset of the bank; they simply act as the Trustee to hold the Trust.Much like Living Wills or Estate Trusts in the U.S., the Mexican Bank, or Trustee, takes instructions only from the Beneficiary of the Trust (You). The Beneficiary has the right to use, occupy and possess the property, including the right to build on it or otherwise improve it. The Beneficiary may also sell the property by instructing the Trustee to transfer the rights to another qualified owner, or bequeath the property to an inheritor. The initial term of the trust is 50 years, and it can be renewed for an additional periods of 50 years indefinitely, providing for long-term control of the asset.You have all the rights of a property owner in the U.S. or Canada, including the right to enjoy the property, sell the property, rent the property, improve the property, etc. This is not to be confused with a “land lease.” The property you buy is placed in a trust with you named as the Beneficiary of the trust – you are not a lessee. If the property you purchase is already held in a Trust, you have the option of assuming that Trust, or having the property vested in a new Trust.When Should You Pay For Your Property?When you have clear title, exactly like you would anywhere else. By using a third party escrow service, your money is held in an individually numbered, bonded and insured escrow account until your trust is complete and the property rights have been transferred to you.Do not release funds to a seller unless you have received your trust first. Purchasing property without receiving a trust is simply buying without receiving the title in your name, which is risky and not recommended.Fact: Until you have received your Trust, and rights to the property have been transferred to you, the legal owner of record in Mexico is still the previous owner.Fact: You cannot bypass Mexican Taxes or fees by not getting your Trust, even if you sell the property to someone else before you have your Trust in place.Do I Need Title Insurance?Whether you buy real estate in the U.S. or Mexico, Title Insurance is recommended for every property you purchase. You have insurance for your car, your home and your health, why not purchase it for one of your largest investments, your property.Fact: U.S. Title Insurance is available for properties in Mexico purchased by U.S. Citizens.Fact: Just because you have a trust does not ensure you have a free and clear title.
In a title insurance property search, the properties title is searched all the way back to the Mexican Revolution. Most title searches to secure a trust only go back one or two owners of record.How Can I Own My Property?In the Trust document, you must name the Beneficiary or foreign owner for the property. This can be you personally, multiple partners, a foreign corporation, an estate trust, a living will, or other entity. The Trustee of the Trust (the Mexican Bank) will take direction from whomever you name as the Beneficiary.Fact: You can name a U.S. Corporation as the Beneficiary of the Trust. This is perfectly legal.Fact: If you sell more than 25% of the shares in the U.S. Corporation, you have created a real estate transaction in Mexico, and all Mexican Taxes apply.(This is Article 151 of the Mexican Revenue Code and is also declared in the International Tax Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico. If this is done, and you do not pay the Mexican Taxes, you will have created a tax burden over the property for the new owner.)Fact: You can own a property in a Mexican Corporation and take title fee simple only if the property is for development or investment purposes.Fact: You cannot own property through a Mexican Corporation to by-pass the Trust process.Fact: It is against the law for a foreigner to own property in a Mexican Corporation for residential purposes.

I’ve written a lot about the importance of taking the time up front to prescreen your property manager to find one who has good follow through skills. That they possess adequate knowledge, of course is a prerequisite, but I emphasize that you really try to get a feel for how they run their business. Why? Because once you hire them, you really don’t want to have to manage them.

To a certain extent, you will be “managing” your property manager, but this activity should be limited to the following:

First, when you’ve just hired a new property manager. Your new property manager requires a little more attention from you to make sure that he or she is really the right person for the job. It just makes sense that you need to pay close attention in the beginning to make sure that they are getting the job done right. Now, “in the beginning” can be a little misleading, because, things may start off fine, and go smoothly for quite a while, but the real test may not come until the first non-payment or eviction comes up. When it comes time for the property manager to enforce the lease, you want to know that they are fair, yet firm. Your property manager should not be delaying evictions because they believe a tenant’s promise that they will pay in a week, etc.

Second, you will have occasional opportunities to check in with your property manager when certain things come up. For example, if you get a notice from the city about a violation on your property, you need to update your property manager about it so that they can take care of it. This is also a good chance to check in and see how things are going. You can ask about rental increases for upcoming lease renewals, questions about recent statements, inquiries on maintenance to be done/that’s been done, or about certain tenants who’ve been a problem in the past.

What you should not have to do is tell your property manager to start the eviction process for someone who is not paying rent. They should already be on it! You should not have to call your property manager every month to find out what is going on with your properties – they should be sending you timely statements on all of your properties and should communicate via email, telephone, fax or mail, regular updates on any non-paying tenants (regarding where they are in the eviction process or if they are one a payment plan, etc.). Lastly, your property manager should always be available to call you back within a reasonable amount of time. There is nothing more frustrating then having to chase down the person who is supposed to be working for you!

A service production facilitated to create and plan advertising for its clients is what we call an advertising agency. It is unprejudiced from the client and supplies an outside opinion to the struggle of marketing the client’s merchandise. An agency can as well handle overall marketing techniques to launch the brand and sales promo techniques of a product for its clients. Usual advertising agency clients take in firms and non-profit organizations.

Agencies may well be employed to generate an advertising campaign. An advertising company is an organization that, besides from clients, produces and places advertisement on media, and plans advertising campaigns. Advertising agencies may as well execute other marketing purposes, counting market research and consulting. We may characterize an advertising agency as a sovereign service establishment that deals an agreement with advertisers to administer their advertising. Traditionally, advertising services are of an innovative nature, except the agency concept has inflated to take account of research services.

More often than not, these agencies are classified by the kind of market they are trading or the variety of services they are offering. An advertising firm produces advertising material, indentures for publication space, and occasionally embarks on market research on behalf of its clientele. An advertising agency plans and manages all facets of a customer’s marketing. Advertising agencies can specialize in precise areas, such as interactive advertising. Also, they can be a full-service agency which Produces advertising materials like brochures, catalogs, print materials for advertising, media broadcasting promotions, sales letters and many more.

An advertising agency is focuses in planning and handling advertising on behalf customers. An advertising office with full-service offers a series of assistance to clients, in addition to booking advertising space, advertisement designs and production, research commissions, providing sales promotion mentoring and function as marketing coach. Research planning, creative concepts, media exposures, productions and accounts are included in departments within an Nearly all advertising agents exert effort on the establishment of a commission on the entire expenses spent by the client. Advertising firms are outside companies that make available for the marketing and advertising necessities of other firms and organizations.

A full variety of advertising services and advice based on market research, data gathering on the cultural background and advanced sales techniques are presented by advertising agencies. They can be tangible about a customer’s requirements for promotions since they are impartial from the client company. Various forms of media exposures are utilized to support their clients’ trade or organizations, counting magazine ads, newspaper promotional print outs, radio broadcasting and TV commercials, websites, etc.

Other agencies plan events, provide booths at at conferences, and hand out promotional items. Advertising agencies produce logos, creating efficient and striking color schemes to catch the attention of the public specifically the consumers. They engage on organizing marketing campaign materials such as logo creation, brochure printing and creation of slogans and other convincing strategies for sales materials. Agencies may construct public service announcements for charitable organizations and social programs as well, and supply press exposures for new undertakings of the company and products to be launched.. Getting to be acquainted with their client’s industry well and clarifying which demography offers the best audience for marketing is how an advertising agency works.