Well, let me share with you an easy way to start a business that requires little or no creativity.  I know that this blog talks about creativity quite a bit, but it is okay to not be creative once in awhile.

So, to start off on our "non creative" journey to start a business  let me throw out a word for you: franchise.  Basically you would find a franchise that interests you (sorry coffee drinkers, you cannot buy a Starbucks franchise) and invest your money - and they give you the instruction book (so to speak) on how to run it.  It is very much like a brand new board game - all the pieces and instructions are included.

If you are looking for a "sure thing" this is as close as you can get.  I would suggest looking for the top franchise opportunities to find the cream of the crop for investing your dollars.

If you want to be a pioneer and enter markets with franchises that are rapidly growing, check out the fastest growing franchises.  Usually you can find a lot of great markets where there is great opportunity (and great rewards) and possibilities.  You can usually get a better return on your investment in these instances.

So, if you want the "tried and tested" way to start a business - a franchise is a good choice.  It takes all the guesswork and testing out of the equation, instead of figuring out how thing work, read the manual and focus on making the money.  That is why you are investing, right?

I like to think of myself as creative, and I make a point of brain storming regularly to find new ideas to try out.  Lately, I have been hunting for a unique business opportunity to try out in our community.

Now, I was thinking about something along the lines of a restaurant, though our community is overrun with restaurants.  There seems to be one on every corner, and I am worried that if I were to setup a restaurant, I would not do as well as I would like.

So, I was holding off on the restaurant idea for now.  That is until I overheard someone in a local pet store mention dog food - you know, there is not a pet restaurant in town yet.  I thought that it might just work.

With the idea clear in my head, I found a location for the restaurant.  We decided that we would also offer a pet hotel as part of the restaurant, so that our place would be more of a vacation for the dogs  - and the owners.

Now we are working on the menu, trying to figure out the best recipes for homemade dog food.  So far, our research has been good, now we just need to figure out a few dog treats to offer.

We are hoping to get everything finalized and the doors open by January - I just can’t wait.

Today I spent the day helping my little brother learn how to write a resume.  He just turned sixteen and he is looking for his first job.  I thought I could give him a hand and some pointers too.

He brought his stuff over to my house.  He had made a resume using a resume builder last night, but he wanted a second opinion.  I took one look at it, and realized he had missed quite a few things that he should have on the resume.

So I dug out my little secret weapon of resume writing: my "how to make a resume" book that I bought many years ago.  Inside its’ pages, were all the tips, tricks and ways to make your resume shine out.  I had followed the book in the past for every job I applied for, and had interviews for each one.

He read through the book and edited his resume he brought from home.  I let him use my computer to type it out, and he gave it to me to look over.

Wow! 

His new resume was a winner - he was sure to make it to the interview.  He left and promised that he would let me know how it went - I expect to hear from him in a few short days.

I have decided to try teaching my nieces through a different medium.  You see, I watch them twice a week and I am getting tired of reading to them.  I spend a lot of time on the phone, so my voice is weak, and the reading is just making it worse.

So I have been looking for other ways for them to learn while they are at my home.  Television is not an option, since they watch way too much at home.  But one thing they do not get to do is use the computer - something that I am going to get them to try.

So, I have found them some fun games to play online.  What I have tried to do is find fun action games and fun puzzle games that are fun and educational.  Thankfully, there are quite a few sites out there that offer both types of games,  so I have written a few of them down.

I am going to try out the games for a few weeks and see if I notice any difference.  If it works we will continue, if not I will have to figure something else out.  I could always get some activity books for the to do as well…

As some of you know, I run a small Internet based business from my home.  I used to run the business from my kitchen table, but eventually the piles of paper and space the business used overwhelmed the table, leaving me no room to eat.  So, I have decided it is time to go look at some home office furniture.

While I was checking out some stores in town, I did notice one thing:  there is an awful lot of selection of office furniture.  You just can’t walk into a store and say: "I need a chair and a desk.  Please deliver it to my home" - it is just not that easy.

For example, while I was looking at office chairs there are a ton of options - there are many types of chairs, not just something simple like different colors.  I tried out many chairs, from high back chairs, to mesh office chairs.  I did settle on one that had good lower back support - which is especially important if you are sitting in your chair for a long time.

When looking at desks, I had a harder time making up my mind.  Even though I was tempted by some of the large desks, I needed to find something that would fit in the little room we set aside for the office.  I did find a little desk that would work.

It will only be a few days until the furniture is delivered.  It will be so nice to have the kitchen table back and be able to entertain once again - maybe we will do that this weekend.

I have not written any eulogies in a long time - thank goodness.  It is not that I mind writing them, but rather the situation that you need to have to write them is really not that pleasant.  To be honest, I never wish that someone would die - I would much rather have them alive.

Most of the time, writing a eulogy is quite easy.  All you need to do is talk about the best experiences you had with that person, how the affected your life, and maybe throw in some eulogy quotes to polish it off.

What I find really challenging is those people who lived boring lives as a hermit and no one really knows anything about them - but you were "lucky" enough to be chosen to write their eulogy.  Quite often in these cases you can find yourself struggling to make up more than a minute or two for your speech.  It is at this point where you need to be a little more creative.

Whenever I am in a bind like this, I like to look at some eulogy samples and see how I can incorporate them into my writing.  Sometimes something will catch my eye and I will use that in the one I am writing.  Often times, you can embellish your personal stories with the deceased and ad-lib a little.

Just be sure to be true to the character of the deceased.  For example to say that a person that has been paralyzed for the last ten years went skydiving with you last year, might not be correct.  Just don’t forget to have fun with it, highlight the positives, and share your heartfelt testimonial to the deceased. 

I have just opened my very first business, selling beauty supplies. I am mostly looking into selling wholesale to licensed aestheticians. I would, however consider serving a wider market, with a wider variety of supplies.

Through much research on the topic, I have found that one of the highest demands is for anti aging beauty supplies. No matter what fads come and go, everyone ages. Although none of us wants to admit it, we are keen on buying anything that may slow the process of aging and keep us looking young for as long as possible. I know I have dabbled with many of the products that I am now selling.

The other much sought after products are the health and beauty supplies. We live in a culture that is starting to put a lot of emphasis on health and health-related items. Organic and environmentally friendly products are in high demand.

By doing the research, I have the products that my customers are looking for at reasonable prices.  If this first store is successful, I can see myself opening more.

Sometimes I think of growing old and it scares me.  Not only will I face a lifestyle change, but my health could become a problem and put my family under financial duress.

You see, I read a blog today about the health needs of people after retirement.  Unfortunately, the statistics are not good - over 70% of seniors will need some sort of extended health care in their lives - and that type of care does not come at a low price.

There has been recognition of this in the insurance industry, with many companies now offering long term care insurance - but for many it is too late.  Due to their care costs, some seniors are reduced to poverty - with some even having to eat cat food just to survive.

Now, even though this scares me, there are things that we can do.  Volunteer at a nursing home or care facility to help the residents enjoy a higher standard of living.  Have your grandparents or parents over for dinner from time to time.  For those of you who are younger - plan ahead.

I am designing my own wedding ring.  We skipped out on the engagement ring, so the wedding ring is going to be pretty extravagant.  Although it is going to be special, we wanted to do it for as little cost as possible.

I did some research on finding good quality loose diamonds in Texas.  The ring will have five diamonds.  Houston diamonds are pretty easy to come by, but were not the only option for us.  We decided to shop around a bit more.

We decided to also look at San Antonio diamonds, as that is where the wedding will take place and it would give the ring more sentimental value.  We did end up finding exactly what we were looking for and cannot complain about the price.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of friends that are in debt.  Now, I am not talking a few dollars, but rather they are deep into debt.  The big reason for their debt problems is due to them getting a little too much credit when they were younger - and instead of being smart about it, they spent it all.

Now a lot of them are facing the possibility of going bankrupt.  For the few of them that our left, I recently found out that there are other options instead of going bankrupt.

For example, if you are burdened with a pile of credit card debt, you can take advantage of credit card negotiation services.  What these companies do for you is negotiate on your behalf to cut your debt (usually in half), reduce your interest and monthly payments.  Your credit score doesn’t suffer as much as going bankrupt, but your score will still decrease.

There are other debt negotiation programs as well.  For example, if you are just overwhelmed by all the payments you are making, you can get some credit and bill consolidation help.  This help comes in the form of reduced monthly payments, reduced interest, and the goal of getting our of debt in less than 36 months.

So, be sure to consider the options before going bankrupt - it should be your last resort.