Are you one of those rare people in the world who see the potential of running your own online business? Maybe you are even one of the many people who decided to stop wasting time and pursue that dream.

Either way, you are probably wondering how doing so will affect your income, and if and when you can expect to reap the financial benefits of taking such a risk. I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone, every day millions of people simply walk to the mailbox and collect their checks. Or, they see their return on their bank statement each month. It really is that simple.

Finding ways to supplement your income is an idea that is gaining popularity. More and more Americans are worried about how they will look when it comes time to retire. Running your own online venture is a great way to stop the worries and increase your happiness. Think about it like this, which would you rather do, work day in and day out your whole life, and end up wasting away in suburbia? Or, start planning now for your future, keeping in mind where you want to live out your retirement, what your financial situation looks like right now, and what it will take to reach your financial goals and retire, living the good life? I’ll bet the second answer makes much more sense when you think about it in those terms.

If you know what you want to do, are willing to put the time and dedication into doing it, and keep at it with a continued sense of success, you too can be one of those people who simply walk to the mailbox and collect the checks!! All you need to do is take that initial leap of faith, and start your very own online business.

The most important idea to remember is this…failure is not an option. As long as you adopt that slogan and live by it, you are almost guaranteed to bask in the financial rewards of pursuing your dream. If you aren’t the type of person who believes in those types of self motivating slogans, try doing this…think about where you want be living and in what sort of lifestyle you would like to be a part of when you get ready to retire and live out your golden years.

If the picture in your mind includes scenes like sparkling beaches with miles of open sand and crystal blue waters, than you are the type of person who knows what they want out of life. You understand that working a 9 to 5 day in and day out will not provide you with the cash you need to retire in such a setting. You need something to help supplement your income now, so you can make the plans that will enable you to live out your days sunning and sipping margaritas.

Make the decision today on where you want to be financially when you retire. Then consider starting that online business you always wanted. I guarantee you won’t regret it!!!

The fact that the monies I give are actually a loan that will be repaid to me is of little importance, other than it is beneficial to the person receiving the funds to feel that they are receiving a loan rather than a handout.

What a great initiative.  I just can’t say enough about how fabulous I think this is.  Helping people to help themselves.  Whether you follow the precepts of one of the world’s great religions whose teachings include that sentiment, or not, I’m sure you agree that helping people to help themselves is a really worthwhile thing to do.

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. 

Each loan request has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you will also receive updates from time to time, letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.
  
When the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.  So you might want to think about lending a greater amount than you would give as a charitable donation, since you will ultimately receive the money back!

I just made several loans.  One was to a group of entrepreneurs named R.E.C Primary School, Bassa Town Group in Sierra Leone.  They still need another $2,700.00 to complete their loan request of $2,975.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!).  You can help me get this entrepreneur (or many others) off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to R.E.C Primary School, Bassa Town Group (or many other entrepreneurs involved in a diverse range of businesses):

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=97223

See how easy it is to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva to lend money to budding entrepreneurs who would never get loans if they relied on the banking industry in their own countries, I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for. 

And I also know that I’m helping these people build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

———————————————————
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine   

“The Path to Success” is now in print, and my chapter – “Do What you Love and Prosper” is in there!

It’s all about my story on how I became successful by putting up a website about dog health, and attracting success.

It’s just so exciting to see my name in print in a real book. I’ve been published before, but never in a book, so this is the culmination of my desire, and focused intention, to become a published author. This really is the law of attraction in action.

This is great!

I’ve even had some media attention already!

Thought I’d show you a sneak preview of “The Path to Success” – the book that I’ve co-authored with Sandy Forster, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Brian Tracy, Arielle Ford and Wayne Dyer (and many others).

Here it is:   

- yes, that’s the front cover.

And here’s the back cover:

What do you think?

This weekend has been pretty hectic.  What with the new book “The Path to Success” almost ready to hit the bookstore stands, not to mention keeping up with my Healthy Happy Dogs newsletter subscribers, and having some relaxing time with my family, I haven’t really stopped to take a breath yet!

So back to the topic at hand … what else are you going to find here at BrigitteSmith.com ?

Well, apart from keeping you updated on what’s going on with me from time to time, I’ll also be reviewing and letting you know about various programs run by my co-authors in “The Path to Success”.  They all have some really great materials that can put you on your path to success!

The first program I’ll be telling you about is Sandy Forster’s mainly because I actually know Sandy and have participated in one of her great programs with super success.

More about that shortly.

This is a new site for me, and its purpose is just generally to keep everyone up to date on my comings and goings.

The sites for my main business are HealthyHappyDogs.com and HealthierDogs.com – they’re both about holistic dog health. It’s a passion of mine.

And because of my entrepreneurial spirit in my work in my dog health business, and I suppose it may have been because they liked my style of writing, too, I was asked to contribute a chapter to “The Path to Success” – with the likes of really famous authors like Wayne Dyer, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Brian Tracy, Arielle Ford and Sandy Forster. Wow! I couldn’t believe it.

The book is coming out very soon, and I’m going to be a published author alongside Sandy Forster (who I already knew from being a participant in her Wildly Wealthy Women program – more on that another day), Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hansen, Arielle Ford, Jack Canfield and Brian Tracy.

I really can hardly believe it! (I think I’ve said that already, but I can’t!)

Have you seen or read “The Secret”? Heard about the power of intention? Well, it really does work, folks. It really, really does! I set an intention to become a published author, and focussed on that intention, and it’s happening right now! (Do you think I need to wake up and pinch myself? – I keep thinking that myself!)

I’m now a published author! Me! Brigitte Smith!

And not only that, those super famous authors are in the book with me. With ME!

In case you haven’t gathered by now, I’m really, really excited!

Waiting for delivery of a batch of my book as I write this – MY book!

I’ll let you know when it arrives.