Two home business ideas to consider are that of Party Planner and Wedding Planner.

As Chelsea Clinton prepares for her wedding, it seemed appropriate to shine some light on these two potential home businesses.

Party planner engagements can range from weddings and product launches to corporate seminars and awards dinners. Tasks can include renting a hall, mailing out engraved invitations, coming up with a theme, booking entertainment, deciding on the food and hiring waitstaff.

Wedding planners usually stick strictly to weddings, but I can see where they might be a valuable resource for 50th anniversary parties and vow renewals, too.

Wedding planners typically charge 10 to 15% of the total cost of each wedding, and the average wedding that employs a bridal consultant costs $15,000. Event planning in general is expected to grow by 20% through 2016, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

My thinking is that the wedding business is probably somewhat seasonal, but you'd need many of the same skills as a party planner does, so a single home business could offer both services and be busy all the time.

Home Business Idea: Party Planner
Real Home Business: Wedding Planner

This week's telecommute jobs have been gathered, screened and posted for you.

The list this week includes 10 jobs that will allow you to telecommute, including last week's bonus job. As usual, the list contains a variety of positions including contracting, permanent and part-time jobs you can do from home.

This Week's Telecommute Bonus Job

Account Manager / Sales Representative(Telecommute)

This week's telecommute bonus job is for a selling Vexira® antivirus and antispyware software to small to medium businesses, hospitals, primary schools (K-12), colleges, universities, libraries and to state and local governments across the US and Canada. .

Excerpts of the job posting from the company:

We are looking for goal oriented individuals to sell to new and existing accounts on a commissioned (1099) basis. You will be selling to IT Directors, Technology Directors, Technology Coordinators, Helpdesk personnel and other technology and data security professionals in a business to business (B2B) sales relationship. Knowledge of antivirus and antispyware software is a plus. Telemarketing sales skills are an essential element of this commissioned sales position. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 2 years telephone/telesales experience selling software or technology and have excellent written and verbal communications skills.

Requirements include:

• That you are willing to make/take 50 to 60 phone calls a day and generate your own sales pipeline that meets or exceeds company targets. You must have a "Hunter" mentality.
• You have your own computer with Windows, Pentium IV or greater (Intel and 100% compatible processors) with a minimum 2.4GHz, 1 GB RAM. Your software must be: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 and have Internet Explorer 7 or later.
• You must have a USB headset, an Internet connection with broadband access (DSL or Cable) with a minimum of 768 Kb/s bandwidth.
• You must have an office setting that is a private space, free from distractions and background noise.

I found this telecommute job while searching for "telework" on About.com's job search powered by Indeed. I then clicked through to the company's job posting on CareerBuilder.com

Check this Week's Telecommute Jobs

If you own a business, are putting together a business plan, or are considering starting a business, it will be important that you understand the 5 P's of marketing.

For years marketers referred to the 4 P's of marketing. Only recently has a 5th P (People) been added.

Regardless whether you believe in 4 p's or 5, you'll still want to have a good grip on:

1. Product
2. Price
3. Place
4. Promotion

To me, it's pretty hard to ignore "people" in this. Even if yours is a one-person business. For example, will you use customer service in marketing your products? Will you need special training to accomplish your goals?

The 5 P's of marketing make up what's referred to as your marketing mix.

The 5 P's of Marketing and Your Marketing Mix
Marketing and Sales Strategies
More on Business Plans

I reported back in April that a company doing business as Bank Card Empire had its operations raided in Phoenix, AZ, according to a story from the local Fox news affiliate in Phoenix.

Since that time, I've received several comments on the original post from people who said they had had some dealings with Bank Card Empire and after they went to the Better Business Bureau to complain, they received threatening phone calls.

Less than a month ago, one of my readers advised me that the President/CEO of Bank Card Empire then opened a new business, formed as an LLC under the name of Sentinel Business Services. That reader contacted the Arizona Corporation Commission to ask how someone who was under federal investigation would be permitted to open a new business venture in the state. The Arizona Corporation Commission responded:

"If a document submitted to the ACC meets statutory filing requirements, then it would be approved without regard to the background of the individual person submitting the document."

Today, I discovered a report that aired on ABC affiliate WXYZ TV in Southfield, Michigan about a local grandmother who found out the hard way about a scheme to earn money that ended up costing her over $25,000. The company's name that she dealt with? Bankcard Empire. In exchange for her $25, 500 investment, which she charged on two credit cards (according to the story she agreed to pay for the work at home opportunity after a hard pressure sales pitch over the phone). In exchange, the company told her, she would get $500 for each referral she sent to the company when that referral purchased a credit card scanning machine, plus a percentage of all amounts charged on the machine sold. She was also supposed to receive marketing materials that would help her get those referrals.

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