Not all franchises today are brick and mortar businesses, however. In fact, there are many service franchises that can be run from your home. Entrepreneur Magazine has released it’s spring title of “Be Your Own Boss: 231 Low-Cost Businesses You Can Start Today!” It’s packed with several franchises options that range from $2,200 to $50,000 in startup costs and require small ongoing royalty fees that average under 10%. A great web site for additional information on franchise options is www.franchise.com

If these start-up costs are still a little high, consider starting your own service business. There are several great ideas Dan gives in his audio Turning Your Passions into Profits. Also, stay tuned for “Business Ideas You Can Bootstrap For Under $500!” an e-book that will be available to all of our subscribers for FREE in a couple of weeks.

When hiring entertainers, do not always go for lowest price. Whoever you hire, he/she will affect your image. Reliability and follow-through are more important than a lower bid. You can find great magicians by looking for example at web site of local chapter of Society of American Magicians (http://www.magicsam.com/samweb.html). When working on program, don't save best for last. At end of event, guests may be tired, hung-over, or worried about getting home.

6. The Drinks The best holiday gift you can give to your guests is preventing them from driving after they have been drinking alcohol. Provide enough low-alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, for both underage and non-drinking attendees to have plenty of options. Display these options as prominently as alcoholic beverages. Using smaller cups help your guests to keep their alcohol servings to an appropriate size. Create little stickers like "designated driver" or "I enjoy non-alcoholic drinks" that drivers can wear during party. Have your guests sign up for alternate transportation at beginning of your event in case they decide to drink. Provide a "check-in" for car keys. Collect and tag each guest's car keys, and at conclusion of party, only return keys to designated drivers. And stop serving alcohol at least one hour before party is over.

7. The Food The theme, date and place will make ultimate difference to type of food you will decide to serve. A mouth-watering buffet is sure to keep people's attention, not to mention help their bodies absorb alcohol they consume. Especially high protein and carbohydrate foods like meats, cheese, veggies, breads and light dips are very good. They taste great and do not make your guests thirsty. Make sure you have options available for alternative diet needs.

8. The Analysis After every event, do an "event analysis." Write down what was good, what went wrong, what you would do differently next time, and who vendors were that made your life easier.

Planning for a successful event requires a tremendous amount of effort, time and energy. Every event is different and if you want your holiday party to be unique, you have to be bold and make a leap. If you don’t have time, talk to some of events planner about your ideas. They are in business to help you.