I'm in the process of taking my first step down this part of my life's journey.  After 20+ years in the military on board Navy ships, working in the operations research field, teaching high school math and statistics, now as a faculty member at a major university, I'm actually looking for something I can do to help some of my friends who have been hit by the economy.  I'm not saying this for any kind of "congratulations", but because I really do have some friends with a lot of talent who are afraid to use it for their financial gain.  They CAN do it, they just don't have as much confidence in themselves as I have in them.

Since I've always believed in leading from a position of knowledge, I've decided to try to learn how to succeed in this particular business that can be done by any motivated person without leaving their home.  I figure if I can learn to do it, and be successful, I can use that success to generate excitement among my friends and help them become successful.

This type of thing is waaayyy out of my comfort zone; I guess that's why my friends would trust me if I showed them it might also be possible for them.  Soooooo, where do I start?

My first conceptual idea is a niches based on linking together some particular religious organizations I'm involved in, and hopefully enticing some religious bookstores and other businesses to become linked to my organization listings.  I'm positive that this concept will change many times over while my baby steps continue, but we've got to have a target.

Onward to training; the terrain of this path is unfamiliar, so I need to take small steps at first.