Club Asteria was founded to help the people of the world escape the chains of poverty and discover new ways and methods to generate income. In turn, they would use that new-found money to help themselves, their families and the people in their community.

As the popularity of Club Asteria grew, and more people signed up, we were able to take a step in the right direction by creating a micro-loan program. The idea behind a micro-loan is to provide money to a person who wants to begin a new business, but doesn’t have access to funds

Members such as you who purchase products and services from Club Asteria generate the funds we provide. The money is used in a variety of ways, including our micro-loan program.

Nashi was just a little girl growing up in Western India near a town called Tajpur when she discovered the joys of preparing food with her mother. The favorite part of her day was working with her mother in the family’s small kitchen, preparing simple dishes for the family’s dinner table.

As she grew older, Nashi’s mother began to experience the devastating effects of cancer that made her weaker and unable to do many of the chores around the house. While her mother received cancer treatments, the disease took away most of her strength, but she still was able to teach Nashi how to cook and bake.

One of the favorite memories Nashi had was of preparing sweet confections known as besan ladoo. Created out of almond paste and butter, the sweet treats were a family favorite, and were made for holidays and family gatherings.

Nashi’s time at school continued to shrink as her mother grew sicker, and after her mother’s death, she was placed in charge of helping raise her younger brothers and sisters, and making sure the domestic responsibilities were seen to.

As her siblings grew, Nashi began to consider going back to school, but because her family needed extra income, she found work in a local factory. The work was boring and tedious, but the money she brought back was desperately needed.

One day walking back from her job, Nashi saw a storefront for rent and she immediately realized what she wanted to do – open a small bakery and tea shop that would offer the best pastries and other confections!

Working with her father, she contacted Club Asteria and presented her plans for the small shop. Nashi would fill the labor demands, and then as she grew she would hire help. The loan would get her started and allow her to purchase the ingredients and other items for the store.

While the initial first weeks were demanding, Nashi’s talent for baking and creating delectable treats became the talk of the town. Her customers quickly became fond of her personal touch, not to mention her home cooked items.

Today, the shop is a center place for the town, a gathering point where people come to talk and eat. Nashi has repaid her loan and continues to work in the shop, teaching a new generation the joys of cooking.

One of the many benefits of joining Club Asteria is access to thought leaders and experts from around the world.

The relationships we’ve created with these fascinating, and generous, personalities have enabled us to share an entire new world of ideas with you.

We’ve been hearing from our members who have used these resources to grow their businesses, and become successful despite the tough economic times we all face

That’s why we’re urging everyone to visit the Club Asteria Entrepreneur Education website. It’s open to our members and functions as an electronic resource that can be accessed from virtually anywhere in the world!

When you reach the page, you’ll have a variety of choices to make, but remember that every one of these resources is designed to help you learn and grow.

Successful entrepreneurs have tested the strategies and tactics you’ll find on this site in the real world – so you can be confident in using them!

Start your visit at the Thought Leaders page – here you’ll be able to read a quick biography of each person. You’ll also discover articles and videos created by these thought leaders, addressing the areas that mean the most to them. It’s like having a personal business coach at your fingertips!

The aptly named Resources Page contains a great deal of videos and other information that you can use in your daily business dealings. We’ve provided links to popular sites containing videos about everything from leadership to innovation. Take your time on this page, there’s a treasure trove of great ideas waiting to be discovered

Every month we’ll select a Club Asteria member and profile that person on our website. Through extensive interviews, you can learn how members just like you were able to find success, and repeat that formula again and again. Who knows? With hard work and the resources on this site, you might be the next Member of the Month!

Finally, the Business Tips page is updated on a regular basis, and contains plenty of fresh, cutting edge tips designed to help small business owners succeed. From hints on how to use Twitter to motivating employees and more, this is the page that contains information you can use instantly!

Club Asteria’s Entrepreneur Education site is home to resources and information that you can use in your own business. We work hard to update the site on a regular basis, so check back often to see what’s new.

If you’re not a Club Asteria member, and you want to get in on the information and resources available, joining is free for a 30 day trial period!

Now that the new year is here, Club Asteria is rolling out its newest resource: our Product Catalog!
This catalog contains thousands of products and services that are yours to resell through your member website. You won’t be working for anybody, just yourself. The decisions you make will be your own, so it’s time to start thinking about what your product mix will consist of.

Before you stock your website, it’s important to know your audience. You already have a solid idea of what your customers like, but that’s not enough to grow a business. It’s also important to look ahead to what they might also like.

How can you do this without the aid of a magic crystal ball? Talk to your customers! Sure, you can’t speak to all of them, but simple surveys can provide you with vital information.

Another great way to gather information is through email. When you send out a confirmation or thank you email, ask customers what they’d like to see on your site. Encourage their input; after all, they’re going to make the purchases.

After you review what is available on your site, you can go to the Product Catalog and begin to order for yourself at a discount or make recommendations for your friends and family. Remember that knowing your inventory is crucial to the health of your business. Many of the products we offer are in stock on a regular basis.

Research is also a solid method for discovering new markets, often referred to as niche markets. This might take some creative thinking, but when you put yourself in the place of your customers, you can begin to see what they might want to purchase and where their interests will drive them.

Whatever you promote, don’t forget that you will have to market it to customers. Weekly emails are a great way to remind customers that you’re around to help them, and they might find something to help their own business.

You can use communication on your site to create excitement. Blog entries about hot new items, and what’s on the horizon, keep your customers returning. Keeping a steady stream of information flowing will keep you on top of your customer’s mind!

Finding the right product mix requires a lot of hard work and research, but the rewards are so positive that you’ll be happy you applied yourself!

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”    – William Butler Yeats

One of our goals in the new year is to provide our members with the kind of business resources that help them grow their own business and experience the kind of success that we all want to enjoy.

Our first step towards our goal is the free webinar we’re offering on January 18, 2012. Entitled “Vision and Goals: How to get the most out of 2012”, this training session will be conducted by Robert Van Arlen.

Mr. Van Arlen in an engaging speaker who will be covering essential steps to success, including:

• *  How to establish a purposeful vision
• *  Establish personal and professional goals that are meaningful and aligned with your vision
• *  Learning how to stay focused and eliminating distraction
• *  Learning how to create an environment of harmony, balance and alignment

As you follow Robert in this webinar, you’ll learn how to align your purpose and push your performance so this year becomes your best ever!

You’ll also receive instructions on how to establish the right goals so that you’re working towards an end point that is not only rewarding financially, but helps you grow as a person.

Robert Van Arlen has a reputation for delivering life-changing training programs that are easy to follow, and easy to execute. A webinar with Robert will help improve your leadership skills and increase sales.

Over the years, Mr. Van Arlen has worked with clients in the government and in private business, including companies listed in the Fortune 500.

Remember that the seminar will be held on January 18 and you must sign up in order to access this life-changing event.

To sign up click here and fill out the information on the page.

Club Asteria is dedicated to helping our members succeed in whatever business they choose to start.

When you begin a business, there are so many tasks to check off your list, it seems almost impossible. As time passes, and you establish a routine, life doesn’t seem as overwhelming.

However, it’s easy to forget that a business is more than one simple product or service, and that there are plenty of steps you can take to grow your business into something big!

The first thing you need to do is see where you are the strongest, and then make sure that everything is running the right way. Are orders being filled on time? Are your customers happy with the service?

With your main business doing well, take a look at other markets that are similar to yours. Are there any spaces that haven’t been filled by your competition? That’s where you want to start.

Before you take a big step, it’s vital to conduct research of this new market. Check out the competition and figure out what it takes to be successful. As always, you want to enter with a sound strategy, and tactics to support it.

If your business is virtual, it’s easy to build it with a website that carries a new product or service. Remember that cross marketing is a simple, yet effective way, to grow two separate entities.

Adding new lines of products is another sure-fire way to grow your business. Competitive pricing is a must, but you should take time to educate yourself about each new product line and its strengths and weaknesses.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to building a business is lack of patience!

We all want success to come almost instantaneously, and when it doesn’t we’re disappointed and quick to look for a solution. You know what? Many times there is no solution because there is no problem! You’re not failing, you’re expecting too much, too soon.

Allow new ventures to grow; it takes time, but as they gain momentum you’ll be happy that you waited. Think of these new ventures as struggling plants, they need care and shelter and lots of water to survive – and again the key ingredient is time!

Building a business is an exciting venture, and as you add new products and other offerings, you’ll be rewarded with additional income and chance to share that with your family, friends and community.

Just remember to be patient and keep working hard!

Club Asteria’s mission is to help people around the world break the chains of poverty, and improve their lives, families and communities. We’ve made a great deal of change already, and as we continue to grow, our mission to change the world continues.

One major keystone to the success of our organization is our members. Participating in the programs, purchasing products to resell, and joining your fellow members in their efforts has truly made a difference.

Thanks to the Internet, linking people from around the world has never been easier. Thoughts can be shared via email, video or even posted on forums – and those ideas and thoughts that work in one place, can certainly find traction in another.

Club Asteria provides plenty of ways for you to add to your network through our websites and social media pages.

Have you visited our Facebook page?

If not, you don’t know what you’re missing! Daily updates from our founders along with comments and postings by fellow Club Asteria members from all over the world. It’s a great way to meet new people, pick up successful business tips, and learn what’s going on with our organization!

Don’t forget about one of our newest additions, Asteria Connect. Designed for our members, this social media tool allows people to post their thoughts, ideas and anything else that’s on their mind, to share with everyone.

Similar to Asteria Connect is our Twitter stream, which is updated numerous times every day and contains links to interesting pages, more sales tips for our members, and a variety of information that can help your business.

Building a network virtually is always important, but don’t forget that your network in the real world is vital to your business. Check in your community to see if there are local networking events; organizations like a Chamber of Commerce are a great place to start searching for networking opportunities.

Once you’ve found groups that you like, go to the meetings and get to know the people you meet. Remember, you want to build a relationship first – and remember that by doing for others, you also help yourself!

A strong network of friends and business contacts will bring you new referrals and also broaden your horizons. Don’t be shy! If you can talk to other people, you can network!

For centuries, rice has been one of the staples of diet. Man has harvested this unique, nutritious grain across the world, and because it’s easy to grow and prepare, rice has enabled us to fully explore our world.

In many cultures, rice is the equivalent of bread. It is used in practically every dish and served at every meal. Blended with protein it can comprise the cornerstone of any diet, and enable a group of people to subsist on relatively small portions.

Studies show that rice was first cultivated and eaten in China, and the benefits of this “miracle grain” became well known to different tribes and cultures. Today, rice is the third most popular crop, behind maize and wheat.

Recently, we heard from Aung, a young lady of Burmese extraction who was currently living the life of a refugee in Thailand. Forced out of her homeland by a number of unfortunate events, Aung wanted to begin her own business.

For many years, she worked with her mother to feed her many sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins. Now, she had a talent that she wanted to grow into business so she could help the very people she fed.

With the help of a fellow expatriate, Aung was put in touch with Club Asteria and petitioned us for a small loan. Her plans were ambitious, to open up a small café that blended the traditions, flavors and recipes of her native Burma with those of her newly adopted country.

Aung’s rice dishes would not only be flavorful, but affordable. The small loan she received from us allowed her to rent a small space in Mandalay. There she began to cook her dishes, adding local spices, meats and fish.

At first her café was quiet, but as word spread of this new business that fused both cultures’ favorite grain with other ingredients, Aung began to see her fortunes improve. She invested some of her profit in the business, and used other parts to pay back Club Asteria.

As time progressed, she began to send money back to her relatives and urged them to join her, a difficult process. Slowly, but surely, she has seen her sisters and cousins come to Mandalay and stay with her.

Micro-loans like the one used by Aung are made possible by the participation of Club Asteria members. When you join our organization and use our resources and purchase products, money generated is given to young people like Aung who are looking for a new direction in life.

Remember this story and others as you go about your day and spread the word of Club Asteria, and our mission. Members like you help us make the dreams of people like Aung not only come true, but grow and thrive.