Blogging Tutorials

How to Write a Better Weblog

2009-08-05T09:43:00.001-07:00

How to Write a Better Weblog
by Dennis A. Mahoney

There's been a recent retread of the weblogging phenomenon following a
few articles at PC Mag, Time, and The Morning News. After posting my
own short list of things that ought to be banned from weblogs, I
realized that a list of things to be encouraged would be more useful.
Some people are new to weblogging. Others want to raise the bar. In
the end, everybody wants better sites, and some of these suggestions
might help.

The bulk of this advice focuses on writing, which is generally at the
heart of weblogs. All of them are obvious yet often ignored, to the
detriment of both the readers and the writers. They're aimed at people
trying to improve the general appeal of their weblogs, but folks
writing privately for friends and family might also find them useful.
We'll begin with an example.

Professional vs. Amateur

The professional writer writes:

New York is magnificent in spring.

The amateur writer writes:

I know this is a cliché nowadays, especially after 9/11, but I
live in New York, which is much cleaner and safer now because of
Giuliani, who really ought to be president after handling the crisis
so well, and I know I've had some issues in the past with the mayor's
handling of the NYPD in regard to African Americans and his war
against art involving sacred religious icons and feces (hello!?
freedom of expression!?), but when all is said and done, New York, as
maybe the best example of the 'melting pot' etc. etc., is a great
city, especially when it starts getting warmer and people go outside
more, like around March or April.

The amateur reads the professional and cannot bear the understatement.
The professional reads the amateur, gives up after the word
"nowadays," and decides that he/she has been video–gamed to idiocy;
the amateurs are hopeless; this new wave will be the last.

Not true. Amateurs are writing as they've always written.
Self-consciousness, self-doubt, awkwardness, and overcompensation are
perennial hallmarks of the beginning writer. The reason today's
amateurs seem more profoundly un–profound could be a simple matter of
exposure.

There used to be impenetrable gatekeepers. Now, CNN roundtables,
documentaries, independent films, MTV, and the web—which has no
gatekeepers in most countries—are broadcasting every poorly crafted
phrase and half–cooked idea imaginable. Patience, readers. All is not
lost.

Great writing can't be taught, but atrocious writing is entirely preventable.
The Rules

There are, in fact, rules—even online. Rules are not restrictions.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, rhythm, focus, syntax, and structure
aren't especially romantic terms, until you get to know them. Writers
want to make sense. They want to move the reader. It ain't never gonna
happen if you got busted paragraphs, mistaken punctuation and, bad
rhythm, not to mention kreative spelling: see? Clarity is key. Learn
the rules. Break 'em later.

The best rules can't be stated, but you can learn them by reading
excellent writing. Develop an ear. If you know what works, you'll
start to emulate it. Conversely, it's good to study truly horrendous
language, stuff that makes you embarrassed for those responsible.
You'll find yourself mortally afraid of—and automatically avoiding—the
same mistakes in your own writing. Hemingway said, "The most essential
gift for a good writer is a built–in shock–proof shit-detector."
(They're cheap if you haven't already got one.) This is especially
important for web writers, most of whom are publishing without the
benefit of editors.

Declarative sentences are good. Web readers demand pith.

Bold statements are dangerous, but they won't kill you. Timidity
will—or at least your traffic. Everyone has a hazy opinion or two. The
writer's goal is clarity. Vague feelings or ideas don't have to be
vaguely written. Imagine two sites with similar descriptions of an
indescribable sensation. Which would you remember:

A: "Her physical affections made his world feel somehow different
and indescribably alive."

B: "She kissed him with her tongue until the leaves on the trees,
the soles of his shoes, and even his thoughts, felt like happy
tongues."

First–person point of view is not the only point of view. I should be
necessary, or else avoided. This is not to condemn first person, but
to suggest that it needn't be the default choice. If first-person
perfectly suits your subject matter, use it. But maybe second– or
third–person is more effective. Consider your options.

The advice "write only what you know" increases the likelihood that
you will know the same things forever.
Offer Something New

And are you attempting to produce quality material, or just killing
time? If you're killing time, O.K., but don't be startled when your
audience is small and no one links to you. Instead of publishing
disconnected diversions (by the way, look at this, check it out, here
you go, really cool), connect the dots or offer a full opinion.

Better yet, take The Nick Hornby Challenge. In High Fidelity, the
narrator is described as a professional critic. He's good at it. Music
criticism is what he does. Then he starts an independent label and
produces a record made by a couple of talented, shoplifting skate
punks in order to, as his girlfriend says, "put something new into the
world."

The web is a tremendous hodgepodge of media. There are sites about
books, sites about music, and sites about sites. Plenty of weblogs
center on consuming and critiquing other people's work, and all this
recycling and redistribution has its place—a very important place that
we'll make note of later on. But why not make something new? Instead
of linking to a few articles every day, write one. Instead of
showcasing and discussing the latest designs, design something. You've
got this absolutely batty opportunity of instant global publishing.
Publish! The world is your oyster!
Amuse Your Readers

If you want to share an anecdote or story from your life, pretend the
readers weren't there. Because they weren't. "You had to be there"
never makes a joke funny.

Readers crave your anecdotes and stories. They really do. So give 'em
the whole megillah. Instead of, "The party was a riot!" or "I'm
depressed today," carefully explain why. Elaborate. Parties and
depression are perfectly good writing subjects. The Great Gatsby, for
instance, has plenty of both.

Anything makes a good subject, as long as you take your time and
crystallize the details, tying them together and actually telling a
story, rather than offering a simple list of facts. Do readers really
want to know how miserable you are? Yes. But they're going to want
details, the precise odor of your room, why you haven't showered in a
week, or how exactly somebody broke your heart. One–liners won't
suffice.

At the same time, you don't want to over–explain yourself.
Understatement can be thunderous, or humorous, or heartbreaking. Or
all three.

Have a sense of humor. Everything is funny. Being gay is funny. Being
straight is funny. Being American is funny. It's OK to laugh at
things. Making light of serious situations or emotions doesn't have to
be disrespectful or hurtful. And just because something is funny
doesn't mean it has to be light. Example: "When the kidnapper called
the blind woman, he told her that she'd never see her son again." Some
of the best humor is heavy.

Being a writer is funny. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Have a thick skin. If your site gets singled out for attack by some
malicious web devil, relax. You've gone public and you have to expect
both rational and irrational criticism. Listen, people rag on
Shakespeare all the time. If you're a genuine talent, there'll be
plenty of people complimenting your efforts. If someone has a bona
fide gripe with something you've produced, pay attention—it's worth
considering. If someone has a petty gripe or simply gets nasty, let it
go. Get back to producing your site. If novelists spent their time
responding to negative reviews, we'd be fresh out of novels.
Beyond Wired

One popular complaint about weblogs is that they all link to the same
sites, over and over and over. Sometimes that's true and sometimes it
isn't. But if you do find yourself linking to a Wired article that's
already been noted on ten other sites, you might consider finding
something else.

Sharing great discoveries is largely why weblogging got so hot and
sultry in the first place. Big, heavily funded sites weren't
acknowledging the grace notes and hidden talents of the web, so it was
up to webloggers. For some webloggers, it still is. Wired doesn't need
your help as much as undiscovered sites, which may be offering equally
good (or better) material.
Successful Weblogging

Producing a successful weblog, however you define that, is tough.
Instead of money, fame, and Jacuzzis full of sexy nude readers, you'll
probably feel like you're shouting in outer space. And you probably
will be. In 1994, you could hook a thousand readers if you wrote about
the mold underneath your refrigerator. Now, you're lucky to get a
hundred regulars, even if your work is excellent.

No matter what your audience size, you ought to write as if your
readership consisted of paid subscribers whose subscriptions were
perpetually about to expire. There's no need to pander. Compel them to
re–subscribe.

As the beginning of this article noted, a big audience isn't
everybody's goal, and most of these suggestions are intended for
people working to expand their readership. As for actually achieving
that expansion, it's back to the hard sell.

The days when simply having a website equated to visibility are over.
The average person doesn't even know to look for weblogs. When someone
does, there's an array of choices so endless that finding your site
will largely be a stroke of luck.

Links and word of mouth can go a long way, but don't expect a big
following right off the bat. You might never get a following. More
than ever, you'd better be doing this to satisfy yourself, because it
could be your only reward. But if your goal is to satisfy readers,
satisfying yourself is a good start.

Blogging Your Novel (Part Two)

2009-08-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

Blogging Your Novel (Part Two)

Use Blogger to Publish Your Novel
By Graham Waldon

So here we are, on the eve of November, with National Novel Writing
Month nearly upon us. Soon many of you will be joining the brave souls
who have vowed to produce 50,000 words of fiction over the course of a
single month. Now, some might think that the last thing you will want
to be doing in the midst of this creative marathon is blogging, but
I'm here to convince you otherwise. Blogger is an incredible tool that
will help you bring your novel to life.

Most of the ideas I'll talk about here can be incorporated right into
your regular blog. However, you may choose to create a separate blog
just for your literary activities. This is especially true if you want
to use Blogger to give your novel a permanent home online, as in some
of the later suggestions. Remember: you can have as many blogs as you
like on one account, so it's easy to give your book its own space.

See: How do I create a Blogger account?
See: How do I create a blog that Blogger will host for free?

Blogging the Process

The power of blogging. The easiest way to blog your way through
NaNoWriMo is to simply post your entire output on your blog every day.
That way, anyone who wants to check on your progress can see exactly
what you've been doing, and you'll have evidence to back up your
excuses when your parents ask why you haven't been calling. Plus, it
makes a great backup copy for all your hard work. If your computer
dies or your file gets deleted, then you've got a complete copy of
your novel accessible from any computer on the Internet.

There are other benefits to blogging your novel though, and some tips
for getting the most out of it.

The power of bragging. Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo and author of
No Plot? No Problem! stresses the importance of making your intentions
as publicly known as possible, as a way to keep motivation high all
through November.

Nothing makes it more difficult to back down from a task than
having boasted about it, in great detail, to all of your friends and
loved ones.... My ultimate goal is to back myself so far into a corner
before the month even starts that I have no choice but to stay on
course with the word count, no matter how dismally off-track my novel
gets in the weeks that follow.

Blogs, of course, are perfect for this. Not only can you tell all your
friends and family, but your efforts are going to be out there for the
entire Internet to see. You can hardly give up after that, right?

See: Promoting Your Blog

Make it easy to read. If you decide to post absolutely everything you
write as you go along, that's going to be a lot of text. Trying to
clear 50,000 words in November is going to put you at an average of
about 6 or 7 pages a day. So make things easy on your readers. Try
just posting excerpts of each novel segment on your home page, giving
people the option to view the whole post separately. Archive the posts
by days instead of months, so it's simpler for someone to go back and
catch up when they miss a day.

See: How can I create expandable post summaries?
See: What is archive frequency?

Make it easy to edit. NaNoWriMo itself isn't really about editing.
Still, there are always times when you post something only to think of
one more thing you wanted to add as soon as you see it published. Use
our Quick Edit links to jump easily right from your blog to the edit
page for any post, and those quick little additions and adjustments
will be a snap.

See: What's up with Quick Edit links?

Get feedback. One of the great things about having an audience is that
now you don't have to do all the thinking yourself. If you're short on
ideas, ask your readers for suggestions. Take a poll to see if Uncle
Joe should be abducted by Tralfamadorians or run away to Zaire with
the invisibility cloak.

See: How do I add comments to my posts?

One suggestion in this area: You might want to request that your
readers restrict themselves to positive, encouraging feedback for now.
Criticism and editing can wait for December, once you've down-shifted
from the more intense, output-oriented mode.

Join the community. NaNoWriMo participants hold local events
throughout November to support each other through the month. But you
can also get in touch with other novelists around the world and see
what they're up to with their blogs.

See: NaNoBlogMo Directory
See: NaNoWriMo Local Events

Blogging the Result

We all know that the important part of NaNoWriMo is the creative
process. Plenty of people just toss their novels in December, glad
simply to have done it. But sometimes you'll also come up with
something worth saving. So here are some tips for sprucing up your
novel online.

Make it look like a book. The usual blog format isn't very book-like.
Luckily, Blogger has enough flexibility to get around that with a few
hacks. Post the chapters, make a table of contents post, add a few
extra touches and you're set.

See: How do I post a book?

Make it an audiobook. There's no need to limit yourself to print, of
course. Audiobooks are great for people with bad eyesight, or long
commutes. And with just a telephone, you can record your own book onto
your blog for people to download and listen to.

See: On the Road with Audioblogger
See: Audioblogger.com

Share your creativity. Anything you create is automatically protected
by full copyright, regardless of whether you file for it or not. But
many bloggers believe that the Internet is all about sharing and
reusing information and ideas. If you want to allow certain uses of
your creation while still retaining some rights, then Creative Commons
can help you do so by providing customized licenses.

See: CreativeCommons.org
See: Creative Commons in 20 Words or Less

Get Ready... Get Set...

NaNoWriMo approaches. Hordes of participants are busily assembling
ideas and characters in preparation for the stroke of midnight on
November 1st, when the words will begin streaming from their
fingertips. So set yourself up with a laptop, a comfy chair, a month's
supply of food, and your blog, and get ready to...

Blogging Your Novel (Part One)

2009-08-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

Blogging Your Novel (Part One)

In which we encourage you to play NaNoWriMo with Blogger.
Join NaNoWriMo
By Biz Stone

Patriarch to the potentially published, Chris Baty has written a new
book called No Plot? No Problem! His "low stress, high velocity guide"
serves as a companion to the wildly popular annual web program which
"values enthusiasm and perseverance over talent and craft," and is
"for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has
been scared away by the time and effort involved." Ladies and
gentlemen, the very idea brings a tear to my heart. In Baty's
creations, Blogger has found a kindred spirit.

"Novelists, we knew, had it made. They got fawned over in
bookstores, and were forever being pestered for insights on their
genius in newspapers and magazines. They had license to dress
horribly, wear decades-out-of-date hairstyles, and have their
shortcomings interpreted as charming quirks and idiosyncrasies rather
than social dysfunctions."

It is my sincere hope that these words from the introduction of Baty's
book ring as true for bloggers as they do for novelists. Because if
this is not the case, then for the past five years people have been
laughing at me rather than with me. Nevertheless, I persevere and
invite you to do the same.

Introducing NaNoBlogMo

November 1, 2004 is the first day of the rest of your life. It's also
the official kickoff of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month—a
"seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing" designed to extract a
novel from your head within thirty days. If you've got the fever to
unlock that story trapped within you there's only one cure—more
cowbell! Okay, there's another cure: sit your duff down and rock that
thing out. Get it out of your head and share it with the world.

Some say the hardest part about writing your novel is just getting
started, others say sticking with it is what breaks them. In any case,
to help you achieve your goal, we've come up with our own brand of
inspiration: NaNoBlogMo. National Novel Writing Blogging Month is our
spin on Baty and friends' ingenious program. To reach 50,000 words,
you'll need to write every day—Blogger was born for this gig. Add to
that the fact that blogging already has a successful track record in
the book world and the big picture begins to emerge.

Blogging Your Way To Success

Writing a novel in thirty days sounds daunting, I know. However, since
its inception in 1999 there have been 6,335 NaNoWriMo participants who
have completed the challenge. They are all winners. Some even take it
to the next level. Jon F. Merz for example, participated in 2001 and
his book, The Destructor was published by Pinnacle Books in March
2003. Lani Diane Rich's NaNo manuscript, Time Off for Good Behavior is
coming out this month from Time Warner Books. They went for it and so
can you.

For many, the writing process is private and introspective. However,
if you're the type of person who thrives on visibility and feedback
then blogging your novel may be just the thing to keep you going. For
this purpose we are doing a few special things to help you blog your
way to novel-writing success. First, we set up a special site that
we'll use to promote blogger-novelists. If you are blogging your
novel, be sure to visit our official NaNoBlogMo site and sign up to be
included in the directory. Then, be sure to visit the next issue of
Blogger Knowledge when we put up part two of this article—it'll be
loaded with tips, tricks, and hacks for turning Blogger into the
ultimate novel-writing tool.

What To Do Right Now

Signups for NaNoWriMo have already started so visit the site to
register. Once you've done that, visit Blogger. If you already have an
account, just sign in and create a new blog named for your novel.
Otherwise, click the giant orange arrow that says "Create Your Blog
Now" to create your free account. Once you've got your NaNoBlog set
up, visit our official NaNoBlogMo site and fill out the form on the
right so we can put up a link to your ongoing novel.

Blogging Your Novel (Part One)

2009-08-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

Blogging Your Novel (Part One)

In which we encourage you to play NaNoWriMo with Blogger.

By Biz Stone

"Novelists, we knew, had it made. They got fawned over in bookstores,
and were forever being pestered for insights on their genius in
newspapers and magazines. They had license to dress horribly, wear
decades-out-of-date hairstyles, and have their shortcomings
interpreted as charming quirks and idiosyncrasies rather than social
dysfunctions."

What is blogging?

2009-08-05T09:11:00.001-07:00

What is blogging?

The Internet plays a huge role in the lives of people on the entire
planet; it is the fastest means to communicate with friends on the
other side of the world and the richest source of information when you
have to research for something. The latest trend and probably the most
successful way of expressing oneself via the Internet is the blog.
What does blogging actually mean? The whole concept revolves around
the personal need to express feelings or thoughts, share opinions,
spread news or simply have fun. A blog is actually a small individual
web page more like a diary that you keep online; it receives regular
updates and allows the use of links, photos, videos and extended
documents.

Many people were attracted by the "blogging" phenomenon thanks to the
great opportunity of making themselves heard by a specific targeted
audience. Blogs are not complex web pages, it entirely depends on what
the creator wants to share with the world. When you've got great
pieces of news, funny links or a hobby to talk about, a blog may be
just the right way to open up to an international "community". Most
often, blogs attract more attention than large and well-designed web
pages? How is it possible for blogging to have reached such a status?

First of all, blogs generally tackle with one issue of interest for
the user; there is fresh and rich informational content, and extended
friendly links to other sites or blogs in the domain. It has become
common knowledge by now that blogs often receive more traffic than
other web pages. Why? The answer lies within the very essence of a
search engine structure: what a search engine likes most is fresh and
high quality content. This is the main preeminence blogs and the
blogging phenomenon has managed to achieve ahead of normal web pages.

If blogging started as the perfect diary online, it has now come to
acquire different dimensions, of which the commercial one is the most
well-developed. I'll give you an illustrative example here: let's say
you like gardening, and you've also started your own home business of
growing plants. A blog on flowers, plants and their peculiarities
would meet the requirements of other people who share your hobby, but
it would also function as a great promotion tool for the development
of your business. Therefore, web marketing and the need to communicate
happily meet within the very concept of "blogging".

Photo blogging

2009-08-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

Photo blogging

Just like vlogs, photo blogs are born from the need to communicate and
integrate in a community that has reached international dimensions. A
photo blog mainly relies on photo sharing and publishing, while also
using textual support as well. Nevertheless, when you visit a photo
blog you'll understand where the focus really lies; the phenomenon
deviated from blogging with the advent of the cameraphones that allow
the instant photo sharing between web users. The big advantage of such
pages is that they are very dynamic in nature as compared to
traditional sites. There are photo blogs that belong to individual
domains and others that use larger collective services such as
Blogger.

Widely accessible all over the web, photo blogs are managed with the
help of specific software systems that enable content control. Thus,
photo bloggers are able to upload materials and manage all posts
without any restriction; the same unrestricted form is maintained for
the access to photo blogs, since all that is required is a browser and
direct online access. There are cases when the transition from text to
photo blogs is made with the use of plugins and even code rewriting;
thus a combination of text and image is possible when a blogger
selects a daily entry option.

Usually photo blogs have a single author, nevertheless it is not
uncommon that two or three people contribute to the same web page. The
posts display depends on chronology, with the main page showing the
most recent entries, but you may go back to the archives any time you
want. Photo blogs are highly interactive too since users may leave any
comments they want for a special entry. The presence of friendly links
is also important in the photo blogging community, given the fact that
creators come to move freely between sites.

It is totally incorrect to take pictures galleries for photo blogs;
while the former is a simple collection images, the latter is a
chronological log that uses categories allowing the user to navigate
among them from older to newer materials and vice versa. It is not
uncommon to also have photo blogs and moblogs as one and the same
unit; though they may also function separately as well. A photo blog
that can be updated from a mobile location such as camera phones could
be labeled as mob logs. Nevertheless this latter concept could well
function without pictures as well. In a nut shell, the composite
character of the Internet allows the happy existence of hybrid blog
types that enrich the puzzle even more.

Personal blogging

2009-08-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

Personal blogging

The variant of the online diary, which we are all used to call blog,
goes sometimes well beyond the boundaries of simple communication:
there are great articles, essays and a lot of interactive stuff that
create a very entertaining environment for any Internet user.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon to even find future brilliant writers
who shape their skill online; it all begins with the regular recording
of personal thoughts, ideas, comments on books, films or music.
Personal blogs also allow limitless space for the expression of
critical opinions from various domains, not to mention that they
preserve a record of one's development.

Nevertheless, what most Internet experts advise is that one should
keep personal and business blogging as separate activities, since
mixing them can be detrimental particularly for the special online
promotion of some products or services. Many analysts argue that
personal blogging is often characterized by an ascending evolution
since steady writing develops good thinking and synthesis skills.
However, there are a few rules you must follow into making sure that
your personal blog is a good, yet trustworthy mirror of yourself. The
first thing you need to work on is the topic of the articles, essays
that are responsible for the overall image of the blog.

There are not few the examples that include very poor personal blogs,
with uninteresting topics, grammar and punctuation mistakes and very
few substantial links. Keep in mind that there should be a so-called
self-censoring when it comes to exposing all sorts of personal details
in the pages of your blog. Unfortunately, there have been cases of
stalking or stolen identity; keep in mind that you can be personal,
without revealing anything from your intimate life. Why this
precaution? Because, some of the comments you'll receive on the blog
may truly hurt your feelings and even change your life.

Some bloggers have chosen to limit access to their pages by the use of
a digital password; thus, only family and friends are allowed to log
in. People actually consider this a good means of protecting their
families from possible external threats when the virtual world may
overlap with the real one. Things will stay bright as long as you are
able to monitor blog content and information quality on a regular
basis. The good thing about blogs is the fact that you can always go
back to a formal entry and make some changes or analyze things from a
different perspective and this stays valid for bloggers and users
alike.

How do I start blogging?

2009-08-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

How do I start blogging?

Presently, we can definitely say that online communications are
probably the most successful and effective ones worldwide; they save
money, time, while also allowing transactions, commercial advertising
and even business administration. Blogging is part of this general
trend of putting everything on the web, regardless of whether we are
talking about business, hobbies or personal stuff. There are some
basic guidelines that lie at the foundation of any blogs; therefore,
we could say that you need the ABC of blogging before actually
starting to enjoy it. The most important thing for the creation of the
blog is the purpose: why do you create it for?

There are some people who choose to create a blog on their own,
whereas others prefer to hire some pro to set things on the right
track. First of all, before starting the actual blogging project,
you'll need to create a detailed plan in which to include: objectives,
investment with the analysis of cost and profit, targeted audience,
blog updates and administration and monitoring tools. Blogging is a
very accessible thing to do for both business and personal reasons,
nevertheless, its real value is obvious when it attracts relevant
traffic.

There are all sorts of issues you need to take into consideration;
search for special software that helps you track the best keywords you
should include in the articles posted on the blog! This means of
attracting traffic by identifying the keywords that are the highest in
demand goes hand in hand with special devices that help one evaluate
the keyword performance over a specific period of time. Thus, all
Internet users interested in blogging, particularly business owners
who use blogs for promotion campaigns, need to learn as many SEO
secrets as they can, since they have to optimize not just the blog
content as such but the ads that appear on it as well.

Another important issue when starting a blog is the content; keep in
mind that the best sites of this kind are the ones with highly
interesting information. Search engines love great content and
visitors linger more on your blog as well if the articles, the videos
or the pictures are catchy. For those bloggers who are also running
their business online, a good word of advice here is the combination
of informational articles and e-news letters. The users that subscribe
to periodical informative bulletins should be offered all sorts of
promotions and special contests to keep the interest vivid. More such
tricks can be learned if you take the time to learn something on
Internet marketing, it could mean a great deal for any new blogger.

Blogging – What's it all about?

2009-08-05T08:53:00.001-07:00

Blogging – What's it all about?

Blogging is one of the most popular Internet-related phenomenon that
has incited the curiosity of millions of people all over the world; it
represents a great opportunity for those who create blogs and for
those who use them. Very often qualified as the trend of keeping
personal diaries online, blogging is far more complex owing to the
fact that every web log carries the touch of the owner's imagination,
interest and wit. The range of topics blogs deal with is incredibly
wide: from politics and economics to sky diving and snorkeling. The
next very important aspect after blog content is actually the
interactive format of the pages that allows users to take action on
the site.

Part of the history of blogging includes the very first attempts to
run an account of one's personal life, and many of the blog owners
liked to call themselves journalists or diarists. In the early days of
blogging around the mid-90s, people enjoyed the experience of
belonging to the online community that went beyond all sorts of
boundaries. This was the time when the very first combination of text,
pictures and videos were included in a blog, as the most accurate way
of reflecting one's life. Sometimes, bloggers transmitted live images
with the help of various portable devices, creating the so-called
semi-automated blogging.

At the beginning, blogs were not individual pages, as they mainly
functioned as components of larger websites; nevertheless, with the
rapid development of technologies, it came into everyone's power to
create and support a personal independent web log. The only condition
to enjoy a successful blogging experience is to stick to high quality
content that makes any visitor return to the site and even take action
on it. Creativity and innovation are probably the best ways to define
the blogging experience since we can identify a true craze to be seen
online.

Presently, you can find guides to creating successful blogs, since,
many small business owners perceive the phenomenon as a great chance
to promote products and services online. Blogs are presently part of
the Internet marketing strategies anyone should use as included within
online advertising campaigns; the great advantage of blogging is that
it mainly targets potential customers, reducing the number of
uninterested users. We could say that thanks to advertising and
Internet marketing, blogging has actually become a very promising type
of business.

The Top 10 Essentials for Your Pay Per Click (PPC) Success

2009-06-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 Essentials for Your Pay Per Click (PPC) Success

Whether you're looking to do Paid Search Advertising yourself or to
hire someone to do that for you - you should know what makes a Pay Per
Click campaign successful - or you will end up suffering. Paid search
advertising may look deceptively easy to do. Countless times small
business owners decide (and correctly so) that PPC is going to do
wonders for their business and 'dive' right into it...

Unfortunately most of them don't really educate themselves enough on
what to do and how to do it, and then they end up spending a helluva
lot of money, with little to no results. Next they declare that Paid
Search Marketing doesn't work and then they're out!

Alternatively, the small business owner hires an overpaid,
over-promising PPC management firm, and lets them do whatever they
like - not knowing what to be aware of in order to make sure he's
getting the best possible results for the best price...

Well - despite the doom and gloom scenarios above, I'm here to tell
you that PPC works for most businesses!

It works very well, and can be one of the best, quickest, most cost
effective and best tracked medium of advertising/promotion there ever
was... Sure, there are other ways you can market your business, but if
you know how to, and if you want almost immediate results that are
fully tracked - then PPC can't be beaten.
Search Engine Optimization Training

OK, let's get to the top 10 essentials of Pay Per Click marketing:

1. Know your market place

It's as obvious as daylight, but people still go into PPC without
doing their research. Bear in mind that you may know your market place
offline, but when you consider the internet - it may be a whole
different environment. So make sure you look into it - even if you
have to pay for professional research - it will be worth your while.

If you're letting an agency manage your paid search, then make sure
you ask them about your market - make sure they have done their
homework thoroughly.

2. Know your target audience

Again an obvious one - and yet again people don't do this step
properly. Don't just list out a bunch of demographics about your
prospective customers. Get into character - engineer 'real-life'
people profiles (avatars), describing everything about them.

Creating about 3 customer avatars for your business, will help you
understand your customers, and thus you'll be able to anticipate how
they behave. Knowing how they are likely to behave, will allow you to
setup a VERY effective PPC campaign process, that will guarantee you
success.

Remember - your customer just wants to feel understood, then if your
product/service is good - they will buy.

3. Know what you want your visitor to do

In other words decide - do you want a prospect visiting your site to:

* call you to make an appointment?
* email you with more info about themselves, before setting up a
consultation?
* click on the "Buy Now" button on your landing page?
* sign up to your membership site?
* sign up to your free newsletter?
* download a free report?

The clearer you are about what you want visitors to do, the easier it
will be to entice them to do just that. If you don't tell your
prospects what it is they need to do to progress this visit to
something that is of benefit to them, they will click away, most
likely to never be seen again...

4. Know how they look for you & your product - i.e. understand searcher intent

This one's not so obvious. Only very good paid search marketers know
that keywords have different intent behind them. In other words, if a
searcher on Google types in "running shoes" they are highly likely to
be doing some preliminary research on what types of running shoes
there are.

If the same searcher typed in "running shoes reviews" - then they are
likely to be still researching - but they now know that they will buy
- when they find the shoe that appeals to them.

A prospect with 'buying' intent, however, will likely type in "buy
asics gel kayano running shoes" or "asics gel kayano stockists". You
get the idea...

5. Start small - grow big later

This simply means that it is better to find the most suitable keyword
phrases for your business, and run with that small group first. This
will allow you to test the 'waters' and it will help you keep control
of your budget.

Later on, when you know what works and what doesn't you can add other
phrases to your heart's content.

6. Split test your ads

It is amazing how many people don't take advantage of this feature on
Google AdWords. Split - testing will give you a constant way of
improving on your ads. Your ad is the 'window' to your sales... so you
cannot afford not to be constantly trying to make it better converting
than before.

7. Use landing pages (LP)

Landing pages are powerful when using them correctly. They allow you
complete control of what your visitor experiences. I always recommend
that if you are only wanting one result from your prospect you should
use LPs. But if your resources and knowledge are limited, then at
least make sure you are leading the searcher to the most
search-relevant page you have on your site.
Search Engine Submission

8. Track everything

This says it all - even if you don't know how to, or with what - find
someone that can help you. Outsource this job, or simply head over to
Google and read all there is on their Analytics service. In some cases
this is perfectly sufficient.

9. Listen to your stats

Once you have your tracking working, make sure you look at your stats
to see the results. I recommend you look at them once a day in the
beginning - depending on the size of your campaign, the amount of
traffic your keywords are getting, and the amount of money you've
budgeted to spend.

Once your campaign is working and making you profit, you can start
looking at it less often, but at least once a week. Also make sure to
optimize it regularly on the basis of your stats.

10. Learn consistently and constantly

Learn from your successes, your failures, your competitors' successes
and their failures too... I have a document template that I use for
all my campaigns called - Lessons Learned. It's only through
experience that you will be able to progress and optimize any paid
search campaign.

Well - hopefully you'll find the above list of PPC essentials very
useful. Of course there are a lot of other important points to
consider, like daily budget, competitive research, and return on
investment requirements, but the above 10 will be able to start you
off in a very strong way.

Bear in mind that whether you're managing your own PPC campaigns, or
you're hiring a professional to do it - you can use the list above to
make sure you're getting the best out of your campaigns.

5 Google Tools For Researching The Market

2009-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

5 Google Tools For
Researching Your Market

By Pete Moore (c) 2009
SiteProNews RSS Feed - Grab the SiteProNews RSS Feed

Internet marketers and webmasters have always had a love/ hate
relationship with Google. Whatever you think of them they do provide
website owners with some great market research tools.

No matter what market you are in or plan to be in, you will find these
free tools provided by Google very useful when researching your
market. You should be researching your market constantly, NOT just
when setting up your site. The internet is ever changing and, if
you're not keeping up with those changes, you will be left behind.

Market Research Tool 1 - Related Searches And Wonder Wheel

When you start typing in the main Google search box you should see a
drop down box appear giving you some alternative search terms related
to the word you typed. Note these phrases down in a notepad file or
write them on a piece of paper. They will be useful as part of your
keyword list used in the next tool. You will also see more related
search phrases after you click search. Scroll to the bottom of the
results page and you will see "searches related to:" Note down any new
phrases shown there.
Drive Traffic to Your Site - Get 100 Dollars in Matched Clicks!

Recently Google has released Wonder Wheel which is also a related
keywords tool but is shown in a mind map format. You can also click on
the related phrases to find more useful search terms. To access wonder
wheel: enter your keyword in the standard search screen, then at the
top of the results on the left you should see a show options link.
Select that and it will reveal a menu. Near the bottom of the menu you
should see wonder wheel.

Market Research Tool 2 - Adwords Keyword Tool

We all know how important keywords and search phrases are. Let's face
it, it's what drives the internet. Google has provided us with a tool
that tells you what keywords and phrases people are using to find what
they are looking for. You are able to search an individual country,
more than one if you hold down the ctrl key on your keyboard as you
select, or all countries.

The adwords tool is now more valuable due to the fact it shows actual
search numbers. Previously you only had a green bar to indicate how
much traffic the search term receíved. You can also see how
competitive each keyword is amongst adword advertisers, showing us
which keywords are commercially viable.

Market Research Tool 3 - Google Trends

Now that you have an idea what keywords your market is using you can
use the trends tool to check the history of that keyword / phrase.
Google Trends supplies data for the last 5 years, giving you an idea
if the search term is consistent. You can also see if the search term
is popular at certain times of the year, also known as a seasonal
keywords.

Another important function of Trends is the section that tells you the
popularity of a keyword by country, city and language - very useful if
you are targeting particular countries or even cities.

Market Research Tool 4 - Google Alerts

Alerts is underused by webmasters. If you want to stay in touch with
what's hot in your market, you can by using Google Alerts. All you
have to do is enter the most popular phrases in your market. Google
will then send you links via email depending on what type you select.
Forget Expensive PPC Advertising - There is an Alternative!

The types are news, web, blogs, video and groups. If you would like a
mix of all, you can select comprehensive. You can decide how often you
want to be updated by selecting either: as it happens, once a day or
once a week. I hope you can see how powerful this is if you want to be
seen as an authority in your market.

Market Research Tool 5 - Google Web Search

Finally, we have Google's standard web search which is not standard in
my eyes. It provides a lot of information if you know what to look
for. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important part of running
a website. By performing a search of your market keywords, Google will
tell you what type of content it sees as important.

If you see videos, blogs or images this gives you another way to reach
the top 10 of Google. If you see Web 2.0 style sites such as Digg,
that could be another avenue. If there are adword ads on the right
side of the screen, that tells you the market is commercially viable
and more importantly that the keyword you entered is good enough to
pay for, especially if there are 10 ads or more.

As you can see, even if you don't have money to buy the latest tools,
I have shown you there is a way to get some very important information
using free tools from Google. Are you starting to love them now?

7 Keys to Running a Successful Business

2009-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Although dentistry may appear to be different than other types of
businesses, in reality it is a business. And although this article is
written from a dentist's perspective on developing a successful
practice, the principles can be used in virtually any business.

I have been in the dental industry for over 20 years and can proudly
say I do have a highly successful business, also known as a practice.
Over the years, I have learned many things that work in running a
business and even more that do not. It is with this in mind that I
share the following 7 keys to running a successful business.
Regardless of your industry they can apply.

1. Have a vision

One of the most important aspects of running any business is to have a
clear vision of what you want that business to be like. What do you
want to be known for in the marketplace? What kind of clients do you
desire? What level of service do you want to provide? Do you want to
be "one among many" or do you want to be considered a leader in your
industry?

By answering these and many other similar type questions, you will
gain insight into the direction you can, and should, take your
business.

2. Develop a plan that ties into the vision

Once you gain clarity on your vision, you must be willing to develop a
plan. Far too often people have an idea of where they want their
organization to be, but they fail to put together a usable plan. Take
time to map out what needs to be done to achieve your outcomes.

3. Know your market

One of the most important aspects of running any type of business is
to know whom your market is. You can't be all things to all people.
Contrary to what some would like to believe, not everyone is his or
her market. There is a very astute saying in marketing, "If everyone
is your market, then no one is your market."

The clearer you are on who you are targeting the easier it will be to
focus your efforts on reaching those individuals and/or companies.

4. Gain visibility within your market

Take a very focused approach to reaching your market. Just because you
have determined who your market it, doesn't mean you are done. You
must now be willing to have a very focused approach to targeting your
market. Whether that be through direct mail, advertising, newsletters,
informational seminars or any number of methods, you have to be
willing to keep your name in front of your market.

5. Get your team on board

This is probably one of the most crucial and yet, often most
overlooked aspects of running a business. You have to make sure your
team knows what is going on. Holding regular staff meetings as a means
to keep people informed is a great way to gain the buy in of your
team. Additionally, be open to ideas that may come from your team
members.

It will be very difficult to achieve your long-term goals if your team
members either don't understand your vision or haven't bought into it.
When you hire people, make sure they understand what you are trying to
achieve. Whether you are dealing with new members of the team or
seasoned folks, everyone must be willing to be a part of the plan.
When they are, you will have a much greater chance for success.

6. Be consistent

Running and marketing a business is an ongoing process. The greatest
mistake people make in virtually any industry is they try something
once and expect instant results. You must be in this for the long
haul. Sure, with some of your marketing strategies you will get
instant, or direct, response. However, with most approaches, it is
more like the tortoise and the heir. In the short-term it looks like
the heir is in the lead, but the reality is he is burning himself out
and ends up losing to the tortoise who had a consistent and long-term
vision.

7. Realize – you change lives

One of the things I most love about dentistry is I know I change
lives. I recognize this beyond a shadow of a doubt. When my patients
are able to obtain the smile they once only dreamed of because of what
I did for them, I know I am doing my life's work.

With most people, regardless of the industry you are in, in some way
you do change lives. If you know that, your job is very rewarding.

Think about the end user of your product or service. What is it about
what you provide that makes a difference for them? If you don't know,
ask your customers. You may be pleasantly surprised. It is in the
answers you can become clearer and clearer as to your vision and the
benefits you bring to others through the services you provide.

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter,
on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include
the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is
not required.

How To Get Sellers To Call And Beg You To Take Their Property!

2009-06-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

I'm going to give you the *basic* steps in my $0 Down Real Estate
Investing Program. I outline the program in *detail* in my 324 page
e-book. For details about the book.
http://www.realrealestateexperts.com and much, much more!

I personally put together four more real estate deals last week... not
to mention the deals that I helped my coaching clients put together.
This business gets addictive when you get the system set up. It is a
lot of fun seeing deals come together with very little effort.

Setting it up in the first place is where the effort comes in. After
it's set up, it is fairly easy to maintain.

I do most of my work on the phone. It doesn't take a lot of my time.

THE METHOD

First I set up the ads that attract the Sellers and the Investors.

You are looking for two types of Sellers. The ads in the book are
designed to get them to call you and ask for your help.

Here are the types of sellers that you are looking for...

TYPE ONE - Property owners who will sell to you at 15-30% below market value.

TYPE TWO - Property owners who will sell you property subject to the
existing loans or with terms.

You must get either *price* or *terms* to get a good deal. There are
several ways that you can use to bring these deals to your doorstep.
They are too detailed to include here and are outlined (step-by-step)
in my book.

You will want to set the program up as a "system" that creates a
steady stream of qualified sellers calling you and asking you to
purchase their properties.

Next, I talk to the people who respond to my ads and see if their
property qualifies for my program. I categorize their property and
determine what type of deal I'm working with.

First of all, does it fit one of my two criteria above (price or
terms). Second, what am I going to do with it after I own it.

1. Keep it as a rental?

2. Sell it to an end user on lease option (rent to buy)?

3. Sell it for cash to an Investor? (which I also show you how to find)

4. Sell it to an Investor with Terms?

5. Sell it to an end user for cash?

Fill out the questionnaires that I've provided in the book. They will
tell you exactly what type of investment property you are dealing
with.

The next step is inspecting the property. If you know how the
functions of a home work, this is fairly easy, if not, read up on home
inspections or use the guidelines that I give you in the course.

Tips to Starting your own Business

2009-06-16T10:16:00.001-07:00

The 9-to-5 grind can make you feel like a just another cog in the
corporate machine, constantly punching the clock for someone else's
vision. One day, while dreaming of the world outside the cubicle, you
have your big "Eureka!" moment—you've come across an idea so perfect
that you need to start your own business around it.

Coming up with the idea is the easy part. Now, you're thrown into an
entrepreneurial world where even the experience businessperson can
feel overwhelmed by all the details.

It's hard to know where to even begin. So here are some tips to
starting your own business:

* Craft a primitive budget: do you have enough capital to get this
idea rolling? First things first, figure out roughly how much it'll
cost you including all expenses, and where that money will be coming
from. Call in favors from everyone you've even leant money to in the
past in need be.

* Does the business world need you?: is there a large enough
demand for your product? Ask around before even attempting to start
your business—check with similar businesses in the area, or around the
country. Find out how they started, and what kinds of clients they
target, to get an idea of where you'll fit in the market.

* Create a strong management team: your team members should share
your vision of the business, and a certain amount of proficiency and
credibility. Rely on your connections to find the perfect people for
the jobs that will bring their expertise to the business. Remember
that you will eventually have to set aside your ego and let them
control certain aspects of the company, so your have to feel
comfortable around your management team.

* Start small: instead of immediately trying to market your
product to 5,000 companies at once, focus on a few dozen specialized
local companies to network with. This way you can call them each
personally, mail them your marketing materials, and then arrange a
meeting.

* Quality matters: you want to be able to set your self apart from
all the other businesses similar to yours. Having an eye-catching yet
simple to navigate web site and presentation material is key to
succeeding in the modern business world. Creating quality marketing
tools doesn't have to cost you a fortune either; consider hiring a
design art or marketing student from a nearby university to help out.
You never know, you could even meet your next Junior Executive.

* Come up with a good business plan: keep it less than 25 pages,
and include information about your management team, who your customers
as, and most importantly, why the world needs your business. At this
stage in the game, don't over-focus on the financial side of things
yet. A business plan outline can be found at
http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html.

For more tips, including an A-to-Z guide to starting your own
business, and 21 ways to draw customers in, go to
http://www.entrepreneur.com.

How to Market and Protect Your New Ideas

2009-06-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be worth
over $100 billion. If you have a new idea, a patent or an invention,
you may be able to license it or sell it for millions of dollars. Many
Fortune 500 companies are now making their intellectual property
available for sale or licensing at new online intellectual-property
exchanges. These companies are trying to maximize their return on
research and development investment and generate a new source of
revenue by licensing their unused and underutilized inventions to
others.

A number of online forums, including Minnesota-based NewIdeaTrade.com
(http://www.newideatrade.com), California-based Pl-x.com
(http://www.pl-x.com), and Connecticut-based PatentTriage.com
(http://www.patenttriage.com) now link buyers and sellers of
intellectual property. The traditional transfer of intellectual
property is complicated, costly, and can take up to one year. However,
these online forums simplify and speed up the process for transfer of
new ideas.

The Internet currently reaches more than 560 million users around the
world. This makes innovators' potential for exposure much higher than
with traditional forms of media. The worldwide online commerce has
reached $2.2 trillion in 2002 and is expected to reach $6.8 trillion
by 2004. The innovators today can leverage the massive reach of the
Internet and promote their new ideas to the global market without
substantial marketing costs.

Official copyright registration and patent rights can be obtained from
appropriate authorities. A directory of Patent and Copyright Offices
around the world is available at
http://www.newideatrade.com/government_patent_copyright_offices.htm.
When a potential buyer contacts the seller for more information about
the intellectual property, the seller should require the buyer to sign
a non-disclosure agreement before revealing the details.

Additional information on how to market new ideas and inventions is
available at http://www.newideatrade.com.

Asking For Proof in the Economic Pudding

2009-06-16T10:15:00.001-07:00

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. Ask an economist
for proof of one of their pet theories and you'll find quickly that
the age old axiom that we all learned in school and work place
training seminars is dead wrong. You can ask a stupid question if
you're talking to an economist and that question can, in fact, make
you stupid.

It's a well accepted fact that scientists are not the greatest
communicators around. They generally are not strong in the customer
service or public relations fields. Scientists spend their time
preaching to the well educated, well informed, scientific choir. When
the time comes that a scientific discovery leads to a consumer
product, it is not scientists that explain the benefits and dangers of
the new product, a marketing company will handle that. Because of the
disconnect between the science behind a product and the actual
implementation of that science, there are a slew of products which are
around 1.25% scientific fact and 98.75% marketing hype (take a look at
your average diet pill). Consumers don't know the difference because
scientists won't talk to us.

Economists also fancy themselves as scientists. They like to say that
they have laws and they also don't feel the need to deign to speak to
the general public about their work. They talk to each other, develop
their theories, push for the implementation of those theories and
generally think that Liberal Arts majors and auto mechanics should
mind their own business. Maybe it's time that we lowly non-economists
demand a few answers.

It's tremendously irksome to hear an economist speak about an economic
law. Ask the econsomist to demonstrate the law and he will fall
quickly to an explanation of the theories which, in his opinion, make
the law true. Supply and Demand can only be verified by reading those
theorists who endorse the idea. The theory cannot be measured, cannot
be duplicated under scientific standards, cannot be certain to have
the same outcome at all times, even given the same circumstances. It
is therefore not a law. It's just a widely accepted theory.

I've got no problem with widely accepted theories. What I do find
disturbing and even dangerous is the application of widely accepted
theories into public policy without regard to whom is being hurt and
without question as to whether or not the theory is working. Take free
trade for instance. It's an economic policy which is not demanded by
the average working person, but which both major political parties
endorse to some extent and which the Libertarian Party makes a
cornerstone of it's platform. The theories all indicate that some job
loss, even great displacement of a given society's workers, is to be
expected. In fact, the displacement is a good thing, since it allows
once unskilled laborers to study and become highly skilled
technitions, or accountants or something. Unfortunately, the American
people aren't privy to this part of the working economic theory and
thusly aren't excited to hear that the reason that their job was
offshore is due to India's comparative advantage in call center
operations. The displaced worker may not feel that they are a worthy
subject for the grand experiment of free trade.

Of course, no theory says that America has to be the winner in the
free trade free-for-all rush to the top of the comparative/absolute
advantage heap. No, economists don't often talk about nations at all.
Their theories do not aim to find ways of make America the most
economically powerful nation, or the richest, or the most comfortable;
their theories work to ensure a true free market. The problem with a
truly free market is that the displaced workers can just as easily be
upper middle class Americans and the new skills that they may be
acquiring just may be menial labor. Ask an economist why the displaced
workers are always poor and always must be and I'll bet you money that
they cannot give even a small piece of evidence to show a reason why
that is so.

Yet our politicians, being taught economics in universities which are
almost universally in support of free trade, themselves support free
trade. They support an economic theory that has no evidence of
actually being affective, but which may cause damage to the American
economy, a fact which any honest free trade supporting economist would
have to admit doesn't matter to them. Yet, the average person is not
supposed to question these theories and certainly not the logic of the
theorocrats that endorse them. If you fail to remain quietly on the
sidelines of history and make the mistake of questioning the theory
behind free trade, then you will be the recipient of a litany of the
names of long dead authors who will all prove you wrong. You'll be
called an idiot (trust me, I've had these discussions), they will
threaten your mother's virtue before they admit that they can provide
no evidence that they are correct.

Does a lack of evidence prove that the economists are wrong? Not at
all. In fact, my desire for evidence is proof that I don't know enough
about economics to ask more informed questions than, 'can you prove
that?' I do think, though, that is a damn fine place to start. Maybe
more economists should start their path of theoretical enlightenment
by questioning the fundamental truth of what they are being taught.
Maybe economists should consider being the first scientists to learn
customer service. If that seems like a bit of a demotion, just call it
retraining for new economic conditions.

Four Principles of Emerging Market Success

2009-06-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Emerging markets are high risk and high reward. In my work as an
attorney representing Western companies in emerging markets, I have
concluded there are four essential elements to emerging market
success: a good partner, an open mind, active participation, and
extreme patience.

I have seen enough essential similarities between such diverse
countries as Russia, Korea (ten years ago when it was still an
emerging market country), Vietnam, and even the Gambia and Papua New
Guinea, to believe certain core generalizations hold true for all or
nearly all emerging market nations. Just as a good concept, a strong
market, and good execution are necessary in all countries, so too are
these four simple principles the keys to success in emerging market
nations.

PRINCIPLE ONE: A Good Partner is the sine qua non of Success.

The quality of the local partner is the indispensable element for
emerging market success. So where do you begin?

Start with due diligence. Before doing business with anyone, you must
first determine what you need from your partner in the particular
country in which you will be conducting business. In my experience,
foreign companies need a local partner who is effective, cooperative,
and (most important of all) trustworthy.

Emerging market countries almost always have less-than-fully-formed
legal systems. Their laws are oftentimes slanted towards the
government and away from free markets. Their courts are slow and often
corrupt. Form takes precedence over substance in ways completely
unfamiliar to Westerners. One small technical miscue on your part
might eliminate your right to sue your partner for having stolen all
of your money. It might even lead to you and your company being kicked
out of the country, while your assets remain.

Of course you should do your best to avoid technical miscues, but the
better strategy is to pick your partner well.

So what should you look for in a local partner? Political connections?
Yes and no:

Yes, because you probably will need someone with sufficient dexterity
to maneuver around often-suffocating business laws and a bureaucracy
that may try to cut in on your business at every turn.

No, if you think that is all you will need. Just as in the West, the
politically connected are usually more a 'government type' than a
business person. Partnering with someone in an emerging country with
whom you would never consider partnering back home is a mistake.

Political clout in emerging market countries is often more effective
for avoiding legal responsibility for something like a debt than it is
in generating business revenues. I have seen countless instances where
a foreign company partners with someone because he 'is tight with the
governor,' only to see the business crushed by the new governor as
part of his house cleaning. The best partner is politically connected
only to the extent necessary for business success.

Your partner's character and reputation are your protection in
countries where the court system is not. Do not partner in any sense
of that term without having conducted thorough due diligence.

Get to know your potential partner. If he is legitimate and wants to
work with you for the long term, he will expect you to want to get to
know him better and think nothing of your wanting multiple meetings
before signing any deal.

Use every source you have to find out about your potential partner.
Check his references, particularly those of other foreign firms with
whom he has worked. Hire a local lawyer or investigator to confirm he
and his various businesses are in good standing with all creditors and
taxing authorities. If your potential partner is in Vladivostok,
Russia or Qingdao, China, hiring a lawyer in Moscow or Shanghai will
probably not be good enough. Find someone you can trust with contacts
where your potential partner conducts business.

PRINCIPLE TWO: Keep an Open Mind. Assume Nothing.

Doing business in an emerging market means taking nothing for granted.
I have a mantra for my own legal work in these countries that
translates well to the business world: 'Assume nothing, but assume
that you are assuming things without even realizing you are doing so.'

Things will be different. Very different. Things you take for granted
in your home country might not exist in the emerging market country.
Things you take for granted in your home country might be the exact
opposite in the emerging market country. Things you think will be
totally different in the emerging market country may be exactly the
same. Things you thought you knew about emerging market countries
based on what you know from another emerging market country may be
completely different in a neighboring country, or even in another
region within the same country.

The principle, one more time: Keep an open mind, and assume nothing.

PRINCIPLE THREE: Participate in Everything.

In many emerging market countries, local businesses take advantage of
corruption to avoid complying with laws. This may work for the locals,
but it won't work for you. The easiest way for a local rival to drive
you out is for you to do something illegal. Neither you nor your
government will have good grounds to complain if your rival gets your
business closed down due to your illegal activity. It might even be
your own partner who reports you so he can assume full ownership and
control of your business.

You must have your own people on the ground, leading, training, and
instructing on business methods, business ethics, efficiency, and
quality control, among other things.

We have a saying in our law office that one day of face-to-face
meetings with local counsel is equivalent to one month of telephone
calls and e-mails in terms of getting things done. This is equally
true on the business front.

PRINCIPLE FOUR: Exercise Extreme Patience.

This principle stems from the maxim that everything takes twice as
long as you think it will. If it takes twice as long in the West,
triple that in emerging market countries. You'll go in both as a
businessperson and a teacher—and in both roles, the learning curve of
your partner will almost certainly take way more time to deal with
than you think.

For example, many emerging market countries have a history where 'bad
business' meant 'thinking long-term.' A year or two after the fall of
Soviet communism, I was involved in a matter where an investor put
$250,000 into a Russian joint venture. The business very quickly was
making good money and all indicators pointed towards steadily
increasing profitability. But, quite quickly, the Russian company
stole the $250,000. Was it so irrational for him to think so short
term in a country where the government and tax systems had such a
history of unpredictability?

Remember: It takes patience to encourage change of mindset. Extreme patience.

EMERGING MARKET SUCCESS

Emerging markets cannot be approached with a quick-kill mentality.
Above all else, emerging market success demands a good partner, an
open mind, a high degree of participation, and extreme patience.

It is certainly risky. It can also be very profitable.

Fantasy versus Reality

2009-06-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Building wealth isn't something for the frightened, ignorant, and
lost. You have to be emotionally strong, prepared, and standing in the
right spot. So many of us fantasize about making more money and call
it prayer. We then wonder why the universe isn't delivering our
fortunes to us. I can't tell you how many people I've listened to
grumble about how they've taken all of the steps to manifest more
abundance into their lives and yet it just doesn't seem to be working.
As someone on the outside looking in, it seems so obvious why their
money hasn't arrived. They are usually sabotaging their own plans and
don't even know it. But why? Because they're living in a fantasy and
not looking at the reality of what it takes to make your own fortune.

If you ask most people what they would do if they won a million
dollars, they've got it all planned out. They can tell you exactly how
they'd spend it. A few are wise enough to invest, but most of those
don't know who or what they would invest in. Ask someone what they
would do to earn a million dollars and you'll seldom get an answer.
For most of us, we'd buy a lottery ticket. Almost every other answer
you hear will fall under the heading of "I'd like to be paid a million
dollars to ___________." You fill in the blank. The thing is how many
people are actually doing what it takes to get paid that kind of money
for doing whatever they wrote in the blank?

That's the difference between fantasy and reality. There's a big
difference between visualizing a nice fat paycheck and actually taking
the steps to create it. Creating abundance is not about placing an
order and then sitting on the couch. The reality is, it takes a heck
of a lot of emotional strength and training, job expertise and quality
craftsmanship or service, and being at the right place at the right
time. Stating your affirmations is a small but incredibly powerful
piece of the mental preparedness, but by no means is it the only step
necessary.

The truth is, most of us don't create a million dollars for ourselves
because most of us don't want the headache of such a big chore. We
subconsciously put up roadblocks and stalling techniques in our path
so that we can feel good about making an effort, but don't actually
have to do the really big work. One of the best things we can do for
ourselves is to come into alignment with what it is that we really do
want - not what we've fantasized about wanting.

Sit down and really draw it out on paper. How much money do you really
need? How much extra do you want for playtime and frivolousness? Then
look at how hard do you want to work to get it? How much free time do
you want? How much vacation? The ability to take paid vacation is a
form of financial compensation - figure it into your equation. How
much fame do you require? How much privacy? The general public is
fascinated by wealth, how much of their attention do you want? How
much can you tolerate? Do you want your every mistake on the front of
the tabloids? How important is your personal freedom? What about the
ability to be completely spontaneous or to save ahead? Most of us
really don't want the headaches of big money, that's why we keep it
away from us. Wealth means many things to many people, find your real
definition and make peace with it.

Once you've got an accurate dream based in your own reality, then look
at where you really are today in comparison to where you want to be.
How long do you want to take to get from A to B? How hard are you
willing to work to get there? What are you willing to give up in order
to get there? What are you absolutely never going to give up to get
there? Find a balance between these answers and plot your course.

In plotting your course, what steps do you need to take? Do you need
to educate yourself? Maybe you need an actual college education or a
trade school degree. Maybe you need to educate yourself on how your
market works? Maybe you need to learn how to present yourself or how
to sell your product? Do you need to move to another town because
that's where the industry is centered? Do you need to perfect your
craft? Do you need to create a reputation as an expert? Do you have
self-defeating habits that must be broken? This is a tough one for
most people to answer honestly about themselves. If you need help get
it. Change whatever you need to change about yourself. Heal whatever
you need to heal. Educate, grow, evolve, and inspire yourself however
you need to in order to get to that end goal. Only you can answer what
steps you really need to take and how long they will take.

The most important part is that you plot your course from a realistic
set of expectations and timelines. Positive affirmations can help keep
you on track and can even work a bit of magic to help you to speed the
process up a bit here and there, but plan on staying the course
however long it takes. It's a commitment that you're making to
yourself and to that lifestyle that your money is going to create.
Along the way, reward yourself with pieces of the dream. It's not like
you have to wait until the entire million dollars is in your bank
account before you can suddenly live that millionaire lifestyle that
you planned for yourself. Give yourself a piece of the good life each
step of the way. It'll help fuel the fires and it'll confirm that the
affirmations are coming true.

Your Administration Team…Look After Them

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

In most organisations the administration/support team, although they
can be acknowledged as being important to the business, they are
treated as if they're not.

Day after day, week after week they are in the office, slogging away
making sure the work gets done. Many of them are so conscientious they
won't take time out and stay at their desks until the work is done.
Not only are they integral to the running of any business, their
income and the way they are treated may not always reflect the
importance of their role.

Jenny's Story

Jenny has worked for her current employer, for the past three years
and thoroughly enjoys her role as Personal Assistant to the General
Manager. They have a great working relationship. Whenever she needs
time off to attend her children's sports days and special events, it's
never an issue. If she requires the occasional afternoon or morning
off to deal with personal matters, all she has to do is ask. Because
of this attitude with her employer, she does her utmost best in her
work and never thinks twice about working overtime on the odd
occasion. In fact she works twice as hard.

This is a totally different situation to Jenny's previous employer.
Jenny had been working for another organisation where her boss was
'married to the job'. Although he had a wife and family, his behaviour
didn't reflect this. He worked all hours of the day and night and
couldn't understand why everyone else went home at 5.00 p.m. Although
she did her utmost best to organise him and get the work done on time,
he would always ask for tasks to be done just when she was getting
ready to leave for the day.

On the many occasions when she worked back or took work home so that
her boss would have what he wanted for the next morning,he never
thanked her. He just assumed that's what she should do. He never
considered her needs. She was a single parent and therefore had major
responsibilities. She had a life too. Her boss on the other hand was
fortunate to have a a wife who didn't work and took care of their
personal life.

Prior to Jenny being in this role, there had been three other people
who had worked in her position, and all three had lasted less than
three months.

Jenny had enough, she left after 6 months and found her current
position. It wasn't the money that was her main issue. It was the
flexibility and appreciation. Although her boss was pleasant enough,
he just didn't understand that there is more to working with someone
than just paying their wages.

The Final Word

When employing staff make sure they are the right fit. If you're
looking for someone who can be extremely flexible in their hours and
can come in early and stay late, then make sure that person is in the
right personal situation to do that.

Employing people is a skill in itself. Keeping them happy so that they
will be an important part of your business is another story. As
mentioned in prior newsletters, when you look after your people, they
will look after you and your business.

Transform Your Office Into A Powerhouse Of Success

2009-06-16T10:12:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the area that you call your 'office' is a direct
reflection of you? If your environment is clean and uncluttered it
projects that the person who works there is calm and has everything
under control. Consequently if it looks like the local rubbish tip
then the impression others get is that this person is disorganised,
and a complete mess.

Now before any of you get upset with these assumptions, I'm just
stating the fact that the way you have set up your office will greatly
affect how other people perceive you.

Of course, clutter is not the only area to address if you want to
project a professional image, however it plays a bit part. There are
several easy to implement ideas which will have a dramatic impact on
your productivity, providing you take action.

If you seriously would like to turn your office into a powerhouse of
success, then take action on these tips from Feng Shui guru Debra
Jarvis…

The First Step

Move everything out of the area designated as the office, especially
what's stored in cupboards and up on shelves. There is no place to
hide from Feng Shui eyes. Bring back in only those items that are
relevant. Evaluate the other stuff, do you love it, is it useful? If
not get rid of it (sell, dump or give it away).

Everything in its Place

It is important that all items have a designated place to which they
are returned after use. Put things used frequently in the most
accessible spots. Time spent working is much more pleasant when we can
easily locate and access items when required.

Set up Your Power Position

Place yourself in the power position. This is the position where you
have a view of every entryway. Where you have a choice of places or
directions, put your office chair in each position and sit quietly for
a few minutes getting an idea of what it would be like to spend time
there. The one that immediately feels right is your power position.
When you set yourself up in the power position you have control in the
space, your self-esteem will go up and you accomplish more. Try it for
28 days and if you don't find any benefits (including increased
business) then change the position.

Clean and Clear Clutter

Maintain a clear desktop. Paperwork is relentless in its onslaught.
Deal with it immediately, use TRAF (Toss, Refer, Act or File).
Creating a pile to deal with later creates clutter and clutter is bad
Feng Shui.

Remove Obstacles

Make your office area inviting to come into. In Feng Shui it is
considered that opportunity flows to us in direct proportion to the
ease of entry and the welcome that is experienced in our workplaces.
This applies even when we are the only ones who ever go there. Only
have items that you personally care for. Feng Shui tells us that
everything is alive with memories, feelings and associations. What are
the objects in your office saying to you? Question their origin, did
you come by it because that's all you could find at the time, are you
still in a good relationship with the person who gave it to you, would
something else be more suitable?

Condition Audit

Does everything in your office work and is everything kept in optimal
condition? In Feng Shui it is very important that we either attend to
the repair of items immediately or where we are not prepared to do
this we discard them. An item that is less than ideal is said to begin
negatively impacting after 28 days.

Lighting

Use natural light as much as possible. Use incandescent electric
lighting in preference to fluorescent. It is less tiring to work under
especially if you are also operating a computer. Harsh white light is
not optimal for working under. If you have to use fluorescent use
full-spectrum (daylight) bulbs and experiment with only utilising half
as many ie: where there is a double fitting only install one bulb.

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Plants

Plants absorb potentially harmful gases and clean the air. During the
day they take the air we breathe out and recycle it. You can use
plants in your office to improve the quality of the air to make it a
more pleasant place to work. When people feel good, they perform
better. It is important that the plants are well cared for and that
they remain healthy and vibrant.

Water

Water features are another wonderful Feng Shui enhancement. As water
symbolises opportunity and abundance, ensure that water is not
stagnant and, if flowing, the fall is a full 360 degrees or towards
the centre of the occupied space.

Debra can be contacted at Feng Shui Miracles, (07) 3367 0162 or
e-mail: fengshui@powerup.com.au

The Final Word

It makes sense doesn't it? When you have an uplifting environment to
work in, you feel good, you look good and you're more productive.
Think about this…how many hours a week are you in your office?
Probably more hours than you spend at home. All you need to do now is
take action!

It's worth the effort to make some simple yet very effective changes
so that you can powerup your worklife. All you need to do now is take
action!

How to Get More Business Without Even Trying

2009-06-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Why are you in business? Hopefully you enjoy what you do, however is
it because you want to make money so that you can have, be and do more
in your life?

Who pays you? Your clients do and never forget that. Unfortunately
many people do. They take your money and then vanish off the face of
the earth. And if you do hear from them you know they are only trying
to sell something or business is not going well. The silly thing is,
if you look after the hand that feeds you, they will look after you.

Keep in regular contact with your clients, particularly the top 20%
(both current and past) who have provided you with the most income.

Still keep in touch with the others via newsletters etc. However the
top 20% of very special clients need extra attention.

A monthly "how's things?" call. Find out how life is treating them,
without expecting to sell anything.

Send the occasional gift …a book, tape, movie tickets. Thank them for
their business. When special times of the year occur send them a
Christmas Hamper, New Year's Calendar, Easter eggs at Easter. Little
things which show you care.

When you get referrals, reward the referee with a thank you card or gift.

Do what most people in business don't do. You will be amazed that if
you consistently (that is the key word here) make the extra effort,
you will continue to get repeat business or more referrals.

My Story

For the past two years, I had engaged the services of two separate
property managers to look after our investment properties. The
property manager of company no. 1 was never pro-active. The only time
he spoke with me was when I initiated contact because I had a query or
was unhappy about their services. Company no. 2 was exactly the same
except that they kept in touch via a newsletter which really was of no
use to me as it didn't mention anything about property management.
Mostly the information was about properties being sold.

It was very interesting that both property managers contacted me only
when they had been notified by my new property management company that
their services were no longer required. In fact, both of them were
very upset. They were upset? I'm the one who was paying them, not the
other way around. They both wanted to know why I was changing and I
certainly told them.

When the new property manager did an inspection on one of the
properties, the tenants were home. They told my new property manager
that the old company provided very poor service and they were very
slow following up any problems they had. I told that to the old
company and the manager replied "tenants always say that".

Anyhow the point of this story is to spell out that because people
don't say anything, doesn't mean they are happy with your services.
Also as a business person you need to be on the ball. Be pro-active,
not re-active.

And to do all of this you need to learn how to get organised, manage
your time and yourself as effectively as possible. These are not
skills most people are born with. They need to be learned.

The Final Word

There is plenty of business around, however most people spend heaps of
time chasing it, take the money and run off to the next person. Yet it
would be so much easier to look after what you already have. (And the
same applies to your personal life.)

Secrets to Keeping your Clients

2009-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Why are people changing jobs so quickly these days?

Here are a few reasons why:

* They have a boring job therefore they feel they are not
achieving anything.

* They have no leader to follow.

* They feel unappreciated.

* They work long hours and want a life.

* They are not paid what they are worth.

* The above reasons are not taken from any figures or facts stated
in publications and general media. This is what the people themselves
tell me. They are the words from the coal face, real people…managers,
personal assistants, administrative staff, sales people; regular
run-of-the mill people.

It doesn't take much to retain valuable people and one of the easiest
ways is to offer flexibility.

Where is the Family Friendly Workplace?

One of my clients - John - who is a manager in a large organisation -
was telling me that his wife Mary, an accountant recently changed
jobs, from working part-time in a suburban practice to full-time in
the city. She did this as a career move as she couldn't find
stimulating work part-time in suburbia. (I'm sure many women can
relate to that).

Having two children - 7 and 4, she leaves for work when they're still
asleep in the morning and arrives home around 6.30 p.m. at night.

Luckily her husband works locally and can handle the morning care and
has his in-laws do the afternoon care. His wife is already feeling
stressed, tired and guilty because she cannot be around for her kids.

How easy would it be for an employer to offer more flexibility say 3
days a week start at 10.00 a.m., 3 afternoons finish at 4.00 p.m. Mary
wouldn't mind a cut in her pay packet - she just wants to balance her
life.

At this rate, Mary will not remain too long with her current employer
as she will find the long hours will take their toll. It's even harder
for the single parents. Not to mention the long-term effect it has on
the person and their kids. A grumpy, tired and stressed person doesn't
make for a good productive employee or parent.

Think Laterally

Why isn't there more flexibility in the workplace? Just because people
'start' at 9.00 a.m. and 'finish' at 5.00 p.m. (I know some of you
work longer hours), doesn't mean people actually 'work'.

In fact 80% of the day is generally non-productive. To find out
exactly where your time goes, fill in a timesheet for one week (email
us and we'll send you one of ours). Record what you have done for a
full working week and you will be amazed where you spend your time. In
most instances you will find your time is taken up by various
interruptions, many of which can be avoided,non-productive meetings,
and activities which generally are a waste of time.

If you're one of those people who have difficulty saying 'no' to
people you will definitely have major issues managing your workload.

Working in a noisy open plan office will also decrease your productivity.

My Former Life

Many years ago I had a stint working as a postie, starting work at
6.00 a.m. each day. It was a great job. In fact it was the longest
'job' I had held - 3 years. I left when I was 6 months pregnant with
my first child.

As a postie, the quicker you worked, the sooner you went home. As soon
as the mail was sorted you would go out on your round, do the
deliveries come back and go home. Now that was an incentive to work as
quickly as possible.

In the '9 - 5' workplace you have to be present and yet there's no
incentive to actually work as quickly or productively as you can.

Solutions For The Employee

If work is getting too much for you to handle and the hours are
getting you down, speak to someone who'll listen, offer some realistic
solutions. Do you need to learn how to get organised? Do you require
assistance with the workload? Do you need to learn different skills
for your role? There's no harm in asking. If they won't listen it's up
to you to choose what action you will take… whether to stay or go.

Solutions For The Employer

Ask your people how they really feel and work out a solution. Just
because they haven't told you about their concerns doesn't mean that
everything's fine. If you have people who consistently work long hours
then you will definitely have a major problem.

You want your people to be 'on the ball', alive and energised so they
are valuable to your organisation. If they do not achieve a reasonable
balance between their work and home life then at some stage they will
break down. They may take extra time off work due to the pressures
they are constantly under or eventually leave.

The Final Word

Don't turn a blind eye. Get proactive with your people. Communicate
regularly with them, find out how they are managing, listen to what
they have to say and where required take action.

To retain your valuable employees you have to work at it, otherwise
you run the risk of not only losing them but all that time and money
you've invested in them.

Get Organised Before Its Too Late

2009-06-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last year I attended a presentation from Parenting Expert and
well-known author, Stephen Biddulph on "Raising Boys". As I have an 11
year old son, I was interested to hear what Stephen had to say. In
fact, so were the other 800 other parents in the room!

The key point that I picked up on was that boys from the age of 6 -14
really need 'time' with their dads. That is the most influential
period in their lives when they bond with him. And the type of time
they need is not all thrown into a once a week or month block or some
exotic holiday once a year, they need to spend time with their sons on
a regular basis. Otherwise how can you build a strong and stable
relationship?

For the single mums reading this, don't despair. If you are estranged
from your partner and bringing up your son is your responsibility,
having a positive male role model in his life ie. uncle, brother,
grandfather teacher, tennis coach etc. will work as well.

What's happening in our society in the chase for the almighty dollar
and in many instances the big ego, our relationships are breaking
down. People are totally dominated by their work and have little
energy to invest in themselves and their families.

Planning Personal Time

It's very interesting to note that every client I have coached … male
or female, whether they are the business owner, director, executive or
whatever title they hold, all have the same common goal... they want
more time for their personal life.

They do not want to start work at 7.30 a.m. and return home at 7.00
p.m. They are committed and enjoy what they do, however they are not
prepared to sacrifice their own relationships and wellbeing anymore.
THE PRICE IS NOT WORTH IT!

You Can Turn Your Life Around

And do you know what the three key things you need to do to turn your
life around? Learn to say 'no', how to manage your time and then take
action.

That's right. Everyone tells you how busy and how little time they
have, yet most people do nothing to learn the skills that will have a
dramatic impact on their work and personal lives.

You have to plan time to get things done. Do you want to spend more
time with your family? Do you know how to plan for it? How much time
do you spend working? How much time do you invest in yourself to learn
how to be more effective? Are you hoping that one day, work will ease
off and then you can spend more time with your family? Do you really
need a bigger house, nicer car or overseas holiday? Will that improve
your relationships? Do you think that you'll (hopefully) stumble on
the secrets to getting more time back in your life? If that's the way
you live your life, your kids will probably be all grown up and not
really need you.

Cats in the Cradle

For those of you old enough to remember, Cat Stevens recorded a song
called "Cats in the Cradle". It was about a young boy whose Dad was
always busy working. He never seemed to be available when his son
wanted to be with him. Over the years this continued until the boy
became an adult. By then his Dad had retired and had time on his
hands, however his son had now become too busy to see his Dad. He too
was working and had kids. The tables had turned. All of a sudden the
Dad realised what he had done. He was too busy caught up in his work
and missed out on his son growing up.

The Final Word

For those of you who have managed to maintain a good balance in your
life, congratulations. No doubt you are happier, healthier and more
fulfilled. For the rest of you who are unhappy, unhealthy and
unfulfilled, then you need to take action if you are serious about
wanting to make changes. Do it, because nothing changes if nothing
changes!

Why Men Lie and Women Cry

2009-06-16T10:09:00.001-07:00

I've just finished reading a great book by Allan and Barbara Pease
entitled "Why Men Lie and Women Cry". A true and humorous account of
the differences between the sexes and full of practical ways to
communicate effectively.

I've enjoyed the book so much and felt it will be of great benefit to
all of you that I just had to write up an extract from it:

Women Talk, Talk and Talk

" When a woman talks she often uses indirect speech. This means she
hints at what she wants or infers things.

Women's indirect speech has a purpose - it builds relationships and
rapport with other by avoiding aggression, confrontation or discord.

When women use indirect speech with other women there is seldom a
problem - women are sensitive to picking up the real meaning. It can,
however be disastrous when used on men.

Men Take Words Literally

Men use direct speech and take words literally. They find women's lack
of conversational structure and purpose very disconcerting, and accuse
women of not knowing what they're talking about. They respond by
saying things like "What's the point here?" "Where is this
conversation going?" and "What's the bottom line?"

Men then proceed to talk to a woman as if she is a mental patient or
will cut her off by saying "We've been over this a dozen times", "How
much longer will this take?" and "This conversation is too much hard
work and isn't going anywhere!"

Indirect Talk In Business

When a woman uses indirect speech in business, it can prove
problematic because men may have difficulty following a multi-tracked,
indirect conversation.

Men need to be presented with clear , logical, organised ideas and
information before they will make a decision. A woman can have her
ideas and requests rejected purely because her male boss didn't have a
clue what she really wanted.

Marie's Story

After six months of negotiations, Marie finally won the chance to
present her company's new advertising program to a big financial
client. The audience would be eight men and four women, the account up
for grabs was worth $200,000, and she had 30 minutes to sell her
story.

As she started into her presentation, however, she noticed how blankly
the men were regarding her. She felt they were judging her critically
and, assuming they were losing interest, she began to multi-track her
presentation to try to spur their interest by going back to previous
slides, talking indirectly and trying to show how one related to the
other.

The women were giving her encouragement by smiling at her, using
various facial expressions and making listening sounds like, "Uh huh",
"Right!" and "Mmmmm" and generally looking interested.

Marie was excited by the women's feedback and started pitching her
story to them, unintentionally ignoring the men. Her entire
presentation became a juggling act. She finished and departed,
convinced she'd done a great job and eagerly waited for the company's
response.

Here's the conversation that took place between the male executives
over coffee after Marie had gone:

Marketing Director: "Do you guys have an idea in hell c what she was
talking about?".

Chief Executive: "No…she lost me. Tell her to sent the proposal in writing."

Marie had multi-tracked her presentation and used indirect talk with a
group of men who didn't have a clue what she was talking about or what
related to what. The women executives were happy with the presentation
and had participated by asking questions but no man wanted to raise
his hand and admit he didn't understand.

A woman needs to understand that if a man doesn't follow what she's
saying he'll often pretend he understands rather than look stupid.

Regardless of a man's age, a woman still needs to talk with direct
speech. Give him timetables, agenda, bottom line answers and
deadlines.

Women need to be direct with men in business and give them one thing
at a time to consider. Marie is still waiting for an answer…

"Why Men Lie and Women Cry, Allan and Barabara Pease info@pease
international.com

The Final Word

This week I focussed on women communicating with men, however there is
heaps of great tips in the book to help you guys get along better with
the fairer sex. .

I highly recommend you invest in "Why Men Lie and Women Cry". We've
even been able to talk Barbara and Allan Pease into making a special
offer to our subscribers (see page 2). I'm certain you'll discover
some gems you can action immediately and dramatically improve your
communications with the opposite sex.

Digg!

Users Reading this article are also interested in;

• Women and Men, by David Leonhardt
• What Women Want, by Irene Segal
• Women of the Net, by Cathy Bryant
Top Searches on Business and Finance
• Office Of Financial Aid • Unt Financial Aid

About The Author, Lorraine Pirihi

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how
to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the
mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life.
http://www.office-organiser.com.au
lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

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Clients…Do You Really Need Them?

2009-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Running a successful business takes a lot of energy and there are so
many areas that as a business owner you need to pay attention too.

It's not enough to spend heaps of time, money and resources into
getting buyers for your goods and services and then leaving those
clients/customers to their own devices.

If you want to work less, have more time and make more money one very
important aspect you have to take care of on an ongoing basis is
nurturing those people who are prepared to spend their money with you.

You cannot afford to take their money, sell the goods or perform the
services and then hope they will call you when they need too.

The Hairdresser

A couple of weeks ago I visited my hairdresser for my regular
appointment. Now I have been loyally going to this hairdresser for at
least 2 years, approximately every six weeks.

On this particular occasion there were a couple of clients having
their hair coloured and the owner and another assistant were fawning
over three kittens which had kindly been supplied by the local vet.

Apparently the vet was looking for a good home for the kittens and
John,the owner and another staff member were going to take them home.
The kittens were staying the afternoon at the salon for the benefit of
their new owners (my hairdresser and his assistant).

So here we were in an upmarket salon, with three kittens running
around and the staff paying more attention to them than the clients.

The second incident that occurred happened after I had my hair washed.
I was left sitting in a chair waiting whilst John who is my
hairdresser casually took his time looking at another client's holiday
photos. That wasted at least 5 minutes. (Some people may not be
bothered about having their time wasted, but unfortunately for John, I
wasn't one of them).

When he finally comes over, instead of asking me how am I going, or
commenting about the condition of my hair, he proceeds to tell me all
the details about his life (as he usually does) and is so focussed on
himself he was oblivious to the fact that without people like me (a
paying client), he wouldn't be in business.

It doesn't end there. The final straw came when his mobile phone rang
in the middle of my haircut. With no apology or saying to me "excuse
me, I must take this call ", he answers the phone and wanders off for
another 5 minutes.

By this time I was ready to explode. Instead, being the cool, calm and
collected person that I am (sometimes), I took some deep breaths and
vowed I would never go there again.

How Much Money Do You Lose?

As a regular client who had an average spend of $110 every six weeks
(that's for a colour and cut), I would be worth around $900 a year
plus any product I would buy.

And that's another thing, John often complained about not having
enough income, yet he never trained his staff how to sell additional
products. People (particularly women) would readily purchase shampoos,
conditioners, gels etc. if his staff would proactively recommend it.

They only sold product by default, when a client mentioned they had
run out or asked questions. I was one of those clients who asked
questions about the various products and was ready to buy, except they
were always out of stock! (See how being disorganised affects your
income!)

Focus on What Counts

Being a great hairdresser, accountant, coach or anything else for that
matter doesn't automatically mean your clients will continue to invest
their money with you.

You have to pay attention to them by being proactive in looking after
them and not reactive when they complain.

In fact most people will not tell you if they are unhappy with your
goods or services, they will just take their business elsewhere.
They'll also spread the word by telling other people about their
experiences with you thereby damaging your reputation and potential
for future clients.

The Final Word

Look at how your business is run. Survey your clients and find out how
they really find your goods/services, customer care, follow up service
etc. After all, wouldn't they know how good you really are? You and
your team may think you're great but it's what your clients think (and
pay for) that counts.

It would also be worthwhile investing in a great book by Keith Abraham
entitled "Creating Loyal Profitable Customers' - 47 ways to turn your
customers into passionate purchasers (available from our office for
only $24.95 plus $5 postage).

So don't delay. Get yourself organised so that you have time to focus
on what really counts.

Work From Home And Get More Done!

2009-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Working from home can be a most effective way to be more productive!

Today's open plan offices stop many people from getting their work
done. The constant noise, phones ringing and colleagues interrupting
can drive anyone to distraction!

Many people would dramatically boost their productivity if they could
spend some or all of their working week out of the main office and
join the thousands of small business owners who work from home.

However there are a few rules you need to follow to do this successfully:

Establish a Routine

Decide on a starting and finishing time. Include breaks.

Plan Your Day

Prepare a 'to do list' each day and action it.

Clean out the Clutter

Keep your work area clean and tidy. You'll work far more effectively
and reduce the stress levels.

Organise Your Work Area

Have the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair,
desk, computer, filing system.

Group Tasks Together

Divide your day into similar activities. Make all phone calls in the
morning and work on important tasks. Do errands later in the afternoon
after the lunch-time rush or when you go to pick up the kids.

Learn How to Say NO!

Inform your family and friends of your working hours and that because
you're working from home doesn't mean you're 'available'.

Take Time Out for You

It can be easy to lose yourself in your work. Take time to smell the
roses…and make human contact.

The Final Word

Not everyone can work successfully from home - some need the daily
discipline and people interaction encountered in the office.

However, for many others, working from home has greatly improved their
productivity and enhanced their lifestyle.

They have more flexibility, more time and the opportunity to work much
more effectively without all the usual distractions encountered in the
traditional office environment.

So next time when you become overwhelmed with with the distractions at
work and feel like you are going nowhere and getting nothing done, see
if working from home for some of the week is a viable option.

After all, what's the point of just showing up at the office if you
cannot concentrate and work effectively.

Coping with your workload isn't about being busy, it's about being
effective and working smarter, not harder.

The Real Truth About Working Smarter, Not Harder

2009-06-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Running a business or department can often stretch you to the limit.

To be effective at doing what you do best, it's imperative to look at
what tasks you can either delegate or outsource.

Delegating

This is an interesting word. For some people it means completely
letting go of their responsibilities and getting someone else to do
the work. Now that's all well and good providing that you train that
person on how you've been handling those tasks. Show them how it's
been done first.

For many business owners and managers, delegating means completely
abdicating all responsibility for a particular task to somebody else
without showing them how. They expect that person to know…immediately.

Well, forget it. No wonder you often hear people say, "I tried to
delegate that task but no-one was as good as me at doing it!" Or "I
just couldn't find the right person who was capable of taking on those
responsibilities".

That's an interesting comment. Often people are given responsibilities
for which they have had no training in and are then expected to know
how to carry out those duties. A great example of this is when a
person is promoted to manager/team leader and he/she is automatically
expected to know how to manage themselves and their people.

Coming In From the Outside

How about the new kid on the block who comes in to take up the reins
in a position, which has already been vacated. They're expected to run
the department or business as if they've been working in the company
for the past three years!

Outsourcing

When your car needs to be repaired do you spend hours trying to fix it
or see a mechanic who takes two hours?

Do you do your own tax return or have an accountant prepare it for you?

If you need a new assistant do you place an ad in the paper, spend
hours interviewing people or have a recruitment company do all the
ground work and send you the top three applicants?

Why waste your precious time on tasks which will do exactly that…waste
your precious time. And time is money!

Use the Experts

Use the valuable input of experts who can take away the stress and
hassle and carry out the tasks in a fraction of the time it would take
you. Sure you have to pay for it, but isn't it better to work smarter,
not harder?

Why spend hours on tasks which are not your specialty?

Identify what you do best then delegate or outsource the rest. In
fact, if you truly feel you are good at what you do and are happy to
share that, why not teach someone else those same skills, then you
could really leverage yourself.

Particularly if you are business owner, this would allow you more time
to work on your business rather than in it.

A Word of Caution For Business Owners

Be careful about who you get your advice from. I know of many small
business owners who listen to the advice of their personal assistants,
spouses and relatives on how they should run their business although
those people have never been in business themselves.

By all means get feedback from your people, however if you really want
to work smarter, not harder invest some money into a business coach or
someone who has already run a successful business so that you can
avoid costly mistakes and have someone else offer a fresh perspective.
Being too closely involved can give you a tainted view.

The Final Word

Write down all your responsibilities and the tasks that you undertake.
Tick the tasks which someone else could realistically do. Then write
next to it either the name of the person or type of person/company who
can do this for you or offer some expert assistance or support ie.
bookkeeper, printing company, personal assistant, coach.

To work smarter not harder, always look at who else can do this
work/task. Always look at lightening your load so that you can spend
your time doing what you do best.

Get Off Your Butt and Create Your Financial Future…Now!

2009-06-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

Most people have no idea where their money goes. They earn it and they spend it.

That's fine if you want to live from week to week and are not
concerned about your financial future. However if you want to increase
your wealth and have more options, action needs to be taken by you
otherwise you could end up like most people further down the track,
totally dependant on a pension.

Karen's Story

Karen is the Marketing Manager for a well-known organisation. She's 39
yrs old, single and earns over $80k a year. She is paying off a
mortgage and that's all the debt she has.

Karen buys whatever she likes and says she has more than enough money
for her lifestyle…or so she thought. And that's a very important point
- Karen 'thought' she had plenty of money to splash around yet she had
no real idea of where it went.

She was at the stage where she wanted to achieve more in her life
including taking charge of her financial future.

One of the exercises I gave her to do was to sort all her financial
statements - visa card, bank accounts and any cash receipts and list
her income and expenditure under specific headings ie: loans,
clothing, utilities, food etc. Karen recorded everything that occurred
for the past 6 months . She nearly fainted when she saw how much money
she had wasted and how much she was overspending! She was going
backwards fast and only realised it by doing this simple exercise.

In the past Karen hadn't put a high priority on her financial
well-being as it was just too hard. Being a marketing manager, her
life was busy at work and she had a hectic social life. She didn't
want to bother doing something that wasn't exciting like working on
her financial future. After all, she had a well-paid job, didn't she?

Karen has now come to her senses and knows her true financial
situation. If she lost her job, financially she couldn't afford to be
off work for more than a month. She realises that she is responsible
for her future.

The area of wealth creation hadn't been of great interest to Karen in
the past. Now that she was undertaking coaching, she was serious to
making a change. Prior to writing down where her money was going,
Karen was completely closed to any suggestion to read more about how
she can accelerate her wealth (or lack of it), so I didn't pursue this
with her. Her attitude had now changed so she was ready and willing to
move to the next step.

The next move…I referred Karen to an organisation who would look at
her total financial picture and be able to recommend what she could
do. The reason I chose these people is because they take a holistic
approach to wealth creation. They look at every aspect and provide an
on-going education as well as a hand-holding service.

We met after her first session and Karen said she nearly had a heart
attack at the meeting. She realised how much money she had been giving
away to the tax office. Being on such a high income she was being
taxed 47c for every dollar earned. She now realised that by making
some small changes she could keep this money and have investments that
over time would accelerate her financial situation dramatically.

She now had enough knowledge to make decisions and take actions that
could make her financially independent over the next few years. Karen
couldn't believe how simple it was!

Your Financial Future - Who's Responsibility?

Unfortunately you cannot leave your financial well-being in the hands
of anyone else except yourself.

Of course, you can seek advice from professionals in that field like
accountants and financial planners; however, it really is up to you to
lead the way …to be proactive!

Having attended many seminars, spoken to wealthy people and to the
financial professionals (many of whom aren't independently wealthy
themselves), and read many books on the topic of wealth creation, I
have found you cannot rely on any one person to delegate your
financial affairs to. You need to be proactive and take control of
your own life.

How to Take Control of Your Financial Future

Get your finances in order first: You need to know what you spend,
what you earn, how much you owe and how much you own…Not in your head
but in writing. What you think your situation is and what is reality,
will more than likely be two totally different scenarios.

If you know where you are right now you can then seek out appropriate
solutions to your specific financial needs.

How to Get Started

Speak with your accountant on the best way to set up your recording system.

Ask them how you can increase your wealth.

Ask your accountant and/or your financial advisor how they have
created their wealth. What do they invest in?

Talk to people who are wealthy. Ask them how they accumulated their wealth.

Question everything.

Read books and attend seminars on wealth creation…the more informed
you are the easier it is to make sound decisions.

Don't believe everything you hear, see and read, particularly if the
person advising you reaps financial benefit from you accepting their
advice.

Only listen to people who "have rungs on the ladder".

Once you've have done some research (and this can happen in a matter
of days or weeks, depending on your efforts) then:

Take action

The Final Word

Looking after your financial well-being should be a top priority. It's
about having choices in your life. Do you really want to work from
dawn to dusk to support the lifestyle you and your family have become
accustomed to? Wouldn't it be great to go to work because you want to,
not because you have to?

If financial freedom is something you want in the not too distant
future (and it doesn't happen overnight), you have to take action
sometime... like right now!

What Personal Assistants Really Want

2009-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation were
away for a week? How would it affect the running of your business or
department? How would it affect you…personally?

If you are fortunate to have a personal assistant whom you heavily
rely on to assist you, in most instances you would find yourself run
ragged if they were absent for longer than a day.

This week I spoke with two clients who were in the situation where
their p.a.'s had been on holiday and these clients' lives were
super-stressed as a result. Although they had other people in their
organisation helping out, it wasn't the same as having an assistant
who knows you very well and can get things done without you having to
even ask.

If you are fortunate to have a great p.a. then I hope you appreciate
and look after them. Often they are undervalued, yet are the key
people who keep the wheels turning in your organisation.

I know there are many p.a.'s out there who love what they do and have
great bosses, however there are heaps of others who don't.

These women (and there is the odd male p.a.) do their utmost best ,
start early, stay in at lunchtime, work late and yet are undervalued,
unappreciated and underpaid.

Marion's Story

Marion is a hardworking, reliable and competent p.a. She had worked
for the same company for 8 years. That's a long time in today's work
environment. I bumped into Marion this week, when she attended a
presentation I gave for the Victorian Office Professionals, a network
for p.a.'s.

I asked her if she was still at the same company and this is what she
said…"I was beginning to tire of my job. My recent boss was not easy
to get on with. He was quite uncommunicative and did not fill me in on
issues that affected my work for him. Information was only forthcoming
if I prompted for it. Then I had to guess the right questions to ask.
He never made me feel accepted or supported. It made it really
difficult to come to work. I arrived at work one morning recently, and
he informed me that my services were no longer required. Within two
hours I had packed up my belongings, said goodbye to several close
associates and drove home in a state of shock…and that's what I got
for all the hard work, extra hours and loyalty."

Helen's Story

Helen started her own business. What motivated her to take such a
brave step? Her last position as a p.a. was extremely stressful,
mainly due to the person she worked for. Helen told me that every
Sunday afternoon around 4.00 p.m. she felt a dark shadow cast over her
as she began to think about the forthcoming week. Her decision to quit
her job came directly after she visited her doctor. She had developed
a lump on her breast. Fortunately, it wasn't breast cancer, it had
formed due to her stress levels!

Tips for the Boss

Treat your p.a. with respect

Ask them how they are each day

Invest in their personal and professional development.

Listen to them

Say 'thank you'

Realise that your p.a. has a life outside of work and needs time out
just like you do

Be flexible - many p.a.'s have a family to care for, if you are
flexible they will be extremely loyal and work even harder

Understand that when you give them tasks to do, although you many have
taken 2 minutes to discuss with them, it could take them 2 days,
particularly with the many interruptions they have to deal with.

Keep your p.a. in the loop. Organise a regular time each day to 'catch up'.

Share your successes with them.

Tips for the P.A.

Look after your health and fitness first. You'll feel good, look good
and be more confident. NEVER SACRIFICE YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS BECAUSE
OF YOUR WORKLOAD.

Avoid the martyr syndrome. Ensure you take time out at lunchtime and
get out of the office. The place will survive without you.

If the workload is too much, let the boss know. It's no point whinging
to everyone else and doing nothing about it.

If saying 'no' is hard for you, then do an assertiveness course.

When communicating with a male boss, get to the point.

Join a professional association for office professionals. Share ideas
and resources.

Develop your skills, attend courses and seminars and read books to
help you grow. Remember the more valuable you are, the better person
you become and the more you can earn.

The Final Word

For many managers and business owners, having a good p.a. helps them
to leverage their time and enables them to focus on what they need to
be working on. When you find the right person, treat them like gold,
do not take them for granted. If you look after them, they will look
after you and make your working life so much more manageable.

When you look after your people, they will look after you…just make
sure you never forget that!

Whatever Happened To Customer Service?

2009-06-16T10:05:00.001-07:00

Do you remember the last time you went into a shop and the person
'serving' raced over to you, greeted you with a lovely smile, heaps of
enthusiasm and said, "Welcome to our store, what can I help you with
today?" And then listened attentively to what you had to say?

Doesn't happen very often does it? In fact, while I was writing this,
I couldn't recall when I had experienced it. I'm sure I must have yet
it would have been so long ago, I can't remember.

Let me tell you what happened this week…

I belong to a well-known trade exchange which I have found very useful
for my business. I wanted to purchase a suitcase from a particular
store which usually takes trade dollars. From time-time the store will
limit the use of trade dollars if they have reached their maximum for
the month. Anyhow I quickly discovered this wasn't going to be my
lucky day.

I walked in and the assistant who was sitting down behind the counter
(and remained there), didn't smile. She barely acknowledged me with
what looked like a scowl. I had interrupted her reading time. (She was
so busy, there was no-one in the store). I then politely (yes I can be
polite sometimes) asked her if they were accepting trade dollars as I
wanted to purchase a suitcase. She turned around to the owner who was
sitting behind her doing some bookwork and repeated my question. The
owner stayed seated, didn't look up and told her assistant "No".

The assistant then relayed to me that "we are not accepting trade
dollars at the moment, but we have good deals for cash".

She remained seated all that time. I didn't answer and walked straight
out the front door with my cash sitting in my purse.

No matter how good their "cash" deals were going to be, if I was going
to spend my hard-earned money anywhere, it definitely would not be
with them!

The 'Colour- blind to service' Copy Centre

I had spent thousands of dollars with a printing company over a couple
of years. A couple of times I was told by one of the staff, when
they've been snowed under "Mary's too busy to speak with you at the
moment, I'll have to get her to call you back when she's got more
time". Needless to say I didn't remain with them.

The 'Can't do that' Café

We went to a local café which we hadn't been to for a while and I was
told by the waiter that "no, we can't do that". I wanted a particular
type of sandwich which wasn't on the set menu. I informed the abrasive
young waiter that "yes, you can". That got him scared and the order I
wanted turned up within 5 minutes.

Are Customers Important to Business?

Of course they are. No customers, no business. Yet why are businesses
deliberately driving customers away? It's ridiculous isn't it?

Seminar Success Strategies...How to Action What You Learn

2009-06-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that many people who attend seminars, workshops and
conferences have great difficulty in implementing the ideas.

They get all hyped up and excited on the actual day, write a book full
of notes and proclaim to everyone in earshot that "this is it! I have
found the magic pill that will transform my work and my life."

I know how overwhelming it can be when participating at these events.
By the end of the day my brain goes into overdrive. The question I
always ask myself is "what am I going to do next?"

Here are some useful tips you can use so that you do something with
the knowledge. Because if you do nothing with what you learn, the
time, money and energy that you have invested to attend would have
been a total waste.

Taking Action

Read your notes immediately after the event or within 24 hours.

Summarise the ideas to take action on.

Number each idea with No. 1 next to the highest priority and continue
until each idea has a number next to it.

Get your diary and plan when you will action idea No. 1.

Do the same with the rest.

Then just do it!

Planning

The key to implementing this knowledge is all in the planning.

When working out when you will take action on each idea, be realistic
with timeframes.

I find that the majority of people do not follow through because they
underestimate the amount of time it takes to get things done and end
up being overwhelmed.

They then put all their intentions into the "too hard, can't be
bothered, I'm too busy" category and move on to another seminar for
further motivation and newfound knowledge.

Unfortunately, the cycle continues. They become educated derelicts.

Attending the event is the easy part. Taking the action is much harder.

Plan for Time Out

Always allow time afterward to assimilate the ideas and plan in your
diary the actions you will take.

It's the small steps that you take consistently which will make the difference.

Remember "inch by inch, it's a cinch, yard by yard is too hard" or as
Neil Armstrong the astronaut said, "one small step for man, one great
leap for mankind".

It's the one percent improvements which will make a huge difference
overall in your life.

Take action on what you learn because "to know and not to do, is not to know".

Top Ten Tips When Business is Slow

2009-06-16T09:58:00.001-07:00

How's your business going to keep growing with the holidays just
around the corner? What can you do when most people don't want to
spend money now?

If you are concerned the cash flow won't flow and you won't have
enough income for the next months, check out these ten tips:

1. Create written copy to email your subscribers and other email lists.

Just for your faithful customers, send a free how-to report, a
thoughtful poem to celebrate the holidays, or a free offer of
answering a question via email. This action keeps your name out in
front of your audience, and it makes them feel acknowledged.

2. Create a form letter to send by email to your potential clients.

It reminds them you are available for them if they are ready to make a
decision. Sample: 'Dear name or group, Just wondering if this is the
time for you to begin action on your book, internet marketing or web
project? As you know I work with small business people who want to
write, publish and sell their books, that will make a difference in
others' lives, become the savvy expert and household name, and build
business profits consistently.' Follow with a special offer like a
half hour phone session, or your free ezine or articles. Send it
during and after the holiday.

3. Organize your computer files to locate the gold.

Perhaps you'll find an unfinished article that you can edit and send
to the opt-in (no spam) ezines or top web sites in your field. These
articles placed your coach #1 in Google and other search engines as
well as listing her web site URL on 12,800 sites up 1200 from just
last week. This is a good time to delete what no longer serves you.

4. Offer a strategic alliance with top people in your field.

This can take the form of exchanging tips for ezines, exchanging web
links, or even promotional copy to add to your site called,
'Professional Resources.' When I did this with a large company's ezine
of 30,000 subscribers, I received back a spot where my monthly column
sits--with a different how to article each time. Just another way to
get yourself out there.

5. Hire a part-time organizer-computer assistant.

Call your local high school and place an ad for their career center.
It's minimum wage usually, and you can double, even triple your
business results with just a little help. If you don't promote each
day, you lose your momentum and potential buyer's responses. You can
do the creating, your assistant can send the emails out, clean up your
files, and do web marketing.

6. Send out an email survey to discover what's on your potential
customer's or client's minds.

Ask them what is the number one question they would like to have you
answer for them. Then compile the questions and answers. Leverage them
to place on your web site, place a few in several ezines to add new
content, send out as article for the opt-in ezines or for web sites,
or exchange with strategic partners.

7. Take some time off.

Renew yourself with a walk to hear the birds, see the green and enjoy
the smells. On my walks I take a big whiff of Starbucks coffee aromas
as I pass by to my local lake. Check out nearby places such as a spa,
hot mineral springs, or gardens to be silent. Include more yoga in
your day.

8. Get your expenses tallied before tax season.

See what else you can do to get more deductions before the year's end.

9. Stop spending time on things you don't enjoy.

Say, 'I let go of all that doesn't serve me.' Look over your daily to
do pages, and instead of dashing from one thing to another, list just
3 High Level Activities you want to accomplish for each day. The trick
is to finish them before you wander to another lesser priority.

10. Make promotion and marketing part of your daily life.

Doing a little each day does bring great rewards. You may not get to
pick the time someone uses your service or product, but ongoing
promotion does work. Just found an email from one year ago from a
potential client. Today he is with me as a full on client.

These tips are just the beginning. Put an easy attitude on as your
build your business even during the holidays. Then, reward yourself
with quality time with friends and family.

Internet Advertising Advice

2009-06-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

You need to be advertising and marketing your home-based business, but
what does it all mean? You need customers. You need sales! But where
do you start?

* FFA Pages
* Banners
* Traffic Exchange Programs
* Reciprocal Linking

These are just some of the ways for your home-based business to be
advertising and marketing online (meaning on the Internet). But, what
do they mean?

* FFA Pages - You submit your site to a FFA page (or network of
pages) and agree to get one E-mail from every other website that is
listed there.
* Banners - These are ads shown at the top (usually) of many
webpages and they sometimes rotate to show a different ad each time
the page is loaded.
* Traffic Exchange Programs - You submit your ad to be shown to
other members of the program when they load the program start page.
* Reciprocal Linking - You place a link to someone's website on
your site and they place a link to your website on theirs.

Other Internet Marketing Suggestions

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Keywords are placed throughout your
website's pages to tell the search engines what your page is about.
Keywords are simply words (or combinations of words) that describe
your business.

Content is king. Provide good content (basically, articles about your
area of expertise) about your subject and sprinkle the keywords (and
combos) through the page. This basic strategy will get you a higher
ranking with the search engines and many more customers because you're
giving them something that they need -- information!

PPC (Pay Per Click) Advertising - Instead of submitting your pages for
inclusion in the search engine's database, you bid on the keyword(s)
that relate to your website. You can find out in advance what other
sites have bid for a particular keyword and then decide if you want to
outbid the number one spot or maybe bid a little less and get the
number two, three, or four spot (or lower if the keyword is
expensive).

Ezines/Newsletters - These are delivered through E-mail and can be
either plain text or HTML with full graphics. Although they can
sometimes be expensive, you can get free ads by writing articles about
your subject area and contribute them to the ezines. Why would you
want to give them away? Because you can put in a 'Resource Box' at the
end of each article. At the very least this box will contain your
name, website address, and a brief one or two line 'bio' about you
(some ezines allow more room). See, free online advertising for your
home-based business!

For a more detailed explanation, and more great advice for your
home-based business, please visit
my-home-based-business-advisor.com/startup-ideas.html.

Terry Nicholls

My Home-Based Business Advisor

my-home-based-business-advisor.com

Menu Driven Business Planning

2009-06-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

So you want to open a restaurant? Many people come to me with their
plans, and ideas after they have decided to build or open a
restaurant. It is my responsibility to assist them in their planning
process and determine how clearly they have thought their concept
through. I ask them to show me a menu, and if their initial response
is 'I haven't gotten that far in my planning process yet,' my response
is "You haven't started the planning process yet".

A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will support or
avoid a restaurant for its food. Starting with a preliminary menu is a
simple and basic approach to restaurant development. Begin with a
menu, and you are light years ahead in the restaurant development
process. A menu will tell you and your Guest what you are trying to be
as a business, and greatly enhance your chances for success.

I view a menu for content, image and pricing. Content (the actual
items on the menu) will dictate service staffing needs, level of
culinary experience and type of management required. Who will be doing
the cooking, do they have experience in this type of food, and how
much are you paying them?

Image is how the Guest will perceive the menu. Menu image helps define
the targeted clientele and which other restaurants this operation
would be competing with. Are the content and image of the menu
appealing to your desired clientele? Pricing helps determine a
potential restaurant's competitive placement. Is the pricing for the
type of food offered competitive with other's in the market area, and
does it permit the ability to manage a profitable food cost? Pricing
sets the Guest's expectations in terms of food and service quality.
This perception will, in turn, help define appropriate staffing
levels. The budgeting process can now begin. Analysis of menu content,
image and pricing will tell prospective restaurant operators whether
their concept is appropriate for a certain market area.

With a preliminary menu in hand, a prospective operator can target a
location that will be convenient and appropriate for their desired
clientele. Once a site or facility is selected, sales volumes can be
projected based on number of seats, menu pricing and the competitive
business analysis. With projected sales volumes, how much an operator
can spend to acquire, remodel or build a facility is determined.
Leases and/or purchase agreements can now be negotiated.

With a clear menu, competitive analysis, sales forecast and
development budget, financing can realistically be sought. A business
plan can be derived which, if taken to potential investors will
demonstrate what type of return they can anticipate on their
investment.

Any restaurant business plan must begin with a menu. A proposed menu
provides the basics for many questions that must be answered during
the restaurant development process. It creates an image of the
restaurant, identifies targeted clientele, and defines the proposed
restaurant's competition. A preliminary menu allows a sound basis for
business budgeting, tests potential profitability, and dictates the
development dollars required for a facility. Most importantly,
beginning the business planning process with a menu maintains the
focus of ownership on the importance of food and the impact it has on
the success of the restaurant.

NETWORKING 17 Essential Strategies in the 21st Century

2009-06-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

It is virtually impossible to succeed professionally and personally
without developing a network of people. There is no career or business
opportunity where you can be rewarded entirely for what you know and
how well you know your work.

Networking requires a mission, goals, vision and a willingness to
share valuable information with others. Networking events, meetings
and conferences are places to make plans to reconnect and stay in
touch. It involves building relationships, helping others and giving
advice to anyone who asks. A trusting business relationship will
enhance your base of contacts and build a lifetime of rewards. It's
Not Who You Know, It's Who Knows You!

Networking is a skill that can be learned. To maximize the potential
of your networking skill, you must learn the necessary strategies, and
you must practice; just as you would when learning to play a sport or
a musical instrument.

Introductions. There is incredible power in first impressions.
Therefore, you should make it a priority to make the best first
impression you can. For most introductions, the first real contact you
have with another individual is a handshake. Your handshake
communicates, professionalism, confidence and credibility. Learn how
to give a quality, professional handshake – not too limp, but not too
firm – to leave the best first impression. Just as important as the
handshake, is remembering a person's name, as well as its
pronunciation and spelling. Moreover, a good rule to remember is
people prefer to be called by the name they have introduced
themselves.

Business Card Exchange. Challenge yourself not to give out your cards,
until you have uncovered a reason for exchanging names and numbers.
Lead your conversation in a direction that is beneficial for you to
stay in contact beyond the event.

Building the Relationship by:

* Knowing how to hold an effective conversation
* Engaging your connection
* Knowing how to actively listen
* Building trust

Networking can Happen Anywhere. Remember that everywhere you go is an
opportunity to network. Even at your current job! "Social Networking"
is a sensible alternative to traditional organizational charts and
everyday business transactions.

Follow-Up! Follow-up is essential in building and maintaining
relationships. Don't let your network forget about you!

Networking as a way of life will bring you personal and professional
success. Make the most of your time - be determined, patient and
visible.

To get the most out of your networking abilities, you'll want to have
a strong resource that you can trust on your side. Visit
http://www.ebookmall.com our copy of Networking: 17 Essential
Strategies in the 21st Century. Or, for guidance in-person, contact
Patricia Dorch at execudress@aol.com to schedule Networking Events for
National, Regional and Local Conferences, Meetings and Special Events.

Practice conversations with people in familiar and uncommon places.
Asking questions is a sign of a good listener and will help you
establish rapport and build relationships. Connecting with people will
bring you a world of opportunities.

EXECU DRESS

Patricia Dorch M.S.

President / CEO

Author, National Speaker and Trainer

execudress@aol.com

Is This the Public Relation You Thought You Were Getting?

2009-06-16T09:56:00.001-07:00

You know, where you do something positive about the behaviors of those
outside audiences that MOST affect your organization? And where you do
so by persuading those important external folks to your way of
thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department,
division or subsidiary succeed?

Yes, that's right, it's where you use the fundamental premise of
public relations to produce external stakeholder behavior change – the
kind that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives.

What it boils down to is (1) your public relations effort must involve
more than special events, brochures and news releases if you really
want to get your money's worth, and (2), the right PR really CAN alter
individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you
succeed!

You can do it when you bring that fundamental premise of PR mentioned
above, into play. It goes like this: people act on their own
perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable
behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or
reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and
moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the
organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

What kind of results can you, as a business, non-profit or association
manager, expect from such an approach? Well, for starters, improved
relations with government agencies and legislative bodies, stronger
relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare
communities; prospects starting to work with you; customers making
repeat purchases; and even capital givers or specifying sources
looking your way

And that's not all. You also could see progress in the form of
membership applications on the rise; new proposals for strategic
alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; enhanced
activist group relations, and expanded feedback channels; as well as
community service and sponsorship opportunities; not to mention new
thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Yes, that's promising quite a bit but that's what this approach to
public relations is capable of delivering.

Of course the PR people supporting you as a manager – agency or staff
– must be real team members and committed to you, as the senior
project manager, to the PR blueprint and its implementation, starting
with target audience perception monitoring.

Ask yourself how important it is that your most important outside
audiences really perceive your operations, products or services in a
positive light? Then assure yourself that your PR staff buys into that
notion wholeheartedly. Be especially careful that they accept the
reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help
or hurt your unit.

Review the PR blueprint in detail with your team, especially the plan
for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of
your most important outside audiences. Use questions like these: how
much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about
our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact
with us and were you pleased with the interchange? Have you
experienced problems with our people or procedures?

The perception monitoring phases of your program obviously can be
handled by professional survey people, IF the budget is available. But
keep in mind that your PR people are also in the perception and
behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate
into hurtful behaviors.

Clearly, you will need a well-defined goal, one that responds to the
aberrations that appeared during your key audience perception
monitoring. As a flexible goal, it could call for straightening out
that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or
doing something about that damaging rumor.

Inevitably, a goal needs a strategy to show you how to get there. And
here, you have three strategic choices for handling a perception or
opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change
the perception, or reinforce it. Unfortunately, a bad strategy pick
will taste like fudge sauce on your spareribs, so be sure the new
strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For instance,
you don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a "reinforce"
strategy.

Changing people's minds to your way of thinking is a tough assignment,
so your PR team must set down the needed corrective language. Words
that are compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual.
You must do this if you are to correct a perception by shifting
opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors.

Sit down again with your communications specialists and review your
message for impact and persuasiveness. Then, select the communications
tactics most likely to carry your words to the attention of your
target audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From
speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings,
media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But
be sure that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like
your audience members.

Because the credibility of a message can occasionally depend on its
delivery method, you might introduce it to smaller gatherings rather
than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases or talk show
appearances. One good thing about doing progress reports for clients
or bosses is that they sound the alert for you and your PR folks to
return to the field for a second perception monitoring session with
members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions
used in the first benchmark session, you must now stay alert for signs
that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

If impatience shows up, you can always accelerate things with more
communications tactics and increased frequencies.

It should be an irresistable premise for any manager! Do something
positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that MOST
affect your organization. And do so by persuading those important
external folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions
that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed.

Wow!

end

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your
ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be
appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1125 including
guidelines and resource box.

How to Stay Motivated

2009-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

As a 'Motivation Trainer' for over 20 years, I have researched the
subject of 'Motivation.' It is talked about a lot, but not very much
is taught or written about it. It seems to be a word that eludes us. I
often here people say: 'Can you motivate me?' or 'I need motivating.'
or 'I've lost my motivation.'

Part of the challenge in understanding the concept of 'Motivation' is
to understand what it means. We seem to have a distorted definition of
what it is. Since we know that words have positive or negative energy
connected to them, it is important that we know what words we are
saying and what those words mean.

Let's start our journey into understanding 'Motivation' with a
workable definition.

Motivation is:

1. Making a Choice
2. To Take Action
3. For a Result
4. Whether You Feel Like It or Not.

'Motivation' is about what you choose, not how you feel. The first
myth about 'Motivation' is that it somehow has something to do with
how you feel. So if you feel like exercising, you are motivated, and
if you don't feel like exercising, you aren't. If you feel like
working your network marketing business, then you are motivated; if
not, you just aren't motivated. If you feel, like going to church, you
are motivated; if you don't feel like it.... And as you can imagine,
there are hundreds of scenarios that we could mention.

Once we accept a 'new definition' of 'Motivation,' we can move forward
to using it as a tool in our lives to help us achieve results.

Starting with 1. Making a Choice.

Everything is a choice. Choice equals results. Good choices = Good
results. Bad choices = Bad results. From the time you are born, until
the time you die, you will literally make hundreds and hundreds of
choices. Every choice has a result. The caveat is that you may make a
choice today, but not get the result today. Results are still coming
even if delayed. To stay motivated, we start with what choices will we
make for specific results in our lives in every area: Physical,
mental, spiritual, social, financial, family.

2. To Take Action

Once we make a choice for a result, the mind automatically goes into
the mode of: 'What action do I need to make in order to achieve the
result?' This is how we develop our action plan for choosing and
accomplishing results in our lives. If you don't know what action to
take to achieve your result, you mind will go into the mode: 'Where do
I go to learn what to do to accomplish this result?'

Your mind is a powerful friend or foe. With all the many years of
studying the mind, we still know so little about it. It was created to
help you. Unfortunately with some of our old negative programming,
often our mind does not help us. It is so important that we are
continually alert to negative programming that is keeping us from
fulfilling more of our potential.

The reason we take action is for the result.

3. For a Result

What results are you choosing for your life today? The results you
have in your life today are from the choices you have made in your
yesterday. The results you will have today and in the future will be
from the choices you make. Understand, you cannot make the right
choices if you have not clearly defined the result.

What results do you choose for your health, you body, your eating habits, etc?

What results do you choose for your thinking, your attitude, your
words that you speak, etc?

What results do you choose for your spiritual life? I did not say
'religion'; I said for your 'spiritual' life?

What results do you choose for being involved with your community,
your friends, etc?

What results do you choose for you business, your profession, you finances, etc?

What results do you chose for your family, for your relationships, etc.?

It is important that you develop a 'result-driven' mindset.

4. Whether You Feel Like It or Not.

When you make a choice to take action for a results, then how you feel
does not enter into the equation. How many times do you do what you
do, when you do not feel like it? If you have children, how many times
do you get up in the middle of the night to take care of your child
when you did not feel like it? Have you ever gone to a business
training seminar, but you didn't feel like it? Have you ever
persevered in the midst of feeling bad, to do a business presentation
or make extra calls?

In all of these situations, 'Motivation' was in operation. You were 'Motivated.'

We are 'Motivated' when we make a choice to take action for a result
whether we feel like it or not. Motivation is not about 'feeling,' it
is simply about 'choosing.' We can have a Motivated day every day we
choose to. Should we chose to have a 'laid-back' day, that is
great...that is a choice too.

We begin the journey of staying motivated when we first know what
'Motivation' is.

Why and How to Work with a Consultant

2009-06-16T09:55:00.001-07:00

A good consultant provides specialist abilities and experience,
innovative ideas, second opinions (reality checks), unbiased
appraisals, and new approaches.

A good consultant will leave you with tools, plans, and materials, and
will transfer knowledge and resources to help you use them.

Avoid making mistakes and wasting time and resources. A small
investment and timely, professional advice can mean savings and
increased revenues in the future.

Adding the services of a consultant can make a difference when time or
human resource constraints would otherwise mean a lost revenue,
market, promotion, or funding opportunity.

Know your limitations and expect a consultant to know theirs. You may
have someone on staff who will volunteer to create advertisements, a
website, or a marketing plan--but if they aren't truly qualified, you
could be paying later to undo damage or make up for missed
opportunities. A good consultant will also refer you to other
specialists or obtain the services of subcontractors when they need to
complement their own expertise.

You are uniquely qualified to handle many aspects of your own
business. Hiring a specialist, when necessary, can free you to do what
you do best and make the most of your resources.

HOW TO WORK WITH A CONSULTANT

Find a specialist with experience in your industry!

Get to know the consultant(s) and work together informally to help
them prepare a proposal that addresses your objectives. You can often
get some good, free assistance in clarifying these objectives.

Don't waste the consultant's time if you aren't serious about
evaluating their proposal, and don't seek so many proposals that none
of the consultants who respond have a good chance to be hired (You
should generally keep the number of applicants in the running to four
or fewer). Do expect the consultants to ask good questions and learn
about your business. Avoid consultants who say they have immediate
solutions or feel ready to talk about details, design, technology, or
implementation before they have begun to understand your business and
objectives°™look for a careful approach!

Clarify your specific goals and larger objectives, and state these in
writing to the consultant when you request their proposal. Remain
flexible about these goals, since you are paying for the advice of the
consultant about these matters--perhaps some of your goals could be
refined or modified!

Prepare a rough budget range for the consultant. A good consultant
will not simply bid the maximum amount, but should give you a few
price options depending on the scope of their services. They will tell
you if the budget is truly unrealistic and can help you re-evaluate
your objectives or propose dividing the project over multiple phases.
Maintaining an open dialogue about budgets and prices is preferable to
developing an adversarial relationship during the bidding phase, which
can lead to misunderstandings, wasted resources, and poor outcomes for
the project.

Remember to include your own monetary and human resource costs in your
internal budget estimate. Also allow for any costs associated with
materials, transportation, or other expenses that a consultant may
need to pass on to you. Clarify how expenses will be handled.

Clarify the timeline for the project. Remain flexible about the
deadline, if possible, and realize that a fast-approaching deadline
may impact the price quoted by the consultant. Expect the consultant
to prepare a project outline that meets this timeline. Realize that it
is not uncommon for a project with an unrealistically short deadline
to end up being finished long after the same project would have been
if you had allowed an extra few days or weeks from the start.

Sign a written contract with the consultant. This can often be as
simple as signatures on the proposal submitted by the consultant, if
all important matters were covered in that document.

Establish a project manager or producer to be the main contact for the
consultant and to be responsible for all major decisions. Make sure
this person has the knowledge and authority to make decisions and
allocate necessary resources. The consultant should also assign one
person from their staff who will have final responsibility for
decisions and will handle most communication with you.

Maintain regular communication during the project, between project
managers/producers on your staff and the consultant's. Expect to be
shown incremental progress and to be asked to give your approval at
major project milestones. Make sure you formalize these important
decisions in writing--these milestones and approval areas should
usually be agreed upon at the beginning of work. Do, however, trust
your consultant and avoid micro-managing every detail and piece of
work.

Before the project begins, agree upon cost and deadline implications
of any change requests made by you, or changes to the scope of work,
should these be necessary. Change requests and 'scope creep' are
common causes for disagreement and strained relations between clients
and customers--recognize that 'minor changes' add up quickly and can
sometimes make the project financially untenable for the consultant.
Conversely, if both parties have communicated well, and been realistic
in their objectives, you will often find that a good consultant will
make an extra effort on something, just to make sure you are happy
with their services.

If something does go wrong with the project and relations begin to be
strained, agree to take a break from the work for a couple of days or
more. It will often be far easier, afterward, for both parties to
understand the other party's point of view, to reach compromise, to
correct a misunderstanding in a way that is satisfactory to all, and
to get back to work.

Finally, make sure you will know how to use (and update, where
relevant) new materials, documents, and plans created by the
contractor. Include resources for training in the budget.

IN CONCLUSION

By following these guidelines, you should be well on your way to good
results on your next project! While these may at first seem like a lot
of unnecessary rules, or barriers to a speedy completion of your
project, they will actually prepare for smooth and timely completion.
It is much better to be clear about things from the start than to have
to repeat work later; or worse, have a major disagreement which will
strain relations and prove beneficial to neither party. There are many
good consultants available who can bring specialist expertise and good
management skills to your projects. A little extra help and relevant
information might be a great investment in your future success. Best
of luck with your work!

How to Get Your Procedures Project Done

2009-06-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice for business owners and executives to be finished
with their policies and procedures project already? They know they
need to get it done, but maybe it's taking too long. Or perhaps their
people are staring at a blank piece of paper, and they don't know
where to begin. Or maybe they're not sure what to write. Or they're
just too busy.

The Usual Scenario

Companies face these hang-ups everyday, in every industry, in every
market. And it can be frustrating when trying to balance the everyday
duties with the long-term vision and mission of the company. So which
takes priority, and what are the feasible options to help with the
process?

Save Research Time

Well-defined Policies & Procedures are based on applicable US
regulations, industry standards and Best Practices, all researched by
experienced personnel, technical writers, and process experts. This
can save companies and executives valuable time researching the same
material themselves.

Increase Procedure Writing Confidence

Instructional content, how to books, training, consulting and live
support can help to ensure companies they have the information they
need to develop usable policies & procedures right the first time.

Simplify the Integration of Processes

A wide range of manuals for the entire company all from a single
source save time integrating the procedures needed.

Speed Policy Development

Standard usability formats, process design methodology and numerous
examples for every department reduces employee confusion and improves
usability speeding up policy development by less experienced
personnel.

Ease Document Editing Tasks

Common MS-Word features provide faster editing, easier changes and
simpler document updates to such things as the table of contents
compared to RTF, PDF or hardcopy formats.

Get Quick Answers to Procedures Questions

Companies can be prepared with answers to policy and procedures
questions. They can use the table-of-contents, keyword index feature,
or the provided hardcopy manual to get fast searchable answers to
their process questions.

Many might not be very excited about spending hundreds of man hours on
your procedures project, and they don't have to. Instead, they can
save time for themselves and for their business.

Cash Flow, Profits And The Cash Conversion Cycle

2009-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Calculating cash flow is one of the most important tasks of the
business owner. Revenue and expenses are rarely constant in a business
and cash requirements need to be planned for shortfalls, seasonal
factors or one time large payments. At the end of the day, a company
that cannot pay its bills is bankrupt. Unfortunately, while many
business owners concentrate solely on their revenues and expenses to
manage their cash flow, it's usually poor management of the cash
conversion cycle that so often leads to a cash crunch in the business.

What is the cash conversion cycle and why should I be concerned with it?

The cash conversion cycle is simply the duration of time it takes a
firm to convert its activities requiring cash back into cash returns.
The cycle is composed of the three main working capital components:
Accounts Receivable outstanding in days (ARO), Accounts Payable
outstanding in days (APO) and Inventory in days (IOD). The Cash
Conversion Cycle (CCC) is equal to the time is takes to sell inventory
and collect receivables less the time it takes to pay your payables,
or:

CCC = IOD + ARO – APO

Why is this cycle important? Because it represents the number of days
a firm's cash remains tied up within the operations of the business.
It is also a powerful tool for assessing how well a company is
managing its working capital. The lower the cash conversion cycle, the
more healthy a company generally is. If you compare the results of the
cycle over time and see a rising trend it is often a warning sign that
the business may be facing a cash flow crunch.

Understanding the components of the cycle

When evaluating cash flow, those factors directly affecting profit,
revenue and expenses, are easy to understand and their affect on cash
is straight forward; decreases in costs or increases in profit margin
results in less cash going out or more cash coming in, and increased
profits.

However, the working capital components of the CCC are a little more
complex. In simple terms, an increase in the amount of time accounts
receivables are outstanding uses up cash, a decrease provides cash; an
increase in the amount of inventory uses cash, a decrease provides
cash; an increase in the amount of time it takes you to pay your
payables provides cash, a decrease uses cash.

For example, a decision to buy more inventory will use up cash, or a
decision to allow people to pay for goods or services over 60 days
instead of 30 days will mean you have to wait longer for payment, and
will have less cash on hand. Below is a numerical example of the
cycle:

Accounts Receivable outstanding in days +90

Inventory in days +60

Accounts Payable outstanding in days -72

Cash Conversion Cycle +78

In the scenario, you have cash tied up for 78 days. It should be noted
that you can have a negative conversion cycle. If this occurs it means
that you are selling your inventory and collecting your receivables
before you have to pay your payables. An ideal situation if you able
to accomplish this. Before you say it is impossible, remember that
companies such as Wal-Mart are today selling a large part of their
inventory before they have to pay for it. While it is not easy it can
be accomplished.

An Example

Let's assume you buy on trade credit from your supplier and an account
payable is created. Your supplier wants full payment in 30 days,
however, you are selling inventory very fast, sell the inventory a
week later and are asking for full payment from your buyer in 7 days.
You are now managing your conversion cycle. Consider, on day 1 you
generate an accounts payable for 30 days from now. On day 7 you sell
the inventory and generate an accounts receivable, which your buyer
will pay for in 7 days. What is your conversion cycle in the case? -14
days, pretty good and you congratulate yourself. On day 15, after you
receive payment, you are flush with cash and have a choice of
reinvesting the money or paying your supplier. What action you take
will probably depend on a lot of factors, but as your supplier has
provided you interest free cash for another 2 weeks, you may want to
use it for those two weeks to generate greater returns; maybe you have
outstanding credit you can pay down, you can buy additional inventory,
or you may just want to generate interest returns.

Now consider that you also provide your buyers 30 days to pay you. On
day 1 you generate an accounts payable for 30 days from now. On day 7
you sell the inventory and generate an accounts receivable, which your
buyer will pay for in 30 days. What is your conversion cycle in the
case? 7 days, not as good. You now have 7 days in your cycle during
which you have repaid your supplier but will not receive payment for
another 7 days from your buyer. You either need extra cash on hand or
a credit line to support you for those 7 days.

What does this mean in terms of cash flow and your bottom line? If you
have $1 million in annual sales and your receivables are outstanding
an average of 60 days, that means you have $164,383 in outstanding
receivables. Everyday extra day the receivables are outstanding (e.g.
61 days vs. 60 days) represents an extra $2,740 that is not available
to use elsewhere. If you need a credit line to support your
receivables and you pay interest at 8% that represents $13,000 in
annual interest charges (expenses) based on an average loan balance of
$164,000.

So, as you can see, the management of the conversion cycle can have a
large impact on the business's cash flow and profitability. The
management of your cash conversion cycle could determine whether you
require a lending facility or not, or whether you can meet financial
obligations.

Managing Your Business’ Cash Flow

2009-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't drive a car without a gas gauge or speedometer, and if
you're driving on an empty tank, you won't get very far. Then why
would you make financial decisions without the proper tools?
Businesses must master controlling the flow of cash. Cash flow
planning helps eliminate uncertainty, identify obstacles and move
forward armed with information. With information you can make plans
and changes to improve your business.

Why a Cash Flow Statement?

Many business owners believe their financial statements will give them
all the information they need. Financial statements are an historical
tool that shows you where your business has been. A Cash Flow is the
fancy name for a working budget that tells you how much cash your
business actually has. Working in sync with your balance sheet your
cash flow should be an easy-to-read tool that allows you to monitor
sales, costs, profitability, collections and cash. It allows you to
plan for future cash needs for growth, while identifying operational
issues requiring immediate action.

Successful cash flow planning does not require a degree in accounting.
What you need is real-time understanding of where the cash is
originating, where it is going, and how much is left over (just like
you do at home). Businesses need to operate with a cash flow model
that looks ahead one year, month by month, and is updated with actual
results every week.

Create a Worksheet

The formula for successful cash flow management is deceptively simple.
Money in. Money out. Money left over. If there isn't any money left
over, then you need to do something differently.

Start with Sales. Sales is work performed that is documented by cash
register receipts, guest checks or invoices. Project the amount of
sales you anticipate month-by-month starting with the current month.
Sales should fluctuate when you consider the seasonality of your
business. Break the sales into categories and be conservative.

Project your collections month by month. Collections are the money you
put into the bank in the form of cash, checks or charge card vouchers.
If Sales do not equal Collections, you either have accounts receivable
or a cash control problem.

Review your expenses. Define your expenses into two major areas: Cost
of Sales (expenses that fluctuate with sales such as product costs)
and Overhead Expenses (expenses that do not fluctuate with sales).
Define the cost percentages for your major sales categories. Forecast
all other Overhead Expenses (rent, utilities, insurance, licenses,
etc.). Project all expenses out in the month they will be paid.

Forecast your payroll. List your current and anticipated employees and
categorize them as Cost of Sales labor or Overhead labor. Cost of
Sales labor may be projected in part by a target labor cost
percentage. Estimate payroll expense per employee (average hours
worked, rate of pay) over the next twelve months.

Evaluate Your Profitability

With monthly sales and expenses projected, business profitability,
feasibility and value can be determined. Total Sales minus Total Cost
of Sales Expenses (including Cost of Sales payroll) minus Total
Overhead Expenses (including Overhead payroll) equals Monthly Cash
Reserve. This is also your profitability. Is there any money left?

What debt are you servicing? Evaluate this debt separately from your
profitability. Debt takes many forms including notes, loans, credit
cards, leases, and lines of credit. When businesses must restructure
their debt in order to improve cash flow, lenders expect the
business's Balance Sheet to look a certain way in order to qualify for
financing.

So, What's Next?

Once this working budget is assembled, a break-even sales volume can
be determined that generates enough profit to cover debt load and have
no cash loss. Your cash flow objectives are now clarified and
strategies can be implemented. Any issues that caused a cash flow
problem will now be corrected.

With your Cash Flow mapped out, you have the beginning of control.

Cash Flow Planning brings financial stability to a business through
pro-active budgeting, monitoring and adjustments. You will understand
where you are today and what your options and priorities are. You will
be able to forecast your cash needs and gain control of your business.
With the use of a Cash Flow, your business will have more money and a
road map for the future.

Short Messaging Service (SMS) for Enterprise Messaging

2009-06-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Short Messaging Service (SMS) for Enterprise Messaging

SMS for Enterprise Messaging – Value added services

Short message service, usually called SMS, is a globally accepted
wireless service for enterprise messaging (mobile value added
services) that enables the transmission of alphanumeric messages
between mobile subscribers and external systems such as electronic
mail, paging, and voice-mail systems.

The text comprises letters or numbers or an alphanumeric combination.
SMS was created as part of the GSM Phase 1 standard. Each short text
message is up to 160 characters is length when Latin alphabets are
used and 70 characters in length when non-Latin alphabets such as
Arabic and Chinese are used.

SMS comprises two basic point-to-point services:

* Mobile-Terminated short message (MT)
* Mobile-Originated short message (MO)

SMS Mobile-Terminated (SMS MT)

SMS (MT) are transported from the SMSC to the handset and can be
submitted to the SMSC by other mobile subscribers via MO-SM or by
other sources such as voice-mail systems, paging networks, or
operators

SMS MT Services allow the deployment of various applications such as:

* Information Services (loyalty card members, delivery confirmation etc.)
* Real-time notifications and alerts (banking, finance and stock
alerts, travel, sporting results)
* Direct Marketing offerings (promotions, new product
announcement, events and shows, m-coupons)
* Ring tones, Logo downloads
* Quiz, live games

SMS Mobile-Originated (SMS MO)

SMS MO are transported from a MO-capable handset to the SMSC and can
be destined to other mobile subscribers or for subscribers on fixed
networks such as paging networks or Internet protocol (IP) networks
(including the Internet and private e-mail networks).

SMS MO Services are typically used in deploying applications to
receive information from Mobile users to an external short messaging
entity, which is typically a computer connected to the internet. Such
request for information is made by sending an SMS from their mobile
phones to a service number linked to the service of the content
provider.

Typical SMS MO service examples are dedicated requests, voting or quiz
applications. A customer can register his request for information e.g.
Text 'Product ABC' to +44 7979458584 to know the product details of
the product or to text 'Yes' to a mobile number to confirm presence in
an event.

Why do enterprises need SMS based mobile data services?

SMS based mobile data services are not necessary for every enterprise
or every division within an enterprise. As with any new
communications/ IT application or service, the investment and cost of
an implementation must be balanced by a sufficient economic return.
Several research firms have stated that two to three years after a
mobile data services implementation a company should see a positive
return on their investment.

However, there are a few compelling reasons for enterprises to get on
to tap the potential of SMS based mobile data services. For many
enterprises, such wireless initiatives form ways to advance customer
service, productivity, cost reduction, or simply functionality
necessary to remain competitive. A good example is the financial
industry where wireless services have played a role in maintaining
competitive position in the consumer market. Many leading banks, stock
brokers and mutual funds have already started such service in which
their customers receive pre-defined 'business-rules' driven alerts or
notifications. These notifications or alerts are a result of SMS
enabling of business processes. Such a service eliminates the need of
conventional getting connected on voice, thereby reducing direct
communication cost and indirect costs (time of people making voice
calls) and complexity involved in the business process.

Of late, innovative and cost effective and business models for SMS
based mobile data services have emerged by which the enterprises are
not required to own the wireless communication infrastructure required
for the said service. Instead, they get all the benefits by the hugely
successful 'pay-as-you-go' model. This reduces total cost of ownership
of the new initiative.

There are a few Mobile Value Added Service Providers (MVASP) that have
emerged in the past couple of years which provide high quality service
as compared to operators, who do not focus in enterprise wireless
messaging as the size of the market is sub-optimal from the
perspective of operators. Moreover, the expertise required in
providing high quality and end-to-end service requires expertise in
both IT industry and telecommunications verticals which makes this
service offering unique. Many enterprises globally are already
benefiting from such SMS based wireless initiative to reduce cost and
increase operational efficiency at work.

To deliberate and decide, whether SMS based mobile data services will
provide tangible economic benefit to their business, there are a
number of questions enterprises should ask can themselves. This type
of strategising is a first step in defining the value SMS based mobile
data services provide and is necessary to avoid initiatives that
provide "neat" capability without sufficient and early return. When
evaluating your needs for mobile data services, questions to ask
include:

* What all business processes, in which if the concerned person
gets to know relevant information on the move, he/she will be able to
take desired action?
* Is a significant percentage of an organisation's work or
workforce away from a fixed place of business?
* Is my enterprise ready for such a kind of initiative?
* Would such an initiative have the potential to reduce my total
cost of communications?
* Can remote users easily access pertinent information from
internal systems?
* What are my competitors doing with regard to wireless applications?
* Will using SMS based mobile data services improve my customer service?

Mobile data services are aimed to increase operational efficiency and
reduce costs. When computing the actual return on a wireless
initiative, one must look at cost savings from increased efficiencies,
productivity, customer satisfaction, and other such metrics. This is
substantially more complex than discounting revenue generation,
because many of the metrics are approximates and many of the benefits
very subtle, but this estimation gives the most accurate measure of
success.

Many companies provides mobile data services like ValueFirst Messaging
Pvt. Ltd. http://www.vfirst.com is a leading enterprise messaging
services company in India provides SMS on GSM/CDMA/GPRS also provides
SMS sending software / applications services and products.

There are a number of metrics that will assist in determining the
return of a wireless initiative. Take careful attention to assure that
the metrics used relate directly to the type of solution. For example,
when deploying SMSbased mobile data services for maintenance, look at
the amount of time spent on a sales call. If billing is incorporated
into the system, check the change in the billing cycle, to see that it
has decreased. Some other metrics that may help measure the success of
a wireless implementation are:

* Increased sales per employee
* Decreased time per maintenance call
* Increased customer service levels
* Reduced turnaround time
* Reduced communication costs

How to Start A Business Plan

2009-06-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your
goals, and serves as your firm's resume. The basic components include
a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash
flow analysis. It helps you allocate resources properly, handle
unforeseen complications, and make good business decisions. Because it
provides specific and organized information about your company and how
you will repay borrowed money, a good business plan is a crucial part
of any loan application. Additionally, it informs sales personnel,
suppliers, and others about your operations and goals.

Plan Your Work

The importance of a comprehensive, thoughtful business plan cannot be
overemphasized. Much hinges on it: outside funding, credit from
suppliers, management of your operation and finances, promotion and
marketing of your business, and achievement of your goals and
objectives.

Despite the critical importance of a business plan, many entrepreneurs
drag their feet when it comes to preparing a written document. They
argue that their marketplace changes too fast for a business plan to
be useful or that they just don't have enough time. But just as a
builder won't begin construction without a blueprint, eager business
owners shouldn't rush into new ventures without a business plan.

Before you begin writing your business plan, consider four core questions:

What service or product does your business provide and what needs does it fill?

Who are the potential customers for your product or service and why
will they purchase it from you?

How will you reach your potential customers?

Where will you get the financial resources to start your business?

How To Become A Data-Feed Super Affiliate

2009-06-16T09:50:00.001-07:00

I am not going to describe what a product feed (or a data-feed) is.
There is a lot of information out there about how to use one to build
sites. Instead, I want to talk about how you can actually make more
sales with data-feed sites.

The program that I manage offers a product feed, and I get a chance to
see a sad picture of many good affiliates wasting their potential.

Here is my advice from the affiliate manager's perspective.

Whenever you join (or think bout joining) a program, you need to look
for two things:

* Temporary or permanent opportunities
* Flaws of a merchant

Here is an example of an opportunity that was created by an outside factor.

Recently, we got removed from the Yahoo index because of a penalty. I
have no idea when (or if) we will get included back in, but I do know
that it makes one decision much easier for our affiliates.

Judging by the numerous posts on various SEO-related message boards,
it looks like Google and Yahoo use very different algorithms to rank
pages. So for any given site, you have a choice to make. You can
optimize for Yahoo, for Google, or for both.

Since Yahoo and Google use different algorithms, it is going to be
hard to optimize the same set of pages for both of those engines at
the same time, unless you employ heavy cloaking. And the way I see it,
for an affiliate, it is better to appear high on one search engine
than to appear low on both of them in an attempt to optimize for
different algorithms at the same time.

Imagine that you are one of our affiliates. Given the information I
just told you, shouldn't you concentrate on Yahoo for that data-feed
site that is being used to promote our products?

Why spend (at least) half of your time and resources on optimizing for
Google when you know that we are nowhere to be found in Yahoo?

You have to have an extremely well linked and optimized site to get
ahead of the merchant for the exact product-name search terms. The
merchant is your biggest obstacle when it comes to the search engine
traffic. So if there is a route that lets you get around that obstacle
- take it!

Most of our well-performing affiliates did just that. Either
intentionally or unintentionally, they ended up making much more money
by appearing high in Yahoo results, while not being ranked high in
Google.

So on a practical side of things, here is what you should do.

For your existing merchants, check if they are removed from the index
in any of the major search engines, and if they are, then start
reading and implementing SEO tips for that particular engine.

And if you are thinking about joining a program and can't decide
between several merchants, then check if any of them is not in the
index of either Yahoo or Google. If you find a merchant like that -
drop everything else you are doing and jump on that program.

As far as theory goes, this was just a simple, but specific example of
what you should look for to make your efforts pay off. There are many
different opportunities to get ahead in existing programs with
data-feed sites; you just have to look for them.

Now, let's talk about flaws of merchants and how you can exploit them
to make more money and help consumers at the same time.

I will give another specific example, but you should be able to apply
this concept to many different programs.

Our site has one huge structural flaw: we only list products by
product-oriented categories.

In other words, there is no way to navigate our site by a specific
occasion or by the purchasing intent of a visitor.

You can follow a path like:

widgets -> wooden widgets -> red wooden widgets

This setup works fine for some type of shoppers, but is a complete
turn-off for others.

And the problem is that most affiliates simply mirror the catalog
structure of a merchant according to their feed.

But if you structured your site to list widgets as:

* widgets for birthdays
* widgets for girlfriends
* widgets for those who are over 50
* the Independence Day widgets

etc.

then you would attract different type of shoppers. You would no longer
compete with the merchant, but instead you would complement them.

A visitor who is looking for a gift for his 50-something friend and
has no idea that a red wooden widget would be perfect, will not travel
down the path laid out by our catalog. So if he gets to our home page,
we simply lose a sale. And if your data-feed-based site follows the
same structure - you lose a sale as well.

Also, since the visitor does not know that he really wants a red
wooden widget, he we not use those keywords while searching for a
present on the search engines.

But if you attracted that visitor to your site, presented him with
ideas for older friends' birthday gifts and guided him to that
specific widget's page - then we would make a sale, you would make a
commission, and the visitor (turned customer) would get his present
with much less searching around. Everyone wins.

Such approach takes more work than simply cloning the merchant's site
with a feed, but affiliates who actually do something to complement
merchant instead competing with them make a lot more money. After all,
if you create a copy of a merchant's site - you are not only competing
with the merchant, you are also competing with all of their affiliates
that use the same feed in the same way.

The Zero Down 80/20 Mortgage

2009-06-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent loan for those that are lacking the down payment
required for other types of mortgages.

The 80 20 mortgage is simply two loans for 100% of the purchase price.
It is a first mortgage at 80% of the purchase price with a 20% second
mortgage.

If you are a conforming borrower, doing your loan in this manner will
save you from having to pay mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is
almost always required when you have less than 20% down. But with the
80 20 loan you avoid this necessary evil.

If you are a sub-prime borrower, doing you loan in this manner will
typically keep your interest rates ½% to 2.5% lower than doing a 100%
one loan. A 100% one loan is simply one loan for the entire purchase
price.

Many times you will have two choices when it comes to the second
mortgage portion of the 80 20 mortgage. The second mortgage can either
be a fixed second mortgage or it can be a line of credit.

If it is a fixed second mortgage. The interest rate is fixed for the
entire length of the mortgage. Most fixed second mortgages are a 30
due in 15. Meaning that the second mortgage is amortized over 30
years, but is due in 15 years. Basically it is a balloon payment.
Don't let this scare you. Statistically people refinance or sell their
home every 7 to 9 years any ways.

If it is a line of credit as the second mortgage. The interest rate
will fluctuate as the Federal Reserve adjusts the prime interest rate
up or down. The benefit of going with the line of credit as the second
mortgage is that the interest rate is normally much lower than the
fixed second mortgages rate. It can be 2% to 5% lower.

If you are considering doing the 80 20 loan have your loan officer
compare the two different options if you have both available to you.

You may also want to consider an 80 20 interest only loan. The
interest only loan could save you hundreds of dollars in mortgage
payments every month. This can help you purchase a more expensive home
or keep the payments down on the home you want to buy

Can It Be? Is There Advertising People Actually Love?

2009-06-16T09:49:00.001-07:00

Can it be???

Is there advertising that people actually love?

You bet there is! And you are already very aware of it. The type of
advertising I'm referring to is promotional items, also known as
advertising specialties. It's anything a company would put their logo
and contact information on, and then give away. They are used by many
businesses all over the world to help maintain, and increase the
amount of business they do with their customers every day.

Why do people love it? Because we view the item more as a gift from
the giver instead of an advertising tool. Have you ever been handed a
logoed scratch pad, coffee mug, pen, coaster, calendar, etc. and then
said THANK YOU? Of course you have. We all have.

When you accept it, an emotional (almost an obligation to do business
with) type of attachment is created in you. A kind of warm & fuzzy
feeling if you will. For a long time they'll remember the gift you
gave, and in order to show their appreciation to you, almost
instinctively, they'll try to do more business with you. That's the
secret behind this type of advertising!!!

And that's why it's The ONLY type of advertising people love. AND
it'll work powerfully for you too!!

The next time you're pondering ways to increase your business,
consider using promotional items.

Scott Rauber , Biz Promo, LLC

This is the Power of Public Relations : PR Tips

2009-06-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

The power of public relations is its ability to alter individual
perception, resulting in changed behaviors that lead directly to your
organization's success.

Its power really lies in doing something positive about the behaviors
of a business, non-profit or association manager's important outside
audiences – behaviors that MOST affect his or her operation.

That's how external stakeholder behaviors are created that help
achieve managerial objectives. In particular when managers persuade
those key outside folks to their way of thinking, then move them to
take actions that help the manager's department, division or
subsidiary succeed.

A basic public relations blueprint looks like this: people act on
their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to
predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we
create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and
moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the
organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

So, two key messages radiating from that fundamental premise are (1)
your public relations effort must involve more than special events,
Asia Market Research, brochures and news releases if you really want
to get your money's worth, and (2), the right PR really CAN alter
individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you
succeed!

A variety of results can flow from this managerial approach to public
relations. It can generate follow-on activity like customers making
repeat purchases; stronger relationships with the educational, labor,
financial and healthcare communities; improved relations with
government agencies and legislative bodies; prospects starting to work
with you, and even capital givers or specifying sources looking your
way

You can even see results such as community service and sponsorship
opportunities; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint
ventures; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded feedback
channels; rebounds in showroom visits; and membership applications on
the rise, not to mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

Because those kinds of results can be expected from such a high-impact
blueprint, your PR staff – agency or staff – must be committed to you,
as the senior project manager, to the PR blueprint and its
implementation, starting with target audience perception monitoring.

Certainly you agree that your most important outside audiences really
must perceive your operations, products or services in a positive
light if you are to succeed. So be certain that your PR staff is
completely onboard for the whole effort. Be especially careful that
they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can help or hurt your unit.

Review the PR blueprint in detail, especially the plan for monitoring
and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most
important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you
know about our organization? How much do you know about our services
or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with us and were
you pleased with the interchange? Have you experienced problems with
our people or procedures?

The perception monitoring phases of your program can obviously be
handled by professional survey people IF the budget is there. But you
can always choose to use your PR people who are also in the perception
and behavior business and can pursue the same objective: identify
untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies,
misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate
into hurtful behaviors.

Let's talk about the public relations goal. You need one that
addresses the aberrations that cropped up during your key audience
perception monitoring. In all probability, it will aim to straighten
out that dangerous misconception, or correct that gross inaccuracy, or
do something about that hurtful rumor.

Of course, when you set a goal, you need a strategy that shows you how
to get there. You have three strategic choices when it comes to
handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where
there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. A bad
strategy pick will taste like ketchup on your pecan pie, so be certain
the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For
example, you don't want to select "change" when the facts dictate a
"reinforce" strategy.

Here's some really hard work for your PR team, because they now must
come up with some carefully targeted, corrective language. Words that
are compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual. You
must do this if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion
towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors.

After going over your message for impact and persuasiveness with your
communications specialists, work with them to select the
communications tactics most likely to carry your words to the
attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens that are
available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to
consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings
and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to
reach folks just like your audience members.

Taking no chances with the time-honored warning that the credibility
of a message can depend on how it's delivered, consider introducing it
to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as
news releases or talk show appearances. When the calls for progress
reports get loud enough, you can respond by returning to the field
with your PR folks for a second perception monitoring session with
members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions
used in the first benchmark session, you'll now be alert for signs
that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Should things slow down, you can always accelerate matters by using
more communications tactics along with increased frequencies.

In this way, you employ the unique power of public relations in just
the right way. You alter individual perception, resulting in changed
behaviors that lead directly to your organization's success.

How to Create Well-Defined Processes

2009-06-16T09:48:00.001-07:00

Interested in learning how to reduce development time, save money and
stay in control? Business professionals can learn how to create
well-defined processes with the easy-to-manage Process Approach of
Plan-Do-Check-Act.

Real Tools for Real Business Process

In MBA courses, students come across a lot of buzzwords and the
theories behind them. And in the textbook, the terms look and sound
great. But after they finish with their classes, they think to
themselves: so now what I can I do with all of these terms like
process mapping and control? How can I use these tools in my job, and
why is it important for my business – in the real world?

A Fresh, New Look Management Effectiveness

Even though these business men and women are feeling a little
discouraged, they still know the importance of attaining this
knowledge. So, for their jobs, they look to take further courses out
there like "How to Create Well-Defined Processes to Build Effective
Management Systems." They are a little skeptical going in, thinking
that they will get just more of the same quick and simple definitions.
But, surprisingly, they are happy to say that such a course shows them
something quite different.

These courses fill in the missing context that they need. It
thoroughly shows them the how, and thoughtfully explains the why. They
receive a fresh outlook, and many highly recommend it to anyone who
wishes to improve their business.

Easy Learning Process

Fortunately, because of such a course's open classroom environment,
the instructors can answer both general and specific questions. The
setting welcomes participation and discussion to develop solutions,
which on-the-go business professionals very much appreciate. And so
did Otis Jones, PMO Manager at Sara Lee Baking Group, who attended
such a course. He was especially impressed with the user friendliness
of the course content.

"Process mapping, process variability and the various process
diagnostic tools were all excellent lessons to learn," Jones said.
"The detail that they gave me in these areas was exactly what I was
hoping for." Jones also said that he would push for other Sara Lee
managers to take such a course so that they can better prepare for
their business discovery phase. Next Jones will implement the
information he learned into his company's internal training documents.

Gain Process Knowledge

And many others too are encouraged. Such courses prove to them that a
business does not have to just hope for the best of luck. Business
owners and executives can clearly define processes, and then monitor
and improve them to keep the system consistent, efficient and
effective. With Plan-Do-Check-Act, this can let one see if there is
any waste in the system, and also how to reduce this waste and save
money.

Walk Away Empowered

Individuals can walk away energized with a sense of empowerment. They
can walk away with the profound knowledge that they can make tangible
improvements in everyday processes. Everyone desires to feel better
about their jobs and businesses, and through this type of course they
can take the first steps to learn how.

For professional advice on Asia Market Research and Strategic Market
Research, contact Spire Research and Consulting.

Avoid the Legal Pitfalls when Setting Up a New Business

2009-06-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

No matter who you are, you will make mistakes at some point in your
business life. Unfortunately the law is not very forgiving - ignorance
is not a defence. In this section, we have compiled some of the common
legal pitfalls to watch out for when setting up your own business.

* Partnerships
A partnership is formed when two or more parties form to start a
business, sharing the workload and investing capital to get things
going. It is always wise to have a written partnership agreement and
get it checked by a solicitor. If you do not have a proper agreement
and it all goes wrong, the partnership will be covered by the
Partnership Act, whose provisions may not always seem fair.

For example, under it partners can withdraw without giving
notice. This could mean they insist on the immediate return of their
capital and the business may be forced to close down as a result. If
you do not however, have an agreement you may be liable for all sorts
of costs and you have no legal standing. It is very important to make
sure all of your agreements are legal and will withstand in a court of
law.

* Clarify Relationships
You can find yourself in a partnership without realising it, for
example, if you run a business with somebody but don't employ them,
this often happens with husbands and wives or other family members. In
a partnership, each partner is responsible for business debts incurred
by other partners and there is no limit to their liability.

* Put Everything in Writing
I cannot stress enough how important it is to have everything in
writing. If things go wrong you have no legal standing without some
form of documentation (which includes all correspondence), contracts
are the basis of all business relationships. A contract will include
four key components: Consideration, an obligation to pay or a promise
to provide something in return for something of value. Certainty, the
contract must clearly state what is expected of all parties. The
intention to be legally bound and an offer and an acceptance. However,
contracts can be oral and it isn't always clear when one has been
made.

Confirm every agreement in writing so everyone knows where they
stand. What is the brief? Who will pay? When? How much? Are expenses
included? What are the acceptance criteria? Who will own copyright? It
is important that all aspects are covered and that there are no grey
areas.

* Make Sure all Employees Have a Contract
It is very important to have a contract of employment in place
from day one for all employees. Make sure that all new employees are
entitled to work in this country, or you could face heavy penalties.
The contracts act to protect both parties.

* Know your Employment Laws
Employment laws in this country are very precise on what you can
and cannot do. Before you fire someone, make them redundant or change
their terms and conditions of employment, take legal advice. If you
don't, you could find yourself open to claims for unfair dismissal,
discrimination or breach of contract. Also warn employees that
discrimination, sexual harassment and other illegal acts will not be
tolerated.

* The Importance of Health & Safety
If you fail to carry out your health and safety obligations you
may face prosecution, your insurance premiums may rise and you may
find difficulty in obtaining insurance altogether. In the worst cases
your business may be closed until you adhere to the Health & Safety
laws. Information packs are available from the Health & Safety
Executive which will outline your legal requirements. The Government
are legally entitled to carry out spot checks on your premises at any
time.

* Make Sure you are Insured
Insurance is vital from a financial viewpoint. There are also
legal requirements for employer's and public liability insurance. If
you sell products, product liability insurance will protect you if
someone injured by a defect in your product successfully sues you.

* Are you Covered?
Many people find it hard to imagine that work they have done
will result in a claim for hundreds of thousands of pounds. However,
most people only contribute a link in a chain, so the effects of a
mistake can be out of all proportion to their individual contribution.
If you offer services or advice you must get adequate professional
indemnity insurance. Indemnity cover is needed for years after the
work has been done, because it has to cover when the claim is made.
Failure to do this will leave you open to claims that may make you
bankrupt!

* Terms and Conditions
If you don't spell out in black and white your terms and
conditions of trade (T&Cs) you are giving you customers the licence to
pay you when they feel like it. And if they go into liquidation before
paying you, you may not be able to reclaim your goods if you do not
have a Retention of Title clause in your Terms & Condition's. Draft
some suitable Terms & Condition's for your business and ask a
solicitor to check them. You must ensure your customer agrees to them,
and ideally, signs them when placing an order.

* Read the Small Print
Read all loan and overdraft agreements carefully to ensure you
understand what you are letting yourself in for. Be very wary of
signing personal guarantees. Banks often seek to over secure' their
lending. Once you have signed any paperwork you will be legally bound
to any terms and conditions that are set out in the small print, no
matter how unreasonable they may be. It is imperative that you read
all small print before signing anything.

Finally, be careful when signing lease agreements, especially for
property. Even if you move and sell the lease on, you could find
yourself liable if the next person defaults. Check whether you will be
liable to repair and improve the property under the terms of your
lease.

Avoiding these common legal pitfalls will help ensure that smooth
running of your business and will also prevent you from receiving any
unwelcome fines.

Market research may be essential for your business's expansion. For
current Asia market research and Strategic Market Research, you may
employ the services of Spire Research and Consulting Pte Ltd.

The Long Term Benefits From Pay Per Click Advertising

2009-06-16T09:47:00.001-07:00

The long term benefits from pay per click advertising.

Businesses are starting to look closely at the long-term benefits from
pay per click advertising. Pay per click search engines are primarily
used for sales in the now time frame, but they are also being used to
build a business identity that their customers will remember. This
form of brand awareness can be applied to a company of any size, large
or small. If you take a look at a traditional magazine or newspaper
ad, the companies are using that advertising to increase their brand
awareness. The purpose of the ad is to direct the customer to their
products or services but there is no chance to make a sale
immediately. They are referred to a website or a retailer. When search
engine advertising, as potential customers search the web looking for
a product or service and see the same site come up in their searches
time and time again it begins to create that same brand awareness for
that product or service.

Over 85% of all searches on the Internet are done through search
engines and they are the best tools for enhancing a company's
identity. They are identity builders, and they direct targeted
consumers who are looking for your product or service right to your
doorstep. In the long term, brand awareness can bring visitors to
their site without additional advertising. By using the power of
search engines you can use the Internet to deliver a targeted
prospective customer who is actively looking for your products or
services right to your doorstep and build long term brand awareness at
the same time.

For professional advice on Asia Market Research and Strategic Market
Research, contact Spire Research and Consulting.

Business Funding

2009-06-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

* Every business needs money at one time or another. The process
of obtaining financing can be daunting and the chances of success
limited if it is approached in a disorganized or haphazard way.
Lenders are conservative critters; however it is important to
understand that it is their job to lend money, and they are happy to
do so if their risk is reasonable. The chances of obtaining a business
loan are greatly enhanced if you adhere to the following procedure.

* Know What You Need
Understand how you intend to use business financing, how much
funding you need and how you intend to repay the loan. Be able to
communicate this clearly and confidently with prospective lenders.

* Understand Your Current Situation
If you are an existing business, are you profitable, and does
your balance sheet have positive equity? What does your credit look
like? Have a clear understanding of any existing liens and lien
priority. Know your credit score and answers to derogatory credit
issues (liens, judgments, slow pays, collection actions) before
presenting your application. If there have been credit, profitability
or equity issues in the past, present a credible argument as to why
these issues have been resolved or how this loan will change this
situation.

* Know Your Options
All lending is critiqued from a risk standpoint. Certain levels
of risk will qualify for certain types of financing. The level of risk
is reflected in the cost of the financing. The more secure a lender's
money is, the less it costs you. Get creative. Financing takes many
forms, and is available from a wide range of sources.

Standard (conventional) bank financing usually offers the best
interest rates, however it is the most difficult to qualify for. These
loans appear as a long-term liability on the business balance sheet.
Conventional loans are available through banks and other lending
institutions and can be guaranteed in whole or part by the SBA.

Revolving Lines of Credit are another form of business
financing. This type of loan is secured by accounts receivable or
inventory and is available from a bank or an Asset Based Lender.
Credit cards are a form of revolving line of credit. An Asset-Based
Line of Credit (ABL) is considered alternative financing and is
available to borrowers who are too highly leveraged for a bank.

Real Property, Equipment Leases and Notes are another form of
business financing. In these contracts the collateral for the loan is
the property or equipment itself. When there is no outstanding balance
owed on the asset, the property or equipment could be used in a
Sale-Leaseback transaction. Here, the asset is sold to the lender for
cash, and the borrower leases the property from the lender until the
loan is paid.

Landlords can be a source of financing. It is not uncommon for a
landlord to contribute dollars or rent concessions to the development
of a tenant's space. For this loan, the landlord may require a
Percentage of Gross Sales Clause in the lease as repayment. Extended
vendor terms for purchase of product may provide short-term operating
capital loans.

In the event that additional credit strength is required, loan
guarantors or borrowing someone's credit may help the borrower qualify
for less expensive financing. Be flexible. Your final package may be
comprised of several lending solutions

* Present a Clear and Understandable Proposal
Lenders need to know who you are personally, professionally and
financially. The lender needs to evaluate Income Tax returns
(Corporate and Personal), financial statements (income statement and
balance sheet) and a cash flow projection. The balance sheet has to
look a specific way. The Current Ratio should be at least 1:1, and the
Debt to Equity Ratio should be at least 4:1.

Be specific as to how the money is going to be used and how it
will be paid back. Lenders want to know what is securing their debt.
Lenders evaluate the quality of the collateral, and want to insure
that it is adequate to secure the debt in case of default. A secondary
source of repayment is required prior to granting standard financing.
The personal guarantee of the borrower is often required. In some
situations, a lender may seek secondary collateral. Secondary
collateral is simply some other asset in which you have equity or
ownership, i.e. equipment, property, inventory, notes.

Business funding is not difficult if the borrower is creative and
realistic. Know how much money you need and how you are going to use
it. Be prepared to defend your needs and anticipate the lender's
questions. In the event that a lender cannot grant your request,
perhaps it is the way a loan is packaged. Find a lender who is willing
to make recommendations that will help you find financing. A good
lender will tell you quickly if they can help you or not. If an
intelligent and organized package is presented, a timely response is
warranted.

For more professional help in Asia market research, you may contact
Spire Research and Consulting Pte Ltd.

Why You Need a Sound Financial Planning

2009-06-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sound financial business planning means taking ongoing assessment
steps looking at the business from multiple perspectives including
capitalization, expansion, menu concepts, cash flow and even an exit
strategy. Whether you are a chef dreaming of your own restaurant, the
head of a family business discussing succession, an independent
considering retirement or you are thinking about buying or selling,
determining the business market value and asia market research is a
necessary process for success.

Adjust Cash Flow

To determine the profitability value a business falls into, it is
necessary to determine the Adjusted Cash Flow of that business. The
Adjusted Cash Flow is equivalent to its earnings before interest,
depreciation, and taxes (EBIDT in accounting terms), plus additions or
subtractions for owner's salary, discretionary, single occurrence, or
non-cash expenses. Once a thorough analysis of the financial
information has been completed, and the Adjusted Cash Flow determined,
the category of Market Value is defined.

In general, a privately owned single or small (1-3) multi-unit
business will fall into one of the three profitability categories:

* Positive Adjusted Cash Flow
This category will generally represent the highest Market Value
of an on-going business. In this situation the business is profitable
and established. The buyer is purchasing a combination of the
historical cash flow, fixed assets, operational assets (trade name,
concept, menu, etc.) and goodwill.

The Market Value for businesses in this category is based on a
multiplier of the Adjusted Cash Flow, that ranges between two (2) and
five (5) times Adjusted Cash Flow. A second value is determined by
using a multiplier of Gross Sales (net of sales tax) between 30% and
40%. Business value is generally somewhere within the range of these
two numbers. A sophisticated buyer expects that the price they pay
would net an annual return on investment between 20% and 50%.

E.g -> Adjusted Cash Flow $ 65,000 x 3.75 = $243,750

Gross Sales 725,000 x 35% = $253,750

This business would have a value of approximately $250,000.

* Break Even
In this category, the business is marginally profitable or
losing money. In this type of transaction, the buyer is more
interested in fixed assets, location, lease terms, and the cost of
converting the existing business to their intended use. In Break Even
transactions, Market Value is determined by combining the value of
furniture, fixtures, and equipment (including consideration for
installation), leasehold rights, tenant improvements, with some
consideration for gross revenues. Break Even Market Value is
sustainable only if the business is operational, and the owner has the
financial ability to continue operating until the sale is closed.

* Asset Sale
This category is comprised of closed businesses or businesses
that are experiencing extreme circumstances. An extreme circumstance
may include a seller who does not have the financial means to continue
operating. It may also be a secured creditor or landlord whom has had
to repossess a business, or it may include a business owner being
forced to sell for reasons beyond their control. Any of these
situations create a severe disadvantage to the seller, and in turn has
a dramatic effect on the Market Value. In these situations, value
drops to that of auction value for the fixed assets, plus whatever
premium might be negotiated for location, leasehold rights, and the
fact that the equipment is in place and operational.

Other Considerations

In addition to the cash flow, tangible and non-tangible assets of the
business will influence Market Value. These tangible and non-tangible
assets may include Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment; Leasehold
rights; and Books and Records. Although not quite as important as
profitability, these other assets will directly affect Market Value.

Whether you are evaluating a purchase price, planning for succession
or positioning your business for sale these other assets should be
considered. But is should always be remembered that the bottom line
for determining the actual value of your restaurant business is the
simple answer: what a willing and able buyer agrees to pay!

Selling Domain Names

2009-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

On the World Wide Web, domain names are the equivalent of real estate.
Owning a domain name lets you stake you claim to your piece of the
Internet. For several years, many people from all over the world have
been making a good living from the comfort of their own home through
the power of domain names. Many domain names have sold for thousands
of dollars, and some have sold for hundreds of thousands or even
millions. For example, one of the names I registered recently was
appraised at a value of $6,000!

Contrary to popular belief, the 'dot com crash' has not spoiled the
domain name market. There is still a very strong demand for quality
domain names. The biggest sales have all come in recent years, as the
market continues to grow. Selling names remains one of the easiest and
least expensive internet businesses available. It requires a minimum
of time and little or no initial investment. It is an ethical,
no-nonsense business which avoids the most common pitfalls of other
work-at-home ideas.

There are a lot of technical details about how domain names work, but
it is not necessary to know these details in order to profit from the
names. There are many kinds of domain names, but for the purpose of
making money, only 'Top Level Domains' (TLDs) are important. The best
TLD extensions for making money are listed here:

* .com
* .net
* .org
* .biz
* .info

Making money with domain names can be one of the easiest businesses
around. There are really only four steps involved:

1. Search for names.
2. Register the names.
3. Sell the names.
4. Collect easy money!

Let's go through each step in more detail...

Step 1: Search for names.

The first step in making money with domain names is to search for
available names. Your goal is to find high-quality names that have not
yet been registered. This is not as difficult as some people may lead
you to believe. I do it all the time, and so can you. There are still
plenty of valuable, high-quality names available for the taking.

To search for names, you need to use a domain name registrar. At my
site, Domain Doctors, we offer a availability check and registration
service. On any other registrar's website, you should see a similar
search box that allows you to type in a name and find out if it is
still available. Doing this is as simple as typing in the name you
want to search for and clicking a button. You will see the results of
your search in a few seconds. Checking for availability is completely
free.

When you are looking for names to register and re-sell, there are a
few simple guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Shorter is almost always better. The fewer letters a name
contains, the more valuable it is likely to be.
2. Similarly, the less words the better.
3. You want to pick names that target markets which are both large
and specific.
4. Stay away from hyphens, dashes, numbers that replace words,
intentional misspellings, and all other gimmicks.
5. Don't try to be too clever, and don't try to 'invent companies
by registering names.'
6. Finally, watch out for trademarks. Don't register names that
infringe on the trademarks of established companies.

If you are having trouble thinking of names to re-sell, Domain Doctors
offers an inexpensive suggestion service. We guarantee that every name
we suggest will appraise for at least ten times what you pay us, or
you get your money back. I do not know of any similar services
available elsewhere, although you can always use Google to research
other options to help you find good names.

Step 2: Register your names.

After you have some names you think will be valuable, the next step is
to register them. Most names will cost you $15-35 each to register.
You may find a few places that offer registration for less, but you
should keep in mind that as with anything in life, you get what you
pay for. Domain Doctors registers names for $19.95. Other reputable
services should be in a similar price range.

Step 3: Sell the names.

Once you've registered your names, you can list them for sale
immediately. There are two ways to do this -- through listing sites
and through brokers.

If you want a faster sale, go through a broker. Because they make
money from the sale, brokers will list your name, promote it, and
attempt to get you the best possible price. In exchange for those
services, they will deduct a percentage of the sale price when the
transaction is complete. 10% is a typical broker's fee.

If you are willing to potentially wait a bit longer for a sale in
order to avoid paying a broker's commission, you can list you names
for sale at a listing site. To find brokers and listing sites, you can
type 'selling domain names' into Google, or you can find them at the
Domain Doctors site. Also try Free Link Submission Directory

Step 4: Collect easy money!

After a name sells through a broker, you get paid the sale price minus
the broker's fee. If it is a private sale through a non-broker
listing, you get whatever price you and the buyer agree on. Unless you
invested in a huge number of names, a single sale could easily repay
all of your initial costs and leave you some money besides. If you
like, you can use part of this money to register more names, and keep
building your business this way.

Taking Action:

You should now have everything you need to get started. As you make
progress and do more research, you will learn many tips and tricks to
increase your success, but the most important action step for newbies
is to jump in and get some good names listed for sale as soon as you
can. Again, be sensible and don't spend a fortune on registering names
before you get some experience, but do get a few names on your plate
as soon as you can and use them to learn the ropes.

I think you'll find that speculating on domain names is a fun and
rewarding business. It is not a get-rich quick scheme, but with a good
eye for names, you can make a comfortable income without leaving home.
Remember, if you like the idea of the business but you aren't sure you
have an eye for names, Domain Doctors can help. We guarantee that
every name we suggest will appraise for at least ten times what you
pay us, or you get your money back. We also offer domain name
registration and appraisal services. A version of this article with a
lot of additional tips and informative content is available at our
website, through the link below.

Best of luck, and please do drop me a line if you make a good sale or
get a name listed for a good asking price! For more information on
Asia Market Research and Strategic Market Research, contact Spire
Research and Consulting.

Business & Career: Know Your Ruling Star!

2009-06-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

"Know your Ruling Star. One man is better received by one nation than
another, or is one welcome by one city than another. He finds more
luck in one office or position than in another, and all though his
qualifications are equal or even identical. Let each man know his luck
as well as his talents. Follow your guiding star and help it without
mistaking any other for it. Know how to transplant yourself. There are
nations with whom one must cross their borders to make one's value
felt."

— Balthasar Gracian, (Spain, 1600's)

Have you ever felt, "Here I am, best job I ever had, good money, an
excellent career move — but, what in the world am I doing here where I
feel so alone and out-of-place with my surroundings? How did this
happen to me?"

I've been there, because someone offered me a job and I accepted,
knowing ahead-of-time, intuitively I wouldn't feel at home in the town
and surroundings.

Or — maybe you love your location but, sadly, are unable to find any
openings in your field. I've been there also. Looking back on my years
in Austin, Texas, I can't believe the number of short-term,
soul-emptying jobs I tried very hard and unsuccessfully do to. My
job-duration ranged from only two hours (which was long enough when
you hate what you are doing!) to several months (each day seeming like
an eternity) before my opportunities in broadcasting finally came.

It's a rare person these days who is able to say, "I love this
community, love my home, love the work I do, get along great with my
business colleagues and supervisors. How do you beat perfection?"

There is a wonderful quote I repeated to myself many, many times
during my ups and downs in Texas.

"Hence the first principle in changing one's character is to seek
another environment, to let new forces play upon our unused chords,
and draw from us a better music." — Will Durant

That's what I wanted! I wanted another location — another place —
where new forces could play upon my unused chords and draw from me a
better music.

"There are nations with whom one must cross their borders to make
one's value felt." — Gracian

Yes! Yes! Yes! That's what I wanted. To cross borders and feel my
native talents valued again.

"Know your Ruling Star," the Spanish priest Gracian wrote in The Art
of Worldly Wisdom. "One man is better received by one nation than
another, or is one welcome by one city than another. He finds more
luck in one office or position than in another, and all though his
qualifications are equal or even identical."

We are better received in certain locations or areas than in others,
welcomed when we show up, and we most certainly do find more luck in
one place than another.

"But where, where, where is THAT PLACE?" I wondered.

In Texas, for every 100% plus I gave in my career, the returns
(feeling valued, appreciated, and being monetarily rewarded), always
fell short.

I hosted a noon talk show for awhile at an Austin TV station. Our
ratings were great. The guests I booked were top names in the
literary, entertainment, self-improvement, and political arenas.

After our ratings came in one spring, I couldn't believe how well the
show was doing.

Several days later, however, the General Manager wanted to see me.

After all the years of my show's success, he said, "James, I can't
complain about your ratings. That's good for ad revenue, but I finally
got a chance to see your show yesterday. As you know I only have a
tenth grade education, never finished high school, started in sales,
worked my way up to where I am today." He beamed proudly, "I didn't
understand it."

I knew when he said, "I didn't understand it," my show was doomed.

The GM was the standard by which all business decisions at our
stations were made.

I wanted to call him, "Idiot," but restrained myself.

My favorite line in Texas TV came from a female news director who told
me, "You have a master's degree. We don't need people that smart to do
the news." I never worked at that station.

"Let each man know his luck as well as his talents. Follow your
guiding star and help it without mistaking any other for it. Know how
to transplant yourself," Gracian reminds us.

Know how to transplant yourself!

Finally, I did transplant myself, once again. It was time to move from
the newsroom and go into teaching; use, finally, that masters degree
referred to earlier that wasn't needed to report the news.

"There is a simple answer to the question 'What is the purpose of our
individual lives?" A.J. Ayer wrote. "They have whatever purpose we
succeed in putting into them."

Yet, if you believe you are being guided by and toward a higher
destiny, as I do, use what others know (their gifts and resources) to
inform and enlighten yourself.

I've also successfully used relocation astrology as an essential tool
to follow my guiding star. Through my sessions with Cait Benten, I'm
finding, as we'd all like to do, a balance of the "right place" and
the "right work" combined.

"This time, like all other times, is a very good one, if we but know
what to do with it." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

http://www.astro-earth-relocation.com/james%20by%20phone.htm

http://www.astro-earth-relocation.com

Site Design....Site Disaster....What Do Your Visitors See?

2009-06-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

So you got your own website now. Exciting isn't it? You're ready to
start putting your website to work for you. What will you do first? So
many ideas going through your head...you want to make it the best
website on the internet. You want to make it unique and different from
anyone else's.

So many ideas popping in and out of your head you want to do so much.
After all besides things in our home, when do we really get to design
anything? Before we know it we have added a little of this and a
little of that and maybe some more of this. It's almost like waving a
magic wand over everything giving it color and making it pretty. To
us, our web site looks great we have color and we have animated
graphics we also have a lot of content, after all that is what gets
website recognition, isn't it?

But wait, take a closer look, is all that content really necessary? We
know google likes content but maybe some of us are confused as to
which kind of content google is looking for. I admit, I once thought
content is content. But I was very wrong, not all content is created
equal. If your website is a business related site then your content
should be business related as well. Your content should be interesting
and helpful. Something you know your visitors would enjoy. Color and
graphics is not useful content.

Many websites have articles on their site. This is probably one of the
best contents to have on your site. Most articles are interesting and
provide useful information. What makes articles on your site even
better? If they are your articles. Articles are not hard to write just
pick a subject you are familiar with and write an article about it.
Just remember to keep your article topics related to the type of site
you have.

Let's talk color, is all that bright color really what our visitors
want to see? Some colors are way too bright and can be sensitive to
peoples' eyes. If you need to have color make them more down to earth
colors not something that is going to make your visitors want to run
from your site. Not having any color is also good . Color is optional,
just choose it wisely.

Animated graphics, who is guilty of those? I know I am, and it's
understandable as they are cute and neat to look at. Or are they? Too
many things flashing on your site is not appealing. Also, too many
graphics will draw the attention away from what is really important -
and that is your text. Your text is your message to your visitors. If
you insist on having them on your site then I suggest just having
maybe one. Make sure your visitor focuses more on your text, not the
graphics.

Another point to keep in mind is "keyword rich text". You want to
mention your keywords throughout your website. Every chance you get
mention your keywords. Work them into your sentences. When writing
articles make sure you add some of your keywords to your article
title. This also helps your website get noticed by the SE (search
engines).

I write this article because I want everyone to learn from my
mistakes. I am guilty of all of the above. It took a new computer to
realize how loud my color was (old computer color looked dull) . After
realizing how bright it was I panicked. It was like a slap in the face
because I thought what an awful color and if I thought that of my own
site what were my visitors thinking? I asked the advice of a good
friend and thank god this friend is open and honest in her opinions.
She helped me to take a step back and really look at my site. My only
thoughts were, "What have I been thinking?"

I don't even remember when or how my site got the point it did. I felt
like I had this whole other life I knew nothing about and that person
was taking over the designing of my site. But thanks to the new
computer and my good friend, I have taken the control back of my site
and since I have done so the visitors to my site have actually doubled
and the length of the visit has also increased. I am back on the road
to success.

How to Achieve E-commerce Success –You Gotta Plan!

2009-06-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I owned a
successful child care center which grew to capacity in less than two
years. When I sold that, I bought a little flower shop that had less
than 300 customers and grew it to what it is today, one of the most
successful, award winning companies in South Florida with more than
7,000 customers who purchase from us on a regular business. To better
serve our customers, we took our business to the Internet. We still
have a brick and mortar storefront, yet everyday we receive more and
more customers via the Internet.

How about you? Do you or did you have a traditional business or
professional practice? Is it successful? Unless you were born under
the star called "LUCKY," you probably did lots of planning. A business
plan, a marketing plan, maybe even a succession plan for what to do
with your business when you were through.

You may have heard the statistics that half of all small businesses
fail in their first year and of those, only 25% make it through to
five years. According to youngbiz.com it can be even less for
e-businesses.

Build it and they will come! Not! You can have a terrific site, with
lots of bells and whistles and if people don't know you exist, you
never get any visitors, let alone customers.

Planning is the key to success in business. Amazon.com had a plan,
Bill Gates had a plan, eDiets had a plan, and I'll bet they still do.
Once a business launches on the net, you will need a marketing plan to
be successful. Your biggest challenge will be to find time to plan.
However, if you don't find time now, you will find yourself with
plenty of it (time, that is) later on, and no business to speak of.

Unlike a business, generally created to get financial backing from
investors, Netpreneurs create marketing plans for themselves. Where do
you start? First you have to ask yourself these questions. Where do
you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? How many customers do you
want or better yet, how much money do you want to make? Who are your
customers? Do you know what they want, need and expect? Can you give
it to them? What are your competitors doing? What are you doing that
is different? How will you promote your business?

Now Create your Website marketing plan.

Put it in writing! Not only do you have to plan, you have to write it
down! Take a notebook or idea book and write the following: your
vision, mission strategies, goals and the time frame you wish to
accomplish these goals. Keep this notebook next to your computer to
refer to. It will help you stay focused.

What is your vision for your business? Your vision is what you want
your web site to accomplish. Write your vision statement in your
notebook. The vision statement for my flower shop is to "Make a
reasonable profit via the Internet by providing a quality product,
delivering exceptional service, at a price my customers will pay."

What are your goals? What do you believe you can accomplish that may
be a bit of a stretch but doable? If the goals are too easy, you are
not getting the most out of your planning process. And you could be
losing money. Can make a profit of 20% in 3 months? Can double your
customer base in 6 months? If so, write it in your notebook.

What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals? How much do you
have to sell to achieve your goals? You must first know your profit
margin to determine this figure. Then you have to figure out how you
are going to find the customers to make your goals come true.

What are your marketing strategies? Start with those goals you know
you can attain. How will you reach your market? Are you going to use
search engine optimization, email, newsletters, networking,
advertising on related sites, advertising in trade magazines, or write
an article to submit to online publications? Participate in online
forums, message boards and newsgroups. Include your URL (Internet
address) in your signature file.

What is the time-frame for accomplishing your goals? Create a
time-line for every goal in your notebook. Next to each goal, write
down the starting and ending dates of when you plan to accomplish that
goal as well as what type of marketing strategies you are using.

Are you keeping track of your marketing results? If you are doing any
advertising whether it is online or offline, track the results. You
can track online advertising using ad tracking software such as
adtrackz.com, to track all the links you place online. Analyze web
site statistics to find out how visits found you. For offline
advertising, place codes or words in your advertising to keep track.
Your online order forms should have a place to enter the code. To
learn how customers found us, we use a numeric code on all
advertising/marketing materials.

What is your return on investment? How much money did the marketing
strategy cost? How much money did you take in? Subtract the second
figure from the first and that is your profit (or loss).

Keep track of those marketing campaigns that worked and those that
didn't. Do more of the first. Reevaluate the second. Can you change
one thing in the strategy and achieve different results? Try it! Add
new strategies to the mix.

Stay focused on your goals. Nothing feels better than accomplishing a
goal. Except maybe, all the money you are going to make when you do!

MAKE MONEY WITH A PC

2009-06-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Edward Bulwer-Lytton stated "The pen is mightier than the sword."
These days, not may people use the pen to write with. More often they
use typewriters or, even more frequently, computers and word
processors. But make no mistake, the written word is still very
powerful, and if you own a word processor you are sitting on top of
one of the most powerful money-making machines ever created.

Most people use their computer to do simple tasks, such as their
taxes. Or they buy a word processor so their children can write term
papers and get better grades in school. Very few people realize that
their computers can make them money as well as fulfilling all of these
other functions. If your computer is taking up desk space but not
bringing you any extra income, it's time for you to put that machine
to work for you.

Of course, the logical question is "How can my computer make money for
me?" Computers are extremely versatile and can be programmed to do
almost anything. Many different computer functions can be incorporated
into a home-based business, but one of the easiest to master is the
word processor. There are dozens of word processing programs on the
market, and you should be able to master one in about five or six
hours of practice. And,if you don't have a computer, don't worry. You
can still cash in on this great business idea. many computer companies
make word processing machines which are like super typewriters,
combining the functions of both typewriters and computers.

Once you are familiar with your word processor, look out! You will be
ready to take on the world with your home-based, word-processing
business.

WORD PROCESSING RICHES

Using your word processor to make money is easy. In fact, it's easy as
finding someone who needs a document created and selling your service
to them. Once you've read through the following suggestions, you will
have lots of great ideas on how to use your computer to make money.

NEWSLETTER WRITING

A successful company needs to keep their employees up to date on
company activities (such as corporate buy outs, company recreational
events, and policy changes) and trade news (such as new legislation
affecting customers, competition news and manufacturer updates). The
easiest and least expensive way to do all of this is through an
employee newsletter.

The problem with this is most companies especially smaller ones, do
not have the capital to hire a full-time writer. Many companies
attempt to designate someone within the organization to write their
newsletter, but this person is not a writer, in fact the one in charge
of the newsletter is usually the secretary. Using nothing more than a
typewriter, she tries to produce a nice-looking newsletter in a few
minutes she has to spare between projects. Needless to say, the result
is usually less than spectacular.

That's where you and your word processor come in. Using your computer,
you can easily put together a newsletter that looks very
professional--with columns, bold headlines, graphs and even pictures.
Bring a sample newsletter into a business and have the manager compare
it to his current newsletter (if he has one at all). Then tell him
that by subscribing to your newsletter service, productivity and
profit will rise for two reasons. First, because he will not be paying
someone from inside the company to write the newsletter. Second, his
employees will work more efficiently because they will be better
informed.

Before you know it, you will have 10 to 15 companies paying you to
write their newsletter, and will probably be just about all you can
handle. Since each one will be paying you about $300 a month for the
service, you will need to make the decision whether to continue to
expand your service and hire more help, or simply relax and let the
money keep rolling in.

MAIL ORDER REPORTS

Fads and trends come and go, but one thing that will always sell is
information. With your word processor, you have one of the best
mediums for presenting information, and you can make a bundle doing
just that.

Just walk through your local book store or library and notice how many
self-help, diet and how-to books there are. This should give you a
feel how hungry consumers are for this type of information. Once
you've read through a few of these types of books, you should know
enough about the subject to write a brief five to ten page report.
With the computer, you can make the report look very professional
through the use of page numbers, double columns, pull quotes in the
middle of the pages, and a bold catch title.

When the paper is complete, it's time for you to begin the marketing
procedure. Take out an ad in the classified section of your local
newspaper. Word the advertisement so that customers will be enticed to
send you a check to learn more about the subject. Here are a few
examples.

Tired of reading through useless diet books? TRY THE SECRETS OF
CONTROLLING YOUR WEIGHT. Just send $3 to...

Plumbers charge over $100 dollars to make a house call. BE YOUR OWN
PLUMBER, a new informed book, costs only $5. To order, send to...

Since printing costs will be minimal (between 25 cents and $1 per
report) most of the money you collect will go directly to profit. And,
since these reports are easy to produce, you can use some of that
income to write and print a new report and sell it the same way. See
how easy it is to make the whole thing snowball?

Here are some more subjects you can easily write brief reports and
sell through the mail:

• How To Grow A Garden
• Selected Mexican Recipes
• Stop Smoking
• How To Paint Your House
• Mail-Order Marketing
• Making Your Own Patio Furniture
• Camping Made Easy
• Easy Baking Techniques

If some of this appeals to you, think of something else. Just
remember, the idea must appeal to a wide arrange of customers or you
will not sell enough products to defray your production costs.

TYPING SERVICE

When you begin to use your computer, you will quickly see the
advantages you have over a standard typewriter. You can easily check
your spelling and grammar, set your margins and type face as you wish,
and make universal changes throughout the document without retyping
the entire thing.

Because of these extensive features, your computer saves you time and
effort when typing documents, and you can pass those savings on to
your customers. With your computer, you can easily input a document,
proofread it, give a draft copy to the customer for approval, make
changes, then print a final version--all in less time than it would
take a standard typist to type a single copy.

This is one of the easiest businesses to run once you master your word
processor because all you need to know is how to type, no other
talents are required. If you have a modern (telephone hookup) for your
computer, you can even send documents across the country or around the
world just as easily as you can deliver them across the street.

Your main concern in this business is finding customers who need
typing done. Here are some customer suggestions and tips on how to get
in touch with them:

Writers: There are literally thousands of people in this country who
enjoy writing either for a hobby or as a source of extra income. By
running an ad in one of the many writers magazines (such as Writers
Digest or The Writer) you will get responses from writers all across
the country who want their manuscripts typed.

Professionals: Small businesses often cannot afford the luxury of a
secretary. Larger businesses sometimes have large projects to type but
do not wish to hire someone extra. In either case an outside typist
can be a valuable service.

Students: Many high school and college students don't have the time to
type their own papers even if they do have the ability to. Especially
during mid-terms or finals, a typing service can really make money at
a school. Post flyers in every classroom and every bulletin board you
can find.

The only requirement you need to stick to in this business is
accuracy. No matter who you are typing for, they will stand for less
than 100 percent perfect documents. Always check, double check, then
triple check your work before you send it to your clients.

COMPUTING THE POSSIBILITIES

As you can see, with a computer or word processor, you can open up a
whole new world of business opportunities. If you are one of the few
business people who are still operating without one, you really should
look into making that big purchase. While the initial capital outlay
may seem high, a little ingenuity is all it takes to make the computer
pay for itself.

TURN YOUR COMPUTER INTO A MONEY-MAKING MACHINE

2009-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Turn Your Personal Computer Into A Money-Making Machine by Storing
Printed Reports On Disk

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THE MAIL ORDER AND
INFORMATION BUSINESS

Fact 1: Mail order business is the most ideal business to
operate from home. Thousands make lucrative incomes and
enjoy operating from the comfort of homes, setting their own
business completely out of the "rat race" . These people will
never work for a boss again. The postman brings them fat profits
every day - often more than they earned in a month working
for others.

A US. Government report states that many one--person mail order
businesses are making profits up to $50,000 per year. The more
successful mail order dealers have become Millionaires!

Fact 2: The world's easiest mail order business is Selling
INFORMATION BY MAIL. Hundreds of thousands of men and women are
making money in this wonderful, fantastic work.

When I say information I mean VALUABLE INFORMATION, with
intrinsic value-. It could be an idea, a secret a name, an
address, but something, of value it at people are willing to pay
for it. What could be more profitable than selling paper and ink
whereby you print information for pennies... and sell them for
dollars?

Fact 3: "Information by Mail" is a billion dollar a year Mail
Order Business with a market of over FORTY MILLION CUSTOMERS, and
it is growing faster every year. We are now in an information AGE
where there is an explosive demand for valuable information in
all sectors of today's society.

With such statistics, it's easy to see why more and more people
are entering today's most exciting; and more profitable business.
Many individuals just like yourself are making more money in only
a week in the Self-PUBLISHING BUSINESS than they can make in a
month working for someone else.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO START YOUR OWN SELF-Publishing BUSINESS!

There are two ways you can be a SELF-PUBLISHER; the hard way .. .
or the easy way.

1. You can write your own self-published materials. You do your
own research, find out what topics people will buy and the right
price they are willing to pay, develop and advertise your offer
or report, test the market, etc. etc.

Although this may be a more rewarding experience (especially if
you love to write and want to be an author), I don't advise it.
As a beginner, I mean. Once you become an expert in this
business, you can write your own materials, make more money and
have a lot of fun. But meanwhile ...

2. You can BUY your own self-published materials by acquiring the
best-selling reports and manuals that are available in the market
today, including the right to resell and reprint. That's right.
You save the hassle of writing your own reports. You simply pay
the full retail price, which will include the right to reprint
the items you bought!

Now listen. I am not talking about the sub-standard material in
the market. Be careful when you acquire an article or report for
resale; You don't want to purchase incorrect or incomplete
information, reports of poor reproduction quality,or information
that simply has no apparent value.

To be successful, you must buy for distribution, the kind of
quality material that will satisfy your customers and make them
want to order from you again. One source of reports with reprint
rights is the: Report Broker 2000 CD-ROM.

Once you acquire reproduction rights you can reproduce materials
as you receive orders. A report of several pages in length can be
reproduced for 20 to 30 cents and sold for several dollars. This
generally provides a profit of 1000% an higher

When you purchase the reproduction rights you acquire the right
to reproduce the copyrighted materials, which also includes the
right to resell the reprint rights.

Meanwhile, let's say you have acquired the reproduction rights
for top notch reports

KEY ALL INFORMATION IN YOUR HOME COMPUTER

The most important thing that you can do as a Self-Publisher is
to convert your printed information into computer-readable
moneymaking information!

This simple act will give you the leading edge in this business.
By combining technology with the information self-publishing
concept, you gain tremendous possibilities for success.

1. You keep your information current, accurate and easy to
update. You can change, improve and add information as you gain
more experience. You can include your own personal identity and
unique information regarding your offer or business.

2. You maintain high quality printed information by using the
latest technology in printing hardware and software. You have
more convenient storage, faster access and better manageability
in maintaining your information

3. When printing costs become prohibitive, say in producing a
100-page report, you can sell your information on disk. This
automatically eliminates printing costs and reduces mailing
costs substantially.

4. Since your information is stored in your computer, you can
then transmit via modem, bulletin Board, electronic mail, fax, or
any means of telecommunications. Shape of things to come? Nope.
This is happening today. This is now a common mode in the
business of transmitting (and selling) information.

5. Finally, with the above hi-tech facilities, you will be
operating just like a big corporate publishing firm and will be
perceived as one. You improve your credibility as an
entrepreneur. There are now thousands of small one-person
businesses operating from home, just like the big ones.

THE TIME FOR MONEY-MAKING ACTION!

Here is a summary of the important benefits of operating your own
Self-Publishing Mail Order business:

No inventory to carry and easy to reproduce

Extremely high mark up

Easy and inexpensive to ship via First Class or UPS

Ideal as a primary offer or as follow up offer to existing buyers

Very Large market demand

By the way, you don't have to own a computer to operate your own
self-publishing business. The purpose of this Guide is simply to
show how much more of advantage you will have if you use a
computer as a tool in making yourself-publishing business more
efficient and successful. Be a self-publisher first, then
computerize your information later.

YOU MAY NEVER HAVE THIS CHANCE AGAIN . . . ACT NOW!

Think about the future. Whether you work part time or full time,
you'll be able to operate this proven, wealth building business
from your home, and you'll have fun making money. You wont need
any employees, and you. You won't have to share your profits with
anyone.

NOW IS YOUR MOMENT TO ACT!!! You have much to gain and nothing to
lose.

THERE WILL NEVER BE A BETTER Time THAN NOW!

<a href="http://www.money-at-home.com/reportbroker2000.htm>see the
reports now </a>

THE ORIGINAL KITCHEN TABLE MONEY MACHINE - ASSEMBLING PRODUCTS AT HOME

2009-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

There's always money to be made from one's crafts and hobbies,
and even if it doesn't seem so at first glance. There are
small-scale manufacturing opportunities available to even
unskilled workers that can be expanded over time. If you're
willing to learn some basic crafts, you can turn those skills
into a home-based business.

First, consider your hobbies, or the crafts in which you're
involved. Perhaps you enjoy making stuffed animals that children
love. Or you enjoy throwing pottery or firing ceramics.
Needlework, sewing, embroidery, knitting, jewelry making and
tailoring may be among your talents that you can turn into extra
income.

Perhaps you're a good carpenter, and you can turn to high-quality
cabinet making or furniture making. Maybe you can see a need for
furniture repair in your area. Or perhaps you're excellent at
crafting doll houses and miniature figures for which you can
charge premium prices.

You've seen all the good ideas that can be turned to your
advantage with a bit of effort. You can make reindeers from
firewood and tree branches, and sell at swap meets before the
holiday season. Perhaps you're a computer programmer with some
good ideas that will sell as shareware.

All the good ideas in the world won't do a bit of good unless you
find customers for them. If you don't think of yourself as a
natural in sales, rest assured that you can learn effective
selling skills. You may decide to sell in one or several
different ways. Perhaps you want to start your own shop. Maybe
your products are well suited to swap meet sales. You can sell
the items to stores at a wholesale price. You can retail them
yourself by advertising them locally or nationally.

If it's a small item, easy to produce, you may want to take the
approach of giving it away and charge only for shipping and
handling. Advertise the giveaway in such national publications as
The National Enquirer, which can generate thousands of sales. Or
you can put your goods in stores on consignment, meaning that
when they sell the items, you collect your money.

Gaining the self-confidence that your craftwork is unique and high
quality will help you to pursue more opportunities. You'll find
that virtually by accident you've learned the skills end of the
craftwork. Now all you have to do is to hone your business
skills, and you're on your way.

SECRETS TO SUCCESSFULLY STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

2009-06-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

The American Dream is, and always will be, to come up with an
idea, start a business and become rich from your own efforts.
Based upon this motivation, thousands of businesses fail each
year, due primarily to not being familiar with the basics involved in
running a business.

This report will enlighten you, and give you a number of
suggestions you can use to better guarantee your chances for
success. This report is written with the warning that any and
every business venture contains certain inherent risks, and any
number of alternatives. We do not espouse that any one way is
the right way or that our suggestions are the only way. On the
contrary, we advise that before investing any money in a business
venture, you seek counseling and help from a qualified
accountant and/or attorney.

Just about the first thing you should consider before deciding to
start or purchase a business is the legal form you'll be
operating under. There are basically four choices: sole
proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, and/or
corporation.

Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages.
As much as anything else, for many people starting a business is
a form of ego-gratification, and they form a corporation for some
sort of prestige gain - just to say, "I own a corporation."

With just a little bit of observation, you'll find that one of
the major causes of business failures is due to the founder
wasting start-up capital on frills, such as an impressive
store-front office, expensive furnishings, and corporate legal
costs.

One of the basic traits you must develop it you're going to be
successful in business, is a tight hold on your expenditures. In
fact, a good rule of thumb is that anything that does not make
money for you or protect your investment, should not be purchased
at this time. Very definitely, this applies to the expense of
setting up your own corporation.

Unless you have a partnership and start your business as such,
the only real advantage to forming a corporation would appear to
be that a corporate structure will semi-protect the property you
personally own.

As an example, you own a home and car. You form a corporation to
protect these possessions from business losses. Yet, if you can
be found guilty of misusing corporate funds, your business
creditors can pierce the corporate shield and come after your
possessions.

Basically, if you invest everything you have in your business, as
most newcomers do, you don't usually need a corporation because
you have nothing to protect. Your household possessions,
personal belongings, generally your car, and even a portion of
the equity in your home is protected by the homestead provision
of the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and cannot be taken away from you.

As a sole proprietor or partner of a business you'll be paying
taxes on your overall earnings, much the same as if you were
holding down a salaried or hourly paid job. Whether you do or
don't take out money as a salary will have no bearing on the
earnings of your business and tax return.

The often advertised advantage of incorporating, that you can
manipulate your salary in order to save on tax dollars, is real
because of corporation laws. However, the IRS frowns on this
practice. When your business is successful and making a lot of
money, definitely check with your accountant on the advantages of
incorporating.

As a corporation, you'll be subject to a number of other
drawbacks as well: generally higher state taxes, stricter laws
concerning the operation of your business, more elaborate
accounting procedures, and legal papers that are required just
about every time you make a major move or sign almost any
contract. Thus, your legal and accounting fees will be much
higher as a corporation than will those required for a sole
proprietorship type of business.

As a sole proprietor or partnership, you'll find many areas
require the registration of your business name. The cost
however, is minimal, ranging from $5 to $100. About the best way
to find out what laws apply in your area, is to call your bank
and ask if they need a fictitious name registration card or
certificate in order for you to open a business account.

Selecting a name for your business is quite important to you and
particularly relative to advertising. Your business name should
describe the product or services you offer. Fancy names such as,
Linda's Clipping Service will lose potential "walk-in and
passing" customers to the beauty shop across the street that
calls itself, Patti's Beauty Salon or Jane's Hair Styling Shop.

The advantage of using your full name in the title of your
business, such as Johnny Jones' Meat Lockers, has the advantage
of making credit somewhat easier to come by - provided you pay
your bills on time - but it also includes the disadvantage of
confining your services to a local or at most, a regional area.

Should you buy, lease, or rent a space for your business? think
twice before you make any decision along these lines. Most
businesses tend to grow quickly or they never get off the ground.

There are a few exceptions, but only a very few, that tend to
grow at a modified rate.

So, buying a piece of property and setting up your business on or
within that property, obligates you to ownership regardless of
what happens to your business.

Leases are almost always very strong contracts written by
attorneys to the advantage of the property-owner. When you sign
an agreement to pay someone for the use of their space over any
length of time, you're "nailed in" to paying for that space
regardless of what happens to your business.

In the beginning, it's wise to either get the shortest-term lease
possible, or arrange to rent with an option to lease at a later
date. This does not apply to a retail business, unless your
particular business happens to be an untried one.

Definitely, you should open a business bank account. In
selecting a bank for your business, scout around and look for one
that can, and will help you. Determine what your banking needs
will be, and then via telephone, interview the managers of the
banks in your area. The important convenient bank to your
business location.

A point to remember: the closer you can make the relationship
between you and the bank manager, the better your chances are
going to be for approval on loans and/or special favors you may
need at a later date.

Try to become acquainted with as many of the bank employees as
possible. The better you know them, the more courtesies they'll
be extending especially to you in the course of your association.

Just as a doctor is a specialist in his field, and you go to him
for medical problems, your banker is a specialist in his field
and you should go to him for your money problems. In business,
you'll have to learn that everyone is an expert in his own line
of work, and in your associations with other business people,
refrain from acting like a "sharpie" and/or pretending that you
know exactly how everything works in someone else's specialty.

You'll find that very often, different banks specialize in
different types of businesses. As an example, you're sure to
find banks that specialize in real estate transactions,
export-import businesses, and even manufacturing operations only.

What I'm saying here is that if you're planning to sell fairly
expensive item, your customers will probably need and/or want
financing. It will behoove you to select a bank familiar with
your type of product that will afford your customers, through
you, contract financing.

Some of the questions you should ask of your banker include the
following:

Is it necessary to maintain a certain balance in your account
before the bank will approve a loan for you?
What qualifications must you have in order to obtain a line of
credit with the bank?

Does the bank limit the number of loans, or types of loans it
will approve for small businesses?

What is the bank's policy regarding the size of a check you might
deposit that requires holding for collection?

And what about checks less than that amount - will they be
immediately credited to your account?

In almost all types of businesses, it will be to your benefit to
set up with your bank, a method of handling VISA, Master Charge,
and regional credit cards. The important thing here is to
ultimately set up your account in the bank that will service all
of these credit transactions for you - one stop for all your
banking needs. In most instances, you'll find that having the
capability to fill orders/make sales via credit card
transactions, will increase your volume of sales appreciatively.

Once you've made the decision as to which bank is going to handle
your account, you'll need your Social Security Number or your
Federal Employer's Identification Number, your driver's license,
the fictitious name certificate, and if you're requesting a VISA
or Master Charge franchise, you'll also need a financial
statement.

For corporations, you'll also need a corporate resolution
approving of the opening of your business account.

There are different policies exercised in just about every state
regarding installation/hook-up charges by the telephone and
utility companies. Some require a deposit, and some don't.

You'll find that a great number of city business license
departments are there solely for the purpose of collecting
another tax. Depending on the type of business you're asking a
license for, the building and zoning people may inspect your
premises for soundness of structure and safety. Generally, you
won't encounter any difficulties - you simply pay your fee to
operate your business in that city, and the clerk types your name
onto a city license certificate.

Relative to sales tax permits and licenses, each state's rules
and regulations very widely. The best thing to do is call your
state offices and ask for information concerning registry and
collection procedures. Many states require an advance deposit or
bond, and you'll find that some wholesalers or manufacturers will
not sell to you at wholesale prices until you can show them your
sales tax permit or number.

Should your business entail selling your products or services
across state lines, in another state, you're not required to
collect taxes except in those where you have offices or stores.

You may find also that your particular business requires the
collection of Federal Excise Taxes. For information along these
lines, check in with your local office of the Internal Revenue
Service.

Some states also require certain businesses to hold state
licenses, such as those required in many states for TV Repairmen.

These are known as "occupational permits" and are most often
required of barbers, hair stylists, real estate people and a
number of other consumer oriented businesses. If you have any
doubts, check with your state offices for a list of those
occupations that require licensing.

Any business doing business in any type of interstate commerce is
subject to federal regulations, usually through the Federal Trade
Commission. This means that any business that shops, sells or
advertises in more than one state is subject to such regulation,
and this includes even the smallest of mail order operations.

Normally, very few business people ever have contact with the
federal regulatory agencies. The only exceptions being when
there is a question of your operating your business unethically
or illegally.

Any business that sells or distributes food in any manner almost
always requires a county health department permit. If your
business falls into this category, simply call the county health
department and invite them out to your place of business for an
inspection. The fees generally range from about $25, depending
on the size of your business when they first inspect it for
permit approval.

There are also a number of businesses that require inspection by
a fire Marshall, and fire department approval. Generally, these
are those that handle flammable materials or attract large
numbers of people, such as a theater. Overall, the local fire
department has to be allowed to inspect your premises whenever
they desire to do so.

You may also run into a requirement for an air and/or water
pollution control permit. These specifically apply to any
business that burns anything, discharges anything into the sewers
or waterways, or use any gas-producing product, such as a paint
sprayer.

Without a doubt, you'll need to check on local regulations
relating to advertising display signs. Each city or township
makes its own rules and then enforces those rules according to its own thinking
-check before you contract to have a sign made for your business.

The design and placement of your sign is very important to your
business - specifically to retail establishments - but let me
remind you that your business sign is usually the first thing a
potential customer sees and as such, it should catch his eye and
leave an impression that lasts. It would be a good idea to ride
around your town and take a look at the signs that catch your
eye, and try to determine the impression of the business that
sign leaves on you. This is a basic learning formula for
determining the design, size and placement of your business sign.

Some of the other things to consider before opening for business
- If you intend to employ one or more employees, you'll be
required to deduct Federal Income Taxes, and Social Security
payments from their checks. This will involve your filing for a
Federal Tax Number and necessitates contact with your local IRS
Office.

Most states have "unemployment taxes" which will have to be
deducted from the paychecks of any employees you hire. And there
are a number of states that have income taxes - disability
insurance - and any number of other taxes. Again, the best thing
to do is check with your local office of the IRS. And above all
else, don't forget to ask for the rules of the minimum wage law,
and comply.

When your business grows to the point of needing additional help,
don't be afraid to look for and hire the help you need. when
you're ready to hire someone, simply run an ad in your local
paper and/or register your needs with the local office of your
state's employment service. Businesses either grow or die, and
those that grow eventually need more people in order to continue
growing.

When that time comes, hire the additional people you need, and
your business will continue growing. If you don't, for whatever
reason, you'll find yourself married to your business and your
business growth stymied.

Regardless of how small your business is when you begin, never
walk in with the thought in mind that it's something to keep you
busy. Anyone with an attitude of that kind is a fool. You begin
and make a business successful in order to realize financial
freedom. Establish your business. Put it on its feet, and then
hire other people to do the work for you. And those businesses
that require an operations manager, or someone to run a phase of
the business you're too busy to handle, hire the person needed or
the business will surely suffer.

To protect the investment of your business, you need business
insurance. If you've never had any experience with business
insurance, simply look under the heading of "business insurance"
in your phone directory. Ask for bids from several different
companies or agents...Primarily, you should have a policy that
gives you general liability, fire, workmen's compensation,
business interruption, and vehicle coverage. You may also want
coverage against possible losses related to burglary, robbery,
Life & Accident, Key Man, and Fidelity Bonds.

As the sole proprietor of a business, you won't be paid as an
employee, so there will be no income tax deducted from whatever
you withdraw from the company's earnings. What you'll have to do is
a gain check with the IRS Office for a Tax Guide For Small
Businesses Handbook, and probably end up filing an estimated tax
return on a quarterly basis.

The minute you open your doors for business, you'll have to spend
some time engaged in the work of bookkeeping. Exactly how, and
using what forms, you keep books, should be on the
recommendations of a good tax counselor...The same holds true for
your overall business and/or payroll accounting system. Look for
an experienced CPA that knows the accounting problems to your
particular kind of business, and solicit his advise/counseling.

If your business is going to involve the possible purchase or
lease of operating equipment, again seek the help of your tax
counselor for the most advantageous method of obtaining the
needed equipment.

Basically, arranging for your suppliers to give you materials on
credit will depend upon your honesty and personal financial
statement. The best way is usually a personal visit to the
person with the power to approve or disapprove of credit at the
company where you want to set up a credit account. Show him your
financial statement, and explain your prospects for success.
Then assure him that you've always honored all of your
obligations, and that if ever there's a question or problem,
you'd like for him to call you at home. And of course, give him
your home phone number.

We won't go into the exigencies of advertising your products,
services or business here, but there is something along these
lines you should always keep in mind. The best kind of
advertising your business can receive is that you don't really
pay for - publicity.

When something unusual happens to you, your business, or your
employees - that's news, so be sure to tell the news media in
your area about it.

In closing, let me say that the most important ingredient of your
eventual success will be the soundness of the planning you did
before you started your business. Any number of bad things can
really throw your business into a tailspin, but it you've done
your homework well - really set up a detailed business plan
before starting - your losses or setbacks will be minimal.
Success takes planning, and within this report, you've got a
basic checklist...The rest is up to you...Good luck, and may your
life overflow with success in all that you undertake from this
moment forward.

OVER 100 EXCELLENT PART-TIME BUSINESSES

2009-06-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

If you need more income and another job is not the answer, this
listing was designed for you!

We've prepared a selection of up-to-date businesses that can be
operated in or from your home on a part-time basis. Most of
these businesses require no special training and relatively
little investment. The most critical requirements are your:

- Willingness to work and

- Dedication to your business

Look through these suggestions for subjects that sound
interesting. Consider each as representative rather than
specific. For example, if you know nothing about African Violets
(#01) but are good with roses, by all means substitute roses for
African Violets. And, don't overlook the possibility of blending
these (or other) suggestions to form the ideal business
combination.

When you have decided on your business, check state and local
requirements for licenses, permits and make arrangements for
start-up supplies. You will probably need business cards, a
ledger and a rubber stamp with your company name and address.
Although your beginning supplies should be adequate, they need
not be fancy or expensive. Don't stock up too much as you will
probably need to make adjustments as you learn the needs of your
market. It is always a good idea to:

- Write out your business plan - an outline of what you intend
to do and how you plan to go about it.

- List what you will buy from whom, how much it costs, where it
will be stored, how you will advertise, what price you will
charge, your gross and estimated net profits and when you will
re-order.

Include everything you can think of that your business will
involve. The action will "force" you to organize your business
(in your mind as well as on paper) and greatly increase your
chances for profit and success.

In this (or any other) business, give careful thought to your
capabilities and your potential market. Select something that
you already know (or like and are willing to learn) and will
stick to - that people in your area will pay for. Your product
or service should be priced competitively, but at the level to
yield a fair profit. This motivates customers to buy and you to
work even harder!

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR NEW BUSINESS!

107 GREAT PART-TIME BUSINESSES

01. AFRICAN VIOLETS. Specialize in the propagation and care of
this popular indoor plant. Nurture, hybridize and sell when in
full bloom. Carry accessories, such as pots, shelves and
lighting. Keep a small but permanent ad in your local newspaper.

02. ALTERATIONS. Replace buttons, let out cuffs, shorten
sleeves, turn collars, repair tears for clothing stores,
laundries and cleaner who don't already offer this service. You
can work for them or leave a price poster in their store.

03. ARROWHEADS. Collect, buy, sell and MAKE (with deer horn and
clove) Indian arrowheads for hobbyists, displays and
demonstrations. Sell instruction and/or information booklets
and do-it-yourself kits. Offer various types of flint.

04. AUTO PARTS REBUILDING. Work with garages and mechanics.
Specialize in rebuilding one part (carburetors, master
cylinders, electronic ignitions) for one or several makes.
Install kits, ream and/or re-fit and guarantee all of your work.

05. AUTO TOUCH-UP. Repair minor dents, cover rock chips, remove
rust, polish, clean tires. Renew rubber and plastic, deodorize
to help bring the best price or trade-in. Advertise under
Auto/Trucks For Sale, with a price (e.g. "From $25.00")

06. AUTO PAWN SHOP. Hold cars as collateral for short-term
loans. Hold the title (if clear) or, "buy" the car with a 30
day or so buy-back price agreement or limited power of attorney.
Check laws and obtain legal advice before proceeding!

07. AWNINGS, WINDOW. Design and install permanent and fold-up
fabric and or metal awnings for storefronts, patios, house
windows, trailers and mobile homes. Offer a selection of
materials, colors and prices. Advertise prices and benefits.

08. BABY DOLLS. Create dolls with fine wigs from client baby's
own baby hair as keepsake dolls. Try to get cloth from baby's
actual clothes to make similar looking outfits for the doll
(work from a picture if possible). Put in glass case.

09. BARBEQUE. Use a portable (trailer?) meat smoker to take to
fairs, parades and festivals. Have a supply of prepared
sandwiches ready, but always have a fire AND AROMA (throw in a
little suet or sauce) going to attract more business.

10. BELT BUCKLES. Stock a selection of belt buckles for
truckers, workers, etc. Have special designs and insignias made
for local groups. Arrange to offer good prices on leather belts
as well (import some to sell at attractive prices).

11. BENCH RENTALS. Build bus-stop style benches and with city
permission, place them free of cost to the city at various
bus-stops. Pay a sign painter to apply advertisements for
clients who pay you by the month for the ads and space.

12. BIRD TRAINING TAPES. Make endless or auto-reverse tapes to
teach bird to talk, whistle or sing. Sell or rent the necessary
equipment to mount in or near cages. Charge extra to record the
bird owner's own voice giving the instructions on tape.

13. BIRDHOUSE BUILDING. Build and decorate fine, scientifically
designed birdhouses and feeders for birds native to your area as
well as those that migrate to or through your area. Make up
little info folders for each model.

14. BIRTHDAY LISTS. Compile birthday (anniversary, etc.) of
people in your area to rent as mailing lists to local merchants.
Or, contract to mail out cards each year on behalf of the
merchants. Have a set minimum, as $25 for 50 mailings.

15. BREAD SPECIALTIES. Bake unusual or otherwise unavailable
varieties of home made breads: oat bran, low calorie, ethnic,
salt free. Keep a small ad in paper, take orders for loaves
fresh from your kitchen and/or deliver fresh to stores.

16. BRONZING. Bronze (or pearlize) baby shoes etc. Make
mementos, awards and trophies. Design plaques and unique bases
with emphasis on local needs such as Chamber of Commerce of
company awards. Arrange for engraved plates on plaques.

17. BRUSH CLEARING. With you truck, tractor and shredder,
contract to clear brush and small trees from lots and acreage.
Haul off excess debris or use a composter to recycle and sell
organic refuse. Offer to drag or level the cleared area.

18. BUSINESS EQUIPMENT. Buy surplus equipment from bankruptcy
sales and auctions. Store and clean-up, but do not repair (let
buyer do that). Advertise bargain prices for qualified buyers
and sell at double or triple your investment.

19. CEMENT BLOCKS. Mold small orders of standard or custom
blocks (building, stepping stones, curbs) in all shapes and
colors. Make molds when necessary of plywood and tin. Take
orders, sell form your "yard" and through nurseries.

20. TRUCK LETTERING. Use pre-cut, self-stick vinyl letters to
produce long lasting, professional truck signs (no art talent
required). Use chalk snap lines to mark lines and center, peel
and press in place. Stock and offer a variety of letters.

21. CEMENT MARKERS. Make "engraved" cement or liquid marble
markers and signs. Mold "backwards" letters into various colors
and textures of plastic-like cement for carved in effect. Polish
molded marker into a professional looking stone.

22. CHAIR CANING. Use cane, plastic or other interesting
materials to weave seats and backs onto casual and picturesque
chairs for clients. Buy old chairs with promise at bargain
prices to re-glue, refinish, re-cane and sell at a profit.

23. CHINA AND GLASS DEALER. Collect and deal in antique and
interesting china and glass items. Buy at auctions, antique
stores, private and public sales and through your
advertisements. Deduct travel expenses for buying trips and
visits.

24. CITY LOT CLEAN-UP. Work with the city to learn of lots
that must be cleaned up. Contract to do the required work on
lots they designate (city adds bill to owner's taxes). Contact
absentee (or local) owners to avoid future city actions.

25. CLIENT LISTINGS. On your computer, input and maintain
customer (or business) information: customer info, purchases,
credit records, employee information, etc. Provide periodic and
custom sorts (including mailing lists) to clients.

26. COLLECTION AGENT. Represent one or more commercial agencies
(don't tell one about another, though). Solicit delinquent
accounts for collection from local businesses for a percentage
of monies the agencies collect.

27. COIN SEARCHING. Buy rolls of coins from banks (whatever
denomination you can afford). Search through them for coins
worth over face value. Keep all of these and replace with
"regular' coins and trade back in. Best in small towns!

28. COLLECTIONS. Accumulate collectibles (glass, matchbook,
baseball cards, comic books). Make up (from common specimens)
starter collections to sell to beginners. Sell valuable pieces
individually to collectors (some you got started).

29. CONCESSION BOOTH. Operate a booth or stand at a recreation
area, flea market, shopping mall or parking lot. Sell your own
products and/or consignment items. Carry some attractively
priced items just to attract more customers.

30. CURB PAINTING. With a stencil and fast-dry black spray paint
house numbers on all curbs in a city block then go back and
request a $2-$5 "donation" from occupants. Pass out circulars
the day before announcing your service.

31. CUSTOM CLOTHING DESIGNS. Paint, block print or transfer
unique or custom designs onto items of clothing: smocks,
T-shirts, jackets and fabrics to be made into clothing. Use
designs, illustrations, cartoons, things of interest locally!

32. DESERT GLASS. Collect and sell sun-baked, weather-beaten
glass in interesting colors. Make your own synthetic version by
baking and/or sandblasting suitable objects with inexpensive
equipment. Advertise your materials in hobby magazines.

33. DISTRESS SALES. Buy household items cheap at auctions and
close-out sales. Clean them up and sell as your own right out of
your living room because you need the money (e.g. to pay a
fine), and never because you have new or better things!

34. DOLL HOUSE FURNITURE. Make exquisite, scale furniture for
doll houses. Or, buy inexpensive imported items and upgrade
them. Normally, a little re-enforcing, sanding and a coat of
stain or polyurethane makes all the difference in the world!

35. DRIFTWOOD ART. With sandblaster, power or hand held wire
brush form and finish interesting pieces of driftwood (and other
woods) into decorations, lamps, candle holders and plant mounts.
Use deductible vacations to collect more driftwood.

36. ELECTROPLATING. Offer a chrome (and other) metal plating
service in your shop. Advertise in the newspaper and list with
auto, RV parts stores, auto restorers and body shops. Between
jobs plate items to sell (ornaments, trophies etc.).

37. FENCE INSTALLATION. Install fences for private homeowners.
List with hardware stores and keep a small ad in the paper.
Expand to furnishing the materials for a single bid. Offer a
variety of both functional and ornamental fences.

38. FISHING LURES. Use a fly-tying rig to tie flies and sell by
the dozen to individuals, bait shops, sports and department
stores. Design, manufacture and decorate fishing lures
especially for waters in your area. Then advertise and expand!

39. FLYER DISTRIBUTION. Hire kids or adults to distribute ads,
samples, coupons, announcements door-to-door or on parked car
windows. Charge extra to record occupant reactions. Contract
with individual businesses and advertising agencies.

40. FURNITURE RESALE. Select and buy promising articles of
furniture cheap at garage sales, stores (trade-ins) and
furniture auctions. Clean up, do minor repairs and sell from
your home. Concentrate on items that seem to do well in your
area.

41 COPY-READY MASTERS. With your desktop publishing system and
"laser jet" printer, convert customer's material into copy ready
masters that can be reproduced locally. Especially good for
small orders (set-up costs are very expensive for these).

42. DOG HOUSES. Build standard (bargain priced) and custom
(higher priced) dog houses in different sizes, shapes and
colors. Include insulation, treated wood on bottom, insect
repellent pillows or storage areas under the roof as options.

43. KITCHEN CABINET REFINISHING. Refinish in-home kitchen
cabinets. Remove old finish; sand, fill dents with colored
putty, stain (or paint), replace worn hardware, apply new finish
and install new external door knobs and drawer pulls.

44. WORD PROCESSING. Produce interim drafts and finished
professional letters, manuscripts and documents for students,
lawyers, writers and businesses. Make provisions for client
editing and subsequent re-writing as a part of your service.

45. TREE SURGERY. With a little training and experience, anyone
can trim, treat, fill and seal tree "wounds". Start with small
jobs and gradually increase as you build confidence and buy more
equipment. Take large contracts only when confident.

46. ROOF COATING. METAL. Renew rusty and/or leaky metal roofs
with paint, rust killer, galvanizing, aluminized tar or
insulating (foam) toppings. Charge by the square. Tip: use
mobile home coating (aluminum or white) for a durable finish.

47. RENTAL PREPARATION. Prepare apartments for occupancy: paint,
do minor repairs, cover scratches, remove stains, replace bulbs,
mow lawn, fix faucets and drains. Work with individual owners,
rental agencies and real estate companies.

48. SURPLUS SALES. Buy bargain priced items at auctions and
sales. Store neatly in a secure area; advertise to find buyers
who need (and will pay for) them. Open your warehouse one or two
days a week or sell large items by appointment.

49. ROCKING CHAIRS. Make beautiful, durable rocking chairs.
Offer a variety of woods, finishes, sizes and styles to fit
every customer. Charge extra for carving, special styles or
made-to-measure models. Offer specials on Mr. & Mrs. sets.

50. GAZEBOS. Build gazebos. Display a standard model at a good
price that you can deliver or customer can assemble. Then offer
larger sizes and various extras, such as shape, screens, shingle
roofs, benches. Use only quality materials.

5l. GLASS ETCHING. Custom etch (with acid, engraving bit and/or
sandblaster) glassware for individuals to-order and for
wholesaling to retail stores. Offer monograms, town or company
logo, family crests, art designs and local themes.

52. GOURD CULTURE. Grow and process a variety of interesting
gourds. Make them into decorations, utensils, painted figures,
birdhouses. Retail gourds and do-it-yourself finishing kits.
Retail seed packets with instructions for prize gourds.

53. GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS. Go to major state and federal auctions
and bid on items for subsequent resale. List with auction
authorities to receive notices of pending auctions. Learn and
follow the rules to find the best bargains.

54. GRAPHOANALYSlS. After learning the art and getting a
diploma, offer your services as a handwriting analyst to
individuals, law enforcement agencies and attorneys. Start with
local readings; work fairs for experience.

55. HANGING PLANTS. Specialize in hanging plants (flowers,
ferns, vines) of all sizes and descriptions. Display for sale
when in peak condition in attractive pots, with interesting
holders and hangers. Advertise that you take in trades!

56. HOME HANDYMAN. Perform handyman services for those who can't
or don't have the time. Advertise clearly what you do, keep your
appointments and guarantee your work (to the extent of your
hourly wages). Save customers expensive service calls.

57 HOTHOUSE FABRICATING. Build and sell small hothouses, some
with temperature controlled venting. Offer electric heating
systems for use in the cooler climates and be prepared to give
advice on their use. Consider selling seedlings.

58. HOUSE CLEANING. Offer one-time or periodic house cleaning
services. Perform the heavy tasks (shampoo rugs, clean stoves,
wash windows, wax the floors, defrost). Have a check-list of
jobs to be done and agree on price beforehand.

59. HOUSE PAINTING. Contract to paint houses and apartments or
rooms by the job. Have assistance (high school kids?) on hand
when needed. Increase your profit by supplying quality (only)
paint and supplies and bidding on the entire job.

60. INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS. CASSETTES. Make recordings of yourself
or others teaching and demonstrating their specialties. Start
with simple operations (making a will; cleaning a VCR); graduate
to more complex instructions as you learn.

61. INVENTION PROMOTION. Purchase three to six month option
rights on interesting inventions for relatively low fee. Run
test promotions and buy only the successful ones - those you can
sell for a nice profit or successfully market yourself.

62. INVENTORIES. Specialize in taking inventories for area
merchants (at their convenience - usually after hours). Work
alone or have a qualified team on call. Check with an insurance
company to obtain bonding for yourself and assistants.

63. JACK REPAIR. Repair hydraulic jacks (take a course if
necessary) in your garage shop for individuals, garages,
mechanics, retail stores. Buy, sell, take in trades and rebuild
all kinds. Offer special prices to mechanics.

64. JEWELRY BOXES. Make fine jewelry boxes to sell to and
through gift stores, catalog sales and individuals. Line with
velvet, offer lacquered, inlaid, shell or seed covered versions.
Have varied finished and storage arrangements.

65. KITCHENWARE RENEWAL. Specialize in the renewal of fine
cutlery, pans and wood kitchen utensils. Refinish and reshape,
install new handles, reline, make pieces to match missing parts
of sets. Offer personalization service.

66. KITES. Build, sell and demonstrate all kinds of kites and
accessories. Start a program to sell advertising space to
sponsoring merchants during "meets" that you help stage (e.g.
open, between schools, towns). Give away kites as prizes

67 LAPIDARY (GEM MAKING). Operate a rock shop in your garage.
Cut, polish facet, shape and mount gems in commercial and
amateur findings. Sell mounted, unmounted gems and jewelry.
Tumble imperfections and left-overs to sell separately.

68- LAWN MAINTENANCE. Contract to mow lawns by the job or
season. Charge extra to edge, rake, collect and remove
clippings. Refer related jobs to cooperating businesses for a
finder's fee or commission. Expand your service as you grow.

69. LIBRARY RESEARCH. Use your talent and the public library to
provide research data, technical details and background
information for clients who need their "homework" done. Charge
by the hour, page or a flat fee for your time and effort.

70. LIGHTING SPECIALIST. Design, sell, service and install
lighting systems for external residence and business buildings.
Use inexpensive 12 volt systems among shrubs for security and
beauty; colored spotlights for unusual effects.

71. LITTLE LEAGUE CARDS. Take pictures of small fry baseball
(etc.) players and print on baseball-like cards, complete with
their names, position and other "official" information. Offer in
sets with extra copies for proud parents and relatives.

72. MAGAZINE. SUBSCRIPTIONS. Sell a variety of magazine
subscriptions from your "office". Use "gimmicky" ads, give
credit for leads and prizes for multiple sales. Do lots of
telephone canvassing. Have a special every time you call.

73. MAILING LISTS. Compile mailing lists from various local and
wider area sources (buy voting registration lists, check on
buying tax and license lists). Sell names to brokers or keep
current and rent them yourself (on self stick labels).

74. MARBLE CASTING. With "synthetic marble", cast, finish and
market figurines, ashtrays, office (pen bases) and commercial
(trophies) items for wholesale accounts (stationery stores,
etc.). Make one or two special items for local retail.

75. METAL FOUNDRY. Operate a small metal foundry in your garage
workshop. Cast parts as a sub-contractor, custom items or your
own products. Buy or pick-up scrap metal to melt down. Examples:
dresser knobs, door plates and trophy bases.

76. METAL RECYCLING. Pick up, sort, process (dismantle, clean
wires) waste metals from any source. Accumulate into lots, wait
for periods of high prices and haul to salvage yards. Advertise
to buy surplus metals (at lower rates of course).

77. MINIATURE GARDENS. Create various sizes of garden-like
display containers of live plants for hospital sick rooms, boxes
for balconies, rooftop planters, offices and residences. Include
instructions for care to make your products last.

78. MOSAIC TILE. Buy patterns or create custom designed pieces
and install in an exclusive design for each customer. Offer
exquisite kitchen and bathroom designs, as well as spa and even
swimming pool arrangements. Charge for tile too.

79. MOSQUITO PATROL. With a sprayer mounted on your vehicle,
contract to drive through neighborhoods on an established route
and spray for mosquitoes (normally with a light malathion
mixture in diesel). Work with city or county authorities.

80. MOVIE MAKING (SHORTS). With your 16MM or VCR camera and
related equipment, make custom instructional, informative
(company introductions), promotional and advertising clips. Use
for board meetings, briefings and for cable advertising.

81. MOVING ASSISTANCE. With your truck HELP clients move (versus
"move" them - to stay legal). You can help them pack load, move,
unload unpack. Have stand-by crew ready to assist. Charge for
your time and expenses, not the move.

82. NATURE'S PRODUCTS. When in an area with wild products
(hickory nuts, maple syrup) that you can harvest, do so!
Process, package and sell then as genuine products of nature.
Clear your operation with the local health department first.

83. WINDOWS AND SCREENS. Repair windows: replace glass, repair
frames, renew or rebuild screens. List with hardware stores and
keep an ad in the paper. Fix one broken pane or bid to renew
windows and/or replace all screens on the house.

84. NECKTlES. Make exclusive, hand made ties from exotic
materials from all over the world. Offer a selection of designs,
attach your exclusive label and advertise in men's magazines.
Try local stores first then try larger markets.

85. NEEDLECRAFT. Make your own style of homemade items (pot
holders, bonnets, towel rings) to sell on consignment, to
catalog companies, or at a booth at fairs or flea markets.
Present them in tasteful fashion with your label attached.

86. NElGHBORHOOD NEWS. Compile, publish and distribute a
neighborhood newspaper (or newsletter) with local news, opinions
and interesting features. Include lots of names; sell space for
opinions, announcements and advertisements.

87. ON-CALL CLERK. Register with several stores to be called
for temporary or emergency fill-in (for the store or an
individual), for clerical or sales situations. Should pay more
than normal wages and could lead to a permanent job.

88. PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. Build and install (and maintain)
playground equipment: forts, slides, climbing/monkey bars,
sandboxes, swings, teeters, circle rides. Use commercial
patterns or design your own. Check on liability insurance.

89. PET PHOTOGRAPHY. Specialize in pet portraits: in their home,
your studio or in their own "natural" setting. Offer a package
price for so many of each size. Go to dog shows and take
pictures of willing subjects (the losers too!).

90. PICNIC TABLES. Build standard, custom and deluxe model
picnic tables Offer a variety of sizes, styles, finishes and
colors. Expand to folding model and sets with umbrellas. Offer
matching chairs, end tables and child sized pieces.

91. PICTURE FRAMING. Make unique picture frames for stores,
artists and clients from moldings, scraps, unusual fabrics. Set
up jigs for the standard sizes. Between orders make standard
sized frames that can be finished in a variety of ways.

92. PIES AND COOKIES. Take orders for or contract for your
specialty baked goods. Deliver to wholesale customers in
containers that appear to be full and have your name and logo
imprinted on the cartons. Give retail customers pick-up time.

93. PILLOWS. Make and decorate designer, fancy, or "down home"
pillows. Sell to boutiques, fairs, through party plans, sales
catalogs and advertisements. Offer a variety of sizes, shapes
and covers. Do custom work for client's decor.

94. PLANT SCULPTURE. A profitable specialty: braid trunks, shape
into interesting forms. Trim, bend, graft, to create valuable
sculptures that bring premium prices. Use pictures in your ads;
sell each plant as an individual creation.

95. PRODUCT REPACKAGING. Buy bulk products (nails, beans,
vinegar) by the ton or barrel. Re-package into neatly labeled
packets, pints or boxes a sell for much more. Check with a local
attorney on any restrictive laws in your community.

96. PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY. Take flattering, descriptive pictures
of merchandise, clothing and satisfied customers for
advertisements, catalogs and brochures. Send sample brochures to
prospective manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

97. PRODUCT REPACKAGING. Buy bulk products (nails, paint
thinner, beans, vinegar) by the ton or barrel. Purchase and
re-package into neat (and full) packets, pints, boxes. Consider
using your own label (with legal advice) on containers.

98. PROOFREADING. Review manuscripts and printed copy and
advertisements for accuracy and grammar. Get considerably more
to review for content quality and technical accuracy. Work with
editors, writers, publishers and educators.

99. PROPERTY PORTFOLIOS. Prepare photograph and property
description folders. Make up folios for private parties (to make
sure their property is shown in the best possible light), and
for real estate companies to use in sales presentations.

100. RE-UPHOLSTERY SERVICE. Recover overstuffed chairs and sofas
for clients in your shop (sell fabrics). Buy good furniture that
needs recovering cheap at auctions to re-upholster and resell at
a nice profit. Take trade-ins to re-do.

101. YARD CLEAN-UP. Contract with homeowners, Realtors and
rental agents to clean up yards after winter, evictions, storms.
Mow, remove debris, water, replant, fertilize. Use periodic ads
in the paper, especially after winter or stormy weather.

102- TOY MANUFACTURING. Create, manufacture and market unique
toys that you can make in your shop possibly made in part by a
"partner" seamstress. Market to local stores, catalog sales
houses or by mail. Go to and have your own booth at fairs.

103. WRITE FOR CHILDREN. Write poems, Sunday school stories,
puzzle explanations, riddles, etc. for children. Sell to local
papers, children's book publishers or in your own booklets.
Check Writer's Guide in Library for more information!

104. GAG WRITING. Specialize in one liners and short funny
situations. Sketch your ideas, list each on a separate card and
file by subject matter. Offer your collection to cartoonists or
comics. Get their addresses from Writer's Guide in the library.

105 - SCHOOL DESK SALES. Buy old school desks at sales and
closed rural schools. Refurbish and decorate into nostalgic
furniture, plant stands and children's furniture. Sell restored
items individually, wholesale to stores or finish to order.

106 - PROMOTIONS. Organize community and commercial promotions:
order bumper stickers, posters; arrange for news releases,
interviews, photo sessions. Plan agenda, schedule workers,
coordinate events for a fee or percentage of profits.

107 - PEN PAL SERVICE. Advertise in both home and overseas
publications for correspondees. Charge for addresses or for a
subscription to your club news with paid advertisements placed
by those seeking penpals. Sell names to mailing list brokers.

Bringing Branding Benefits to Beer

2009-06-14T05:35:00.002-07:00

Ever since 1875, when the Bass red triangle became the first registered trademark, brewers have recognised the importance of on beer bottle branding, and now the latest printing technologies are being harnessed to achieve the best packaging impact for today's brewers.

Beer bottle labels play a major role in ensuring that beer packaging has strong impact at the point of sale. Packaging technology is advancing dramatically, with innovations in the printing, production and application of beer labels, and a move away from the traditional wet glue labels to high impact self adhesive labels.

Recent developments in print technology have helped improve the aesthetic quality of self adhesive labels. High-end print techniques such as foils, special links and MetalFX provide a visually attractive label, able to fulfil brewer's stringent brand values.

The economics of self adhesives have also been transformed with specialist label and packaging printers now available to produce high quality labels in economic short runs.

Traditional wet glue labels are applied by using adhesive on the bottling line. As they need to sit on the bottling line in a box or magazine each made specifically for a single label size and format, this process tends to limit the range of labels available.

By contrast, self adhesive label are pre-coated with adhesive and applied to bottles from a carrierweb. The process is cleaner, involves less complex machinery and can quickly be adapted to all label sizes and formats.

Traditional wet glue labels may suffer from the problems of drying out, tearing or fall off before they reach the customer. The technical specification of self adhesive materials can be tailored to ensure that each label type is fir for its purpose. By using appropriate adhesives, self adhesive labels can even be applied to web bottles on the line.

Such innovations ensure that labels remain in prime condition up to the point of sale.

Self Adhesive Satisfies Micro Breweries

2009-06-14T05:35:00.001-07:00

The move to self adhesive labels for UK brewers follows recent developments in the USA. Anheuser-Busch has played a leading role in the States and Coors are now adopting the same approach in the UK.

However, it is not only multi-national breweries that have an interest in the quality of their labelling - so do micro brewers.

These smaller regional breweries have a strong reputation for distinctive packaging and have been quick to harness the benefits of self adhesive labels. Many brewers outsource their bottling to contract breweries, which tell us that self adhesives are more reliable at application and give their bottlers less downtime on the production line. The result is good for both the brewer and the bottler.

There are also economies when producing self adhesive labels. Unit costs are reduced because they can be printed, finished and die cut in a single process, minimising costs and wastage.

The development of dual web printing processes also means that the body, back and neck labels can be applied in one pass on the bottling line and labels perfectly index onto the bottles. We also apply film coating that gives labels durability and ensure they reach the shelf in prime condition.

Beer bottles with self adhesive labels are able to be recycled in the same way as those with traditional labels, so innovative labelling does not get in the way of good recycling practice.

The OPM Group has designed, printed and produced self adhesive labels for several regional breweries including Swindon based Arkells.

Arkells head brewer Don Bracher says that self adhesives increase the brand impact of their bottles. "The visual impact of self adhesive labels is significantly better than we glue labels. Yes, they are more expensive, but we think they are worth the additional investment. We now have labels with better colours, better branding and more customer appeal.

"We're producing beer in non returnable bottles, so you have a situation where the bottle is pristine. It's important for the label to look the very best it can".

Protecting Your Corporate Name

2009-06-14T05:35:00.000-07:00

Imagine this: you want to sell widgets, and you've chosen the perfect name for your brand new widget business. You've made the name original and yet homey, easy to say, hard to forget, and you've checked databases everywhere to make sure that nobody else thought of it first. You've invested vast sums of money in marketing materials and storefront signs that include your wonderful new name. Best of all, you've already impressed some new widget customers with your amazing services and they are spreading the word that your business-yes, the one with your fabulously unique name-is the place to go for all their widget needs, bar none. You love your new name.

Then picture this: shortly after your widget shop opens for business, you learn that a guy two blocks over is using the same name, for a strikingly similar widget business. That's your name hanging in his window, by God! Customers are getting confused. Your business begins to drop off and you suspect the other widget guy is getting the customers who were looking for you.

Is this nightmare scenario possible?

Sadly, yes-but only if you don't know how to protect your corporate name properly.

The first thing a new business owner must do is register the name of the new corporation. The procedure for registration varies by state, but generally involves some very simple paperwork to be submitted to the state's Secretary of State's office, along with a small fee. The Secretary of State's office will not register two businesses with the same name, so this procedure will prevent later businesses from incorporating in the same state under your corporate name. Registration with the Secretary of State's office will also legitimize the corporate identity of your business as a legal entity separate from its founders, and will provide evidence to demonstrate that the name is being used in commerce when you next register the name as a trademark. Be aware, however, that a business can incorporate in any of the fifty states, so registering your business in your own state provides only partial protection of your corporate name. To provide greater protection, it is necessary to register the name as a trademark or service mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Registering your new business name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will provide nationwide notice of your claim to the name as a trademark, and invokes the jurisdiction of the federal courts in protecting the name. To register a new business name as a trademark, an application may be obtained online at the U.S. Patent and Trademark website, www.uspto.gov. This application may either be filed online or mailed into the Patent and Trademark Office. Be aware that the processing of your application may take more than a year, so this application should be filed as soon as possible to begin the process. Status of your application may be checked online.

You do not need to wait until your trademark is nationally registered to begin protecting your right to it, however. When using your business name on marketing materials or other written matter, you can demonstrate your claim to the name as a trademark by adding a small "TM" at the end of the word. This provides notice to those who see the written materials that you consider the name to be proprietary and should not be "borrowed" by others. After you receive national registration of the business name as a trademark, however, it will receive the greatest possible protection and you may demonstrate this by including an R in a circle, "®," at the end of your business name.

Once you have received trademark registration, you must file periodic Affidavits of Use with the Patent and Trademark Office to prove that the name remains in use. If you cease use of the mark for a period of years, you will lose ownership of the name as a trademark and others may be able to use it.

Next comes the business of "policing" your trademark. This involves online research and investigation within your own industry to determine whether your trademarked business name is being used by others in the same or similar business that might cause customer confusion as to your business identity. In that event, a judicious letter often dissuades the newcomer from using the business name. If a letter is ineffective, the matter may be resolved through litigation.

The founding of a new business is a busy time, but it is necessary to begin as quickly as possible to protect the new business name against infringement. In this way, it is possible to prevent customer confusion and retain all of the customer good will that they have come to associate with your company's name.

Branding, Branding, Branding - MSN fails to keep it Straight

2009-06-14T05:34:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you see promotions come along and you wonder: did they just do that? The current MSN promotion called msnsearchandwin is a prime example of this.

Not only do they use "black hat" or at least "questionable" tactics on the site, but the messaging is inconsistent.

In this article I look at the new MSN promotion and ask the question: Why bother?

By now you've probably heard about the new MSN promotion where you can win prizes simply by using MSN search.

They did do something right by registering a domain name that implies that message. If you go to msnsearchandwin.com you will see the familiar MSN search box.

Wait a minute...Why is this search box blue? Didn't MSN just rebrand with a nicer, cleaner silver grey look?

That, my friends, is mistake number one. It's as if the technical team and the marketing team didn't get together to discuss this program.

I mean, when you go through something as complex and massive as a rebranding, you should make sure the messaging is consistent across the various media. Especially when the promotion and the rebranding launch within days of each other.

This is eerily similar to the article I wrote about Superbowl Ads. In that article I talked about how advertisers spend millions on a 30 second or 1 minute TV commercial yet they fail to carry that messaging over onto their website effectively if at all.

And here we have MSN - probably one of the most recognized brands on the web and subsidiary to the company with one of the most effective and ruthless marketing arms in the world - and it can't seem to communicate it's message that MSN is rebranding.

I mean, how hard would it have been for someone in Tech to phone up someone in Marketing and say, "By the way, you know that search and win promotion you are doing? Be sure that the colors match the new look of MSN that's launching in a few days."

But wait, it gets better.

First spotted by Kerry Dean, if you view source of the msnsearchandwin home page what do you see?

That's right, about a million keywords stuffed into the keywords tag. (OK maybe not a million but there are 256 keywords in the meta keywords tag).

It gets worse. Immediately below the overstuffed keywords tag you will see a bunch of keywords stuffed into a comments tag. Again the same 256 words used in the meta keywords tag.

So tell me, is it OK for a search engine to spam itself?

Perhaps we could all learn a little something from MSN's marketing mistake: Keep it Consistent!

Coca-Cola: The Power of a Brand

2009-06-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

There are few images as recognizable throughout the world as the Coca-Cola brand. Travel to the furthest reaches of the globe and you will probably encounter it on a clock or a sign, if not on the drink itself. Marketers today look to the Coca-Cola brand as a model of marketing power. Its image has transcended national borders and cultural barriers to reach almost everyone on earth. How did the Coca-Cola symbol become such an omnipresent image?

Beginning in 1886, Coca-Cola president John Pemberton began traveling the country introducing pharmacists to the drink. At that time it was considered a medicinal substance that could relieve headaches and other minor woes. Candler distributed clocks, calendars and other items laden with the Coca-Cola logo as he toured the country, spreading the brand and selling his product.

From there the brand continued to penetrate further around the world. The bottling rights to Coca-Cola were sold in 1899 and in 1915 the Root family submitted a standard size bottle for distribution, but it was too fat in the middle. The Coca-Cola Company liked the bottle so much they thinned it down and has been used ever since and is called a Hobbleskirt Bottle. By 1920, with new bottlers springing up all the time, the brand had expanded into Cuba, France, Puerto Rico and other territories. Its world dominance would increase further with World War II, when Coca-Cola promised that "every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents, wherever he is, and whatever it costs the company." Suddenly Coca-Cola could be found throughout Europe as American GIs carried it with them, and by 1960 the number of countries with Coke bottling plants had doubled.

Today Coke remains a powerful brand with over a century of history behind it. As a result, items featuring previous incarnations of the Coke image have become classic pieces of Americana. The success of the Coca-Cola brand has made it an icon not just in the world of brand marketing but of American history. It symbolizes the popularity of a soft drink as well as the dominance of American entrepreneurialism in the twentieth century and beyond.

Corporate Branding - Will they remember you?

2009-06-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

In today's market selling quantity seems to be the rule of the day. Slap together something quick and don't worry about what flies out the door, it doesn't even matter who the purchasers are.

Companies who focus on branding will stand out amongst the crowd. Why? They have recognized that most buyers' especially online buyers need confidence in doing business with an established entity. Nothing shows your commitment to your business like a well developed branding strategy. Having a great logo is the first major step towards cultivating this development. Sure there are plenty of "out-of-the-box" logo solutions and the prices are more than appealing to a business that doesn't recognize the value of their corporate image.

The Difference

Why should you spend more than $300 on a logo? Would you buy a car for $1000? Chances are if you do you'll be paying a lot more for maintenance and the headaches it will bring. You always get what you pay for. This can't be stressed enough. If you are willing to sabotage your business from the very beginning by neglecting the image you portray to your potential clients, that logo will be costing you a lot more than you're willing to invest. A professional Graphic Designer will invest a lot of time, researching to produce a logo that is truly unique (vital to branding and making your mark) and introduce you to a solid first step in Branding your company as a powerful entity. A logo is further enhanced by the elements built around it. With everything related to design, everything should be custom made, now more so than ever because the competition for capital is increasing. You have to be better than your competitors in as many ways possible.

For the young start-up company, budgets may disallow you the option of working with a professional designer. There are plenty of great designers out there that won't gouge your pocket book but be certain that they are capable of creating exactly what you want and that they have the experience to expand upon the logo design provided. You want someone who is business savvy and has demonstrated their applied knowledge. They must be able to foresee the bigger picture. The success of your business rests on this.

Putting it Together

Generally speaking the more experienced the designer the higher the rates charged. With the experience you will usually get a product that has been developed and refined over time. A veteran Graphic Designer will be designing with the big picture in mind taking your investment dollars further. The numbers quoted are relative to what they generate, a client will be happy to invest money when they see return. If the image developed for them attracts customers price becomes secondary. Recognize the value of your image and take your logo very seriously. As human beings we are visual.

For the long haul

Generally a business that has quality services to offer and takes their image seriously will understand the value of investing in professional design. Most successful businesses know how much they must devote to marketing in order to generate the sales they desire. Those marketing dollars will be more effective if your Branding approach was cultivated properly. If you take your business seriously chances are you'll attract the same. How do you want to be viewed?

A Bit about the Logo

For the most part focus was placed on the business mentality rather than the logo itself. There are different types of logos. Many large corporations utilize strictly text or abbreviations. Companies like DELL, IBM, RCA, ABB, etc. Text logos are very popular and are easily integrated across the Branding board. Iconic treatments are also utilized by many businesses. An icon can be very powerful in identifying a company. Take Apple or Nike for example. Using imagery is a very powerful strategy in branding. Symbols guide us in our lives and daily activities. Icons can be very simple and clean to more complex utilizing gradients and simulated 3D. Illustrative (beyond iconic) is less frequently used but can work effectively for companies that usually want to portray a timelessness or "natural" homey feeling typically found on a bottle of tomato sauce or organic potato chips.

Everything outlined above can dictate the price of your logo. The logo is a powerful aspect of your company. It should take time to create and will require much attention if it is to create a powerful Branding strategy. Be sure that the logo designer of choice is willing to provide you with mock ups and multiple revisions and is willing to help take your company to the next level.

Free 50 Master Resell Rights

2009-06-09T21:52:00.002-07:00

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Profiting With Private Label Rights

2009-06-09T21:52:00.001-07:00

There are three basic rights you should know about when it comes to resale rights marketing. These are resale rights, master resale rights and private label rights

Whenever you purchase a product with resale rights, you will only have the license to sell the said product to other people. When you purchase a product with master resale rights, you will have the license to sell the product to other people, and you will also have the option to sell the resale right for the same product as well. This means that the people to whom you sell the resale rights of the product whose master resale rights you own will consequently acquire the license to sell the said product to other people.

Confusing as this may sound, our focus for this article are private label rights which, of the three rights enumerated above, is undoubtedly the most empowering and the most profitable.

Private label rights are embodied in a license that comes with an information product you may be able to purchase. These rights would allow you to alter, modify, enhance and rearrange the contents of the said product to suit your own needs and wishes. What exactly does this mean?

With private label rights, you could divide the chapters of, say, an eBook, and sell them as a series of articles. The reverse is also true. If you purchased a set of articles with accompanying private label rights, you could compile them into one nifty and seemingly novel eBook or special report.

Better yet, you could add any information on the said information product, without having to seek the permission of the original author. You feel that one section is wanting in details? You could freely insert your own additions!

But the best part of information products with private label rights is that, in most cases, you could put your name as the author of the work, without having to pay royalties or ghostwriting charges to the original author.

There are many benefits to private label rights. Some are quite apparent. Others only manifest after a deeper scrutiny. Let's take a look at some of them

Private label rights would allow you to come up with a variety of new products from the original source. Being empowered to alter the contents to suit your needs, you have the liberty to repackage them as novel offers for different markets.

Private label rights would allow you to improve on a work that you may have found lacking. Tired of purchasing products to sell, when such products do not meet your standards of quality and they are disappointingly unalterable? You won't have to worry about such with private label rights. You have the freedom to change and improve on what is written as you see fit.

Private label rights are perfect for branding yourself and your business. You need to get the word out about your online venture. Purchasing a number of information products with private label rights and naming them as your own would impress upon the online world that you are an expert in your chosen field, and they would trust you more easily when the need arises to procure your services or avail of your products.

The purchaser is not the only person who stands to earn from private label rights, however. An information product creator can also consider this route if he wishes to make some fast money. The information product creator can offer the private label rights to his works at a substantially higher price, considering all the perks that are attached to it.

There has been an age old debate as to whether or not a creator should sell the private label rights for his products. Though there are many schools of thought on the matter, the following scenario seems to be the most beneficial for the information product creator: he should sell the private label rights for his products only when the same is nearing the end of its market life.

At this point, it is widely believed that the product has already been squeezed dry of its moneymaking potentials, and by allowing other people to alter it in creative ways, the said product might find new life in different markets.

Private label rights are excellent offerings in the world of Internet marketing. When you encounter a hot commodity that would give you the liberty to alter its essence and call it your own, it is very much worth your time to study the profitability of purchasing the same. Offers this good don't come everyday.

Building a Better Brick-and-Mortar with the Billion-dollar Web

2009-06-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

More than $117 billion passed hands from Internet shoppers to Internet vendors in 2004, according to the statistical research firm comScore. That's billion, with a B. Compared to the year before, the figure represents a whopping 24 percent increase in sales. Compared to the early 1990s, when the Web was a questionable commercial venture, today's $117 billion is proof-positive that the Web is the full-fledged money-making machine. It seems to be a big enough pie that any merchant with a Web site can cut out his heaping slice.

Not so fast. As any merchant who's tried to take a bite out of the Internet will tell you, turning a profit online is not as simple as throwing a few pages together. Professional Web sites cost big bucks for design, consultation, and upkeep. Either you have to hire a full-time editor or technician to manage your Web store, or you need to pay three-digit hourly rates to contract Web professionals. Then you have to face fees for Web hosting, broadband access, and IT maintenance.

Even after you expend all of this capital and launch your Web site, you're still not guaranteed anything. Your site will only be one among millions, if not billions. Yes, that's billions with a B again. The Internet, after all, is like a clear sky on a dark night. How can you expect a customer to pick your star out from among all of the others that shimmer for their attention?

On the Web you'll quickly learn that attracting your clientele-and building your Internet-based business-is just as tough as it was when you first started your brick-and-mortar shop. It takes smart investing, creative marketing, a little luck, and a lot more know-how.

What's great about the business side of the Web, however, is that your old-fashioned know-how translates quite well on the Web. A great example is the timeless merchant adage: "Location, location, location." This saying holds true on the Web, too. You can place your store's site in a spot on the Web where no one will discover you, or you could position it on a "busy corner" on the Internet.

One such spot are online classified sites. These sites provide similar services as you would get from a newspaper classified. Sellers can place ads online that describe a particular product for sale. Buyers browse these ads and contact sellers when they're interested. Online classifieds, though, are far more dynamic. They allow a merchant to display dozens, if not hundreds, of their goods with pictures and descriptions. And believe it or not, some online classified sites allow you to do this for free. Yes, that's free with an F.

The benefits don't stop there. As a merchant on a classified site, you can enjoy:

* A store that never closes. Your goods are for sale 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Internet never turns off.

* A mall of online shoppers. Think of a classified site as a virtual shopping mall, with your grouping of ads under your own virtual storefront. By having a storefront, this allows you to have your own web page and listings, under the umbrella of the classified site.

* A chain reaction of shopping. "Real" shoppers go to a mall to visit one store, but often they end up browsing through all of the stores in the mall. The same is true of virtual shoppers. Even when they visit a classified site looking for one particular thing, they're likely to "spill over" to your storefront out of curiosity. At the very least, it leads to advertising for your store; at best, business.

* An advantage over pure Web merchants. Your classified site will pit you against wily online vendors who only sell their wares on the Web. This is where your brick-and-mortar business comes in handy. It's proven that shoppers seem to trust online merchants that have a real address and a real store somewhere.
* A solution to the intricacies of the Internet. Many classified sites can help with setting up your ads and with designing your storefront, providing you with instant IT IQ. For your buyers, the sites offer the security that Web shoppers demand to protect them from identify theft and fraud.

As mentioned before, many classified sites charge absolutely nothing for all of these benefits. The listings, the shopping traffic, the sense of business community, the advertising-you receive all of these perks for free. Oh, and don't forget your piece of the $117 billion dollar pie.

How Easy Is It To Create Stunning E-Covers?

2009-06-09T21:51:00.002-07:00

Hope you're having a truly Super Sunday, and that you've
had some time with your loved ones this weekend! While it's
important to keep your online biz moving forward, it's also
important to have time with those you care most about...
After all, isn't that a big part of why we do this?

We've brought you a lot of PLR products lately, from us,
Aurelius, Edmund and the FreePLR event, so by now you've
got some, maybe a lot, ready to convert to your own unique
products, right?

Here's something that will really help you with that:

http://www.best-web-graphics.com/e-cover-scripts/

Whether it's an e-book, a report, audios, videos,
programs or even memberships, there are action scripts
in this bundle to help you create professional-looking
covers - and you know how important e-covers are on any
salespage! Now, when you change the name of any PLR
product or create your own, you'll be able to display
the graphic e-cover as if you'd paid a pro to create it!

http://www.best-web-graphics.com/e-cover-scripts/

Remember, action scripts require you to have Adobe
PhotoShop to use them - but that's a tool every pro in
our biz needs anyway. And with these great action scripts,
what you no longer have to give to graphic designers will
cover the outlay for PhotoShop within 3 or 4 products
anyway! So grab yours now:

http://www.best-web-graphics.com/e-cover-scripts/

Empowering YOU To Dominate 2009...

Doug & Teri Champigny
http://DougChampigny.com

PS - Let's make this an even sweeter download for you...
The first 100 people to download this bundle from us will
get the Master Rights thrown in too - so get your scripts,
the MRR and the salespage right now from:

http://www.best-web-graphics.com/e-cover-scripts/

To your success... T&D.
=======================================================
This a part of the Champigny E-Zine series, intended
solely for Suren, who requested it on
12/12/05 - 04:02:24 from: 63.219.0.8.
For further information please contact:
Teri & Doug Champigny, mailto:e-zines@champignyweb.com
310-158 Fitch Street,
Welland, ON, Canada L3C 4V6
=======================================================
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Eight No-Fail Steps for E-Commerce Marketing

2009-06-09T21:51:00.001-07:00

I know how to get a blank stare from just about any e-commerce web site owner. All I have to do is ask them about their web site marketing plan!

When I ask them about their web site marketing plan, I get that look. First the eyebrows go up. Then the eyes glaze over for a minute. And then the stammering begins.

"Uh, well, you know - I have my URL on my business card."

"I, ah, I'm going to start an e-mail newsletter."

Some of them may even mention something about "search engines."

But practically no one has a plan! And you know how the old saying goes: "Failure to plan is a plan to fail."

Most small business owners I talk to are frustrated. They think their web site is a big waste of money. An "online business card." A "marketing expense" that doesn't return any of its investment.

And no wonder:

You've spent thousands on a pretty web design. You shell out dough each and every month for web site hosting. You may even be paying a webmaster to update the web site regularly. And month after month, year after year, the sales barely trickle in.

Marketing your web site is frustrating. It's confusing! So we end up doing what all of us do when we're frustrated and confused: deal with it "later." And later never comes.

Know what? It's not your fault! No one ever taught you how to market on the Internet, this new medium. (They sure didn't cover that in my marketing class when I was in school.) And there's all that hype on the Internet - so called web marketing gurus who've made millions online. But guess what? The only thing they've ever sold is reports and e-books on - what else - "how to market on the Internet." They've never packed and shipped a box or ran down the street after the UPS guy.

But what if there was a formula you could follow, a step-by-step guide to creating an online sales machine?

After 10 years of marketing and selling on the web, I've boiled it down to a winning eight-step formula. This formula works for any web business, for any product from amber gemstone jewelry to zebra-print home accessories. In a nutshell, the eight no-fail steps of this formula are:

* Define Your Goals: With no clearly defined purpose, your web site can't succeed. Be specific with each goal, adding both an amount and a timeframe.

* Take a Snapshot: How's your web site performing now? Know your traffic stats and your "three magic numbers."

* Define Your Market: Who are you talking to? Be specific about who your products are for, and where these customers exist.

* Get Them There: Build targeted web traffic by getting your target audience's attention and creating an ongoing dialog.

* Turn Site Visitors into Customers: Once you've gotten them to your web site, make sure you seal the deal before they leave. Know what they're looking for, and what information they need to make a purchasing decision. Give it to them, then ask for the sale.

* Increase Their Spending: Would you like some fries with that hamburger? Since they've got their wallet open, ask for the add-on or upsell.

* Get Them Back: It's cheaper to get an old customer to buy again than it is to recruit a new one. Make the experience memorable, and make the next one convenient.

* Get Their Friends: A happy customer can be your best sales tool. Empower them to spread the word about your products and web site.

When you work each of these steps, your e-commerce marketing can't fail.