Friday, December 31, 2010

Benefits of Incorporating Your Own Business

If you have a small business or starting one in the near future, it is important to look into the benefits of incorporation. The government provides benefits to companies that incorporate their businesses with tax breaks, limits in liability and benefits for employees. Here are some tips to benefiting from Incorporation.

Incorporating your business is a very simple process that takes a small amount of time and can cost less than $500 to complete with the help of a lawyer. You can also incorporate your business on your own without the help of a lawyer by purchasing an incorporation book. These books show you the exact forms that need to be completed and the process to register your business with your state government. Incorporating on your own can cost less than $200.

Incorporating your business is an extremely safe and secure way to limit the financial liability of its owners. If your incorporated business fails, you the owner are not responsible. Your business which is seen as a private entity is responsible for its losses.

Corporations also include great tax benefits. You may be able to save money on business expenses, travel expenses, entertainment and other related expenses by controlling a corporation. If you purchase healthcare, your business can save on the considerable costs to provide it. So if you have a small business or are thinking of creating once, look into corporations.

More business information available at http://www.business-00.info

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Benefiting from Using Small Business Credit Cards

Running a small business requires accurate and detail records. This can be accomplished by using a business credit card. Using a business credit card will provide the small business owner with a monthly statement, listing all business transactions in detail. This is very beneficial because it separates business expenses from personnel expenses. Business owners do not need to sort out personal expenses from business expenses or worry about losing receipts or making reimbursement errors. With such categorized statement, the business owner is able to spend more time analyzing and monitoring expenses to decrease cost where needed. This business credit card statement simplifies the process of filing a business income tax.

Using a personal credit card to make purchases will cause errors and inaccurate reporting and poor business management. To manage your business wisely, it is advisable to use a business credit card because it eliminate the mixing up of personal expenses with business expenses. The statement produced from the business credit card gives a true picture of all transactions made. With this information, business owners can have more time to analyze the statement and adjust expenses to increase profitability.

Tracking your business overhead is accomplished quite easily with the monthly small business statement. With this detailed statement, business owners are able to analyze business expenses and cut cost where needed. Staying in business and making a profit is the main concern of small business owners. Business owners who utilize the monthly statement reports know where monies are spent. They are able to make wise decisions in cutting expenses where needed.

Event though standard business credit cards have comparable features as a business credit card, 0% Apr, no annual fees, balance transfer option, cash back and rewards and more. The main difference for business credit cards is they offer a higher credit limit and is designed and developed to benefit the small business owner. Business owners are able to leverage their buying power because they usually purchase in bulk, as a group which adds up to big savings for the small business owner.

Some features of a small business credit card include, online account management, higher credit limit, itemized employees statement, personalized credit card and more. Business owners love the higher credit limit because it allows them to have a liquid cash flow to make purchases for airline tickets, gasoline, and office supply etc. and avoid undercapitalization. Maintain good credit because the small business owner is liable for any defaults associated with the business credit card. Credit card activities are reported to the main credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Trans Union.

Educate yourself about the features of the business credit cards since there are differences between business credit cards and personal credit cards. Apply for the business credit card that will offer the most savings and benefits for your particular company. For example, if you have a fleet of cars then apply for the business credit card that offers the most cash back and rewards. Small business owners are generally a sole proprietorship and are personally liable for the business credit card debt. Read the terms and conditions to have a good understanding about the features offered, penalties for late payment, charging over credit limit, defaults on credit-card payments and knowing who is responsible if the credit card is lost or stolen.

iCreditOnline.com is the web’s leading credit card resource site. Customers are able to compare credit card offers and apply for the card that meets their needs. This article is free to publish in its entirety and must include all links: http://www.icreditonline.com

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Benefit with Joint Ventures

If you are a web developer or a marketer looking for a great opportunity, look into joint ventures. Joint ventures are a great way to combine talents and create a winning product. Many people who have been successful at joint ventures came to the plate with one strong talent, whether a winning product or a great network to sell products. By combining your forces, you can create synergy and a healthy profit. Here are some tips on joining joint ventures.

Joint ventures are very easy to create. There are plenty of web sites that offer people the opportunity to post their business propositions online for other to see and consider. Many developers and marketers check out JV opportunities weekly looking for the next big product. For instance, many web developers use affiliate sites to sell quality products to the masses that offer huge commissions. Affiliate sites such as Clickbank, Commission Junction and even Amazon help small web developers sell their merchant’s items.

You can also look at web forums for vendors or marketers that are looking to team up and make a healthy profit. So if you only have one piece of the puzzle, but still want to be successful, look into joint ventures and create a relationship that will benefit both parties involved.


More information is available at http://www.business-00.info

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Being Competitive in a GM

The challenges of today's global marketplace are forcing companies to look at doing things differently in order to get that extra edge over their competition.

According to Makino, a global provider of advanced machining technology, companies doing things the same way they have been doing them for the last 10 to 15 years are probably in a "recurring uniform trap," or "RUT," while the global market is passing them by.

Why do something differently? Productivity is a big reason. A 21st century equation explains what productivity requirements will be for the future; the concept

being half the number of people, making twice as much money, but doing three times the amount of work.

In manufacturing, this concept is coming true today. Companies are looking under every rock for opportunities to improve productivity, increase efficiency and lower costs.

In many machine shops, machining centers sit idle while manual work is still being performed. By doing things this way, the companies are not getting the most out of their machine nor their personnel investment.

In today's competitive environment, companies must identify if they are stuck in a RUT. In order to improve, they must be willing to step outside their comfort zones and create solutions.

Culture change takes place gradually, and everyone, especially the people who are out on the floor, must first have a high level of confidence that new technology will work and work reliably before they embrace it. Reliable, high-performance machines not only produce results but also eliminate your business RUT.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Behavioral Interviewing

Have you ever wondered, while interviewing a candidate, how will you suspend your own personal biases during the interview? Well, if you have, you might want to read on and learn how to do just that.

Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for 15 years, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.

What is Behavior Based Interviewing? Behavior-based interviewing focuses on your past experiences, behaviors, attitudes, personal skills and capacities that are job-related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance. You may use work experience, outsides activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life as examples of your past behavior. However we suggest to focus on job related performance as much as possible.


Behavioral Interviewing Questions. This is the key to matching behavioral interviewing questions with specific soft sills or competencies. Below is a short list of 22 competencies with their definitions, suggestions for effective interviewing hints and a sample question for each.

1. Conflict Management: Addressing and resolving conflict constructively.

• Listen for proactive identification and resolution of concerns and issues.
• Sample question: “Describe the most difficult conflict you’ve ever had to manage.”

2. Employee Development/Coaching: Facilitating and supporting the professional growth of others.

• Listen for a belief in the potential of others and promoting of learning and development.
• Sample question: “Describe your personal experience with a mentor or coach.”

3. Interpersonal Skills: Effectively communicating, building rapport and relating well to all kinds of people.

• Listen for self-awareness, understanding and an ability to communicate effectively with others regardless of differences.
• Sample question: “Describe the most difficult working relationship you’ve had with an individual.”

4. Teamwork: Working effectively and productively with other.

• Listen for a strong commitment and contributions to team members working towards a specific goal.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of one of the most significant contributions you made as a member of a high performing team.”

5. Self-Management: Demonstrating self-control and an ability to manage time and priorities.

• Listen for composure, assertiveness and emotional stability.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of when you were able to meet the personal and professional demands in your life, yet still maintained a healthy balance.”

6. Empathy: Identifying with and caring about others.

• Listen for genuine caring, compassion and initiative in assisting others without expectations of rewards.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of when you identified with someone else’s difficulties at work.”

7. Planning/Organizing: Utilizing logical, systematic and orderly procedures to meet objectives.

• Listen for logical, organized and systematic approaches.
• Sample question: “ Describe the most complex assignment or project you’ve worked on.”

8. Customer Service: Anticipating, meeting and/or exceeding customer needs, wants and expectations.

• Listen for extraordinary efforts in responding to customer needs and wants to insure satisfaction.
• Sample question: “ Give me an example of when you went out of your way for a customer.”

9. Written Communication: Writing clearly, succinctly and understandably.

Look for clear and understandable knowledge or written communication.
Sample question: “Give me an example of something you wrote for work that was effective in achieving a communication goal.”

10. Presenting: Speaking effectively to small and large groups.

• Listen for awareness, accuracy and composure.
• Sample question: “ Describe a situation when you had to give a presentation to a group of people you have never met.”

11. Persuasion: Convincing others to change the way they think, believe or behave.

• Listen for persistence, determination and a “never-give-up” attitude in efforts to meet goals.
• Sample question: “Describe a situation where you were able to convince others to your way of thinking.”

12. Goal Orientation: Energetically focusing efforts on meeting a goal, mission or objective.

• Listen for the ability to maintain their direction in spite of obstacles in their path.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of the most significant professional goal you have met.”

13. Flexibility: Agility in adapting to change.

• Listen for a positive attitude towards lots of activity, multi-tasking and change, in general.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of when you were forced to change priorities or direction.”

14. Continuous Learning: Taking initiative in learning and implementing new concepts, technologies and/or methods.

• Listen for a positive attitude towards self-improvement, learning and the application of knowledge.
• Sample question: “How do you keep current on what’s going on in your field?”

15. Personal Effectiveness: Demonstrating initiative, self-confidence, resiliency and a willingness to take responsibility for personal actions.

• Listen for a strong sense of self, personal responsibility, courage and resilience.
• Sample question: “What do you think has enabled you to meet your goals?”

16. Problem Solving: Anticipating, analyzing, diagnosing and resolving problems.

• Listen for an analytical and disciplined approach to solving problems.
• Sample question: “Describe a situation when you anticipated a problem.”

17. Negotiation: Facilitating agreements between two or more parties.

• Listen for seasoned expertise in negotiating “win-win” agreements.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of when you were able to facilitate a “win-win” agreement between two or more adversarial parties.”

18. Management: Achieving extraordinary results through effective management of resources, systems and processes.

• Listen for shrewd business sense, understanding of operational issues and an ability to improve the bottom line.
• Sample question: “Describe the largest budget you’ve ever developed and had responsibility for managing.”

19. Leadership: Achieving extraordinary business results through people.

• Listen for an ability to obtain the trust, commitment and motivation of others to achieve goals and objectives.
• Sample question: “If you have held a leadership position in the past, draw the organizational chart above and below your position to illustrate the scope of your leadership responsibilities.”

20. Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.

• Listen for an ability to make timely decisions under difficult circumstances.
• Sample question: “Give me an example of when you had to make a quick decision when the risk of making an error was high.”

21. Futuristic Thinking: Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or predicting what has not yet been realized.

• Listen for optimism, predictions and a commitment to future possibilities.
• Sample question: “Describe a situation when you were correct in seeing a future trend that others didn’t.”

22. Creativity/Innovation: Adapting traditional or devising new approaches, concepts, methods, models, designs, processes, technologies, and/or systems.

• Listen for “out-of-the-box” thinking and unusual approaches.
• Sample question: “ Describe a work situation when you adapted a concept, design, process or system to meet a need.”

Be sure to probe for as many details and specifics as possible such as names, dates and other verifiable information. Skilled interviewers will also ask candidates for their thoughts or feelings about a situation to gain further insight.

How Can I Prepare for A Behavioral Interview?

• Be familiar with the type of positions for which you’re applying.
• Reflect on your own background. What skills do you have that relate to the job you are applying for?
• Think of examples from your past experience where you demonstrated those skills. How can you give an example about your use of particular skills or knowledge?
• Be prepared to provide examples of when results didn’t turn out as you planned. What did you do then? In hindsight, what would you do differently?
• Identify two or three of your strengths and determine how you will convey these assets during the interview.
• Once you land your desired position, keep a personal achievement diary to help document demonstrated performance.

How Do I Prepare For a Behavioral Interview If I Am The Interviewer or Company Hiring?

• If the job could talk; what would it say? About:
- The behaviors of the person who will always be able to deliver superior performance?
- The attitudes of the people doing the job?
- The attributes or soft skills needed for superior performance?

• Job Benchmarking with a system such as Trimetrix, reveals why, how and what an individual can contribute to a job.

• It identifies a complete hierarchy of competencies or personal skills. It allows you to clarify any position issues. It prioritizes and validates the competencies required.

• This can be done for any:
- Leadership/Management Exempt position
- Professional Exempt position
- Hourly non-exempt position

• Anytime you need an unbiased opinion about whether someone is right or wrong for the job, the computer will analyze the input of up to ten respondents to identify the importance of the 23 soft skills competencies.

• Where can you do this…through the Internet! Have up to ten respondents identify the importance of the 23 soft skills competencies and then see how your candidate matches up.

For more information about the Trimetrix Process or how to benchmark a job,
please feel free to call Well-Run Concepts at 877-566-2900, email us at
Success@Well-Run.com or visit us on the Web at www.Well-Run.com

The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only ten percent predictive.

Good luck with the process of Behavioral Interviewing and Well-Run Concepts encourages you to use the Behavioral Interviewing questions provided in this article to get you started.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Before Starting A Business

For some people the idea of starting a business sounds like the worst idea in the world. They would rather work all the years of their life for someone else than even consider having a business of their own. For others, however, there is nothing more exciting than the thought of starting a business.

Many people dream of starting a business from the time they are young. These people love the idea of being creative and of selling products they believe in. They love the idea of convincing others to love the same things they love and they usually like the idea of working with money. Starting a business of their own sounds like the ideal way to spend years of their life.

If you're one of these crazy people that dream of one day starting a business, you can begin the process by taking the time to ask yourself some important questions that will give you more understanding and direction of how to proceed. First, if you're considering starting a business, try to brainstorm the kind of business that you would want to start. Do you dream of selling books or of having coffee shop, or is the idea of selling sporting equipment more your style? You see, you can have a business for just about anything, so it is important to narrow your ideas into a couple of focused ideas for starting a business. It is usually true that starting a business will go better if your business is focused on something that you love. Without passion you will not get very far with your dreams.

You should be a combination of realistic and idealistic when you're making plans for starting a business. You have to have a real understanding of factors like money, time, and resources for your business, but you will never have the business you dream of if you wait until you have all of the details figured out. So allow yourself to get pretty detailed in your ideas for starting a business. Write out parts of starting a business that seem easy and possible and write out parts of starting a business that seem hard or like they could never happen.

Another important thing to do before you rush off in starting a business is to sit down with current business owners and learn everything they can teach you. Their years of trial and error will be invaluable to you as you seek to begin the process of starting a business yourself. Many have gone before you, so utilize their resources and be a learner.

Take steps of planning and preparation and your dream of starting a business can become a reality quicker than you'd expect.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Before Going Into Business

1. Why should there be anyone would do business with you?

This could be the very first question that you must ask yourself before anything else. You got to demand yourself to an answer to this. Why the heck on earth would anybody pay for this “Junk” you’re selling? Yup, “Junk”, as I phrased it. It doesn’t matter how good your product is to be, to the eye of others, it’s just another piece of product in a sea pool of other similar products.

So, still be very proud of your product or service? Truly you’re 100% proud of it? You truthfully and deeply believe people would be dumb by NOT buying from you?

Well…you passed the first barrier! You’re ready to start go to next stage.


2. The basic business needs 3 things: Lawyer, CPA, and Creative or crazy fellow, which could very well be you.

Almost every business gets themselves for the first two. It’s understandably so. Good creative person are really hard to find, hard to manage, and you’ll never sure of what you’re paying for.

Every established and sizeable business knows the creative side plays a heavier weight than the lawyer and CPA. CPA’s and lawyers can help you when you are up there. But at the early stage when your business is still an infant, your business live or die depending on it’s business branding activities in areas like business identities, logos, marketing campaign, advertising copy and business slogans.

Now, are you NUTS enough? Have people been calling you NUTS?
If so, you are ready for the next stage! Do give yourself a “Cheers”!


3. Singing for Your Own? You Got To Promote Yourself In Every Possible Way.

Do all of them. Yes, Do whatever possible to get your business name to be up there! Get your Business Brand being noticed by others. There more the merrier!

Business can just comes and go so fast before anybody could hears of them. People are busy, what do they care? They don’t care about you and your business. Why should they care? Get serious. Do everything you can possibly and reasonably afford to do. But beware; you must not mislead others because it’ll backfire quickly enough to wipe your business off.

Do you “Sing for your own self”? Then you’ve passed! Move on to next stage…

4. Big Decision: Could You Win The Competition.

It’s very likely that you’re entering a crowded business market when you first started. Take a hard and closer look at what other fellows are doing; what your competitors are doing right now could affect your business greatly.

At this stage, you got to decide: Are you going for “Head to Head” fight? Competing on better quality? Crazier pricing strategy? Extra Mile Service Level? Better Marketing Campaign? or what else? Or you would avoid all that, and create you own niche, where you are the leader?

If you decided to be offering the same or very much similar product at the same price, but your marketing materials doesn’t look half as good as your competitors…hey, you’re in deep trouble! If you’re charging half compare to others, then it’s still alright to “Look” cheap, simply because you are the “Cheaper” alternative where people are looking for.


5. Marketing is basically just a matter Perception.

”Perception” is just another fancy word for thoughts. The thought by the public has in mind all about you and your “Good” or “Bad” business. Good salesmen control the perception more on personal level like putting on neat suit, very nice smile and sincere voice, firm handshake…etc.

And your business marketing campaign need to strive to achieve equivalent level of effects. And it needs to be at a more abstract level by means of having an attractive Business Name, Eye Catching Business Graphics, Professionally dressed-up staff. Any things that just might seduce and persuade a potential visitor to become a paying customer.


6. Your Business Identity; Your Business Equity.

The Business Name, the Logo, the projected Business Look, the public’s perception, recognition, or even affection if there is; these are critical to business success. Big businesses routinely pay big buck like million dollars for these aspects for the business.

Your Business Identity must be well organized to target at desired market. It’s what termed as the “Face” side, the side which public always sees first. Work on refining it so it works wonders. Improve it to get better and even better, and then protect it, and treasured like your beloved!

Yup, there are so many people who just bought a ready business. But every time they run a new marketing campaign, they tend to fall into trap of projecting a different business image and look. Really, don’t ever make such mistake like an amateur.

Consistently stick on to the business branding strategy that your have chosen on the very early stage. This is your Business Equity. By keep changing the business look, you’ll get the public confused, and worse still if they see that you don’t even have the basic respect for your business identity.

Don’t destroy the business equity; you need to be utmost concerned with your business image to the public. It has its own personality. It has to stand out from the rest. It has to send clear signal to the targeted market: “Here We are, Come To Us”, “Get Us Today”.


Do Love Your Business, just like you love yourself.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Beer Promotion in the Wild World of the Internet

The Challenge for Breweries in Today’s Regulated Marketplace is immense. For the past decade the advertising of alcoholic products has been increasingly subject to both government regulation and self-regulatory bodies. In Canada, the CRTC’s August 1996 Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages severely restricted the way in which alcohol products are presented on both radio and television. It is not an exaggeration to say that any advertisement adhering to these regulations would be dull indeed, and almost obscure any attempt at promotion - you can’t enjoy yourself and drink beer at the same time! Print material such as entrepreneurial magazines and newspapers are less restricted, though regulated by provincial Liquor Boards. The same ethical limitations apply: do not link enjoyment with alcohol consumption; do not direct your ad to youth; do not over-promote; do not pass Go! Also, self-regulation within various media abounds.

In the United States a similar situation exists. The Federal Trade Commission and Congress are the key regulating authorities. In addition, individual media and media groups establish their own code of ethics, often refusing to publish or broadcast alcohol advertising.

The challenge? How do breweries and microbreweries ‘get the word out’ about their products within an advertising marketplace of such limited visibility where self-promotion is frowned upon?

When traditional methods are not a viable option we must identify and utilize those of the future. One way breweries can take advantage of modern advertising options is to share your product with the world on the Internet.
You may already have a company website. It’s fun, it positively promotes your product with enthusiasm as no TV ad is now permitted to do. Your T-shirts and ball caps have their own page. Potential customers are visiting your website on a regular basis, once they stumble across your site on a night of Internet surfing. However, is this kind of customer traffic really the most effective use of such a dynamic advertising tool? All that creative and technical effort and your audience consist of web junkies and the occasional salesperson trying to sell you something. The solution to this problem is targeted pixel marketing. Websites are being developed which help increase traffic on subject related web pages. For instance, pixel space for your beer label on the beer home page may be purchased for a reasonable cost. The label then links with your own webpage.

Beer festivals may be a long established custom, however the modern version is a true advertising event and increasingly popular, not only with the locals. Beer fans travel far to attend their favorite bash. To choose the festival which most suites your product, the Internet comes to the rescue once again. A number of websites list festivals. Check the bottom row of thebeerhomepage.com for the most popular beer festivals around the world.

Besides a shift in promotional methods, a fresh approach in attitude will go a long way in changing public perception of beer. Taking a leaf out the wine industry’s book may be the answer. Wine sales have risen since their advertisers started promoting wine “as a natural product, a healthy option, a sophisticated and educated choice, a compliment to food and equally popular with men and women. In fact, beer can also boast all these things, but its public perception is poor by comparison” says Peter Kendal of Molson Coors Brewers. He continues, “Beer is a wholesome, natural product, made from malted barley and hops. Moreover, moderate (and we stress moderate) beer drinking is just as healthy as moderate wine drinking”.

To conclude, these are only a few examples of the way a modern approach to advertising need not battle with established regulations. A positive, open mind and a willingness to switch gears should lead to a healthy return on your advertising dollars.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Becoming Your Own Publicist

When big businesses develop products or services, they hire publicists to promote them. The publicists’ job is to organize a promotional camping. They provide a report or story to journalists in various forms of online and offline media. They’re hired to promote and creating mass public interest. Making a small business perform on a grand scale is simple. By becoming your own publicist, you can promote the same way, leaving you competition in the dust.

First, make a list of potential contacts in forms media you’ll target. In other words, find journalists. Good journalists are always hungrily looking for a unique story to write about. When you present them with one, they’re more than happy to listen. You’re making their job easier bringing a story to them and cutting their research time down. They often spend more time looking for a story to write about, than dong what they love, interviewing people and writing stories to publish!

You can find many find journalists working for local newspapers nation wide. Simply call local newspapers and ask to speak to the appropriate reporter. Then, fill them in on your story. However, don’t give the complete story away at that moment. Create interest and schedule an appointment for the reporter to get your complete story.

You’re actually setting up a press conference. When you spoke to each reporter, you gave then a convenient way to get your full story without leaving their office. How? By inviting them to your press conference that will take place on a teleconference call line. This way, you can invite hundreds of reporters to hear your story and interview you at once. You can find teleconference lines on the Internet at no cost. Just do a search for them.

When the press knows your story, it will create a buzz about your business and be printed in newspapers as a feature for people to read. Your business contact information will also be included in the newspaper article so people can contact your business. If 50 newspapers with a circulation of 30,000 readers per day print your story, 1,500,000 people will receive it in their newspaper. Of the 1,500,000 people, let’s say that only 50,000 read your story. If of 50,000, only 2,000 contact your business, totaling 2,000 excellent quality leads, that’s not bad.

This same technique used for exposure in magazines and other forms of media. Most have online and offline editions. When news is considered legitimate, it’s taken more seriously that any advertisement you can buy.

Did I mention this would not cost one dime?

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Becoming Wealthy through the Home-Based Business Opportunity

Thanks to the Internet, more people than ever before are discovering that they can launch their own home-based business. Essentially, all you need is a computer, an Internet connection, and the right home-based business opportunity. The question then becomes, how to you select the best home based business opportunity? Here are four steps you can take to help you decide which opportunity is right for you.

Determine Your Goals

Before committing to an income opportunity at home, you first need to determine your goals. Are you interested in supplementing your income from your current job? Do you wish to stay at home with your children, but bring in a second income? Are you retired and want to supplement your pension or social security? Or are you tired of the nine-to-five grind and want to make a full time income by working only part time? Perhaps you have a specific financial goal in mind, such as a vacation or college fund, or maybe you want to harness the power of the Internet and become genuinely wealthy. Determining your financial goals will help you find the best home based business opportunity.

Can You Sell?

Many times, a home-based business opportunity requires you to sell products. Are you a salesperson at heart, or does the thought of calling people and selling products make you cringe? If you're a born salesperson, there are any number of opportunities that allow you to excel. However, if you're not a natural salesperson, there's no reason to go outside your comfort zone. Even if you try, you probably won't succeed.

Instead, find a home-based business opportunity that harnesses the power of the Internet to provide you with an automated, hands-off lead generation and sales system. Typically, these kinds of opportunities offer products - such as software or information products - that essentially sell themselves. The companies that offer these kinds of business opportunities will provide you with the tools you need to help you succeed, such as your own website, training, and marketing support.

Seek Out Flexibility

You may be in the position to work predetermined hours from home, but the majority of people who seek an income opportunity at home need flexibility. Perhaps you have school-age children, or maybe you are a night owl and want to work from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. The best home based business opportunity enables you to work the hours that are convenient to you and that allows you to access the vital information you need 24-7-365.

The Right Compensation Plan

There are almost as many compensation plans as there are home-based business opportunities. When you're reviewing opportunities, make sure to compare apples to apples. Generally speaking, the best compensation plans give you 100% of every sale after your first two sales (which go to your immediate upline). You then receive the sales from the first two sales of each person in your downline, and their downline, and so forth to infinity. This type of compensation plan generally outperforms those that are commission-based because commission-based compensation plans typically are of greatest benefit to those at the top and leave relatively little profit for you.

When you find the best home based business opportunity, you can maximize your earning potential and truly become wealthy.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Becoming an Expat with a New Job

One of the primary reasons why people are moving overseas is that they are offered jobs that are more competitive and is offering high salaries. This is why the number of those going abroad is continuing to grow.

People in different countries have come to realize that there is no future where they are right now. So when they see some jobs being offered abroad, they are easily enticed by the high salary and compensations that they offer.

Before they know it, they are off bringing their family and their belongings along to that certain country. And before long, they already have started a new life in that place with no regret of leaving their old home behind.

While moving overseas can be a rewarding and an exciting experience, there are some things you have to check out first before you make your decision. These things will prove relevant in your new life and career. What are these?

1. The employment.

Make sure that what you are getting at is genuine. A lot of people have bad experiences regarding jobs that they are supposed to be getting into. In the process of deciding if you are suited for that position; check out the eligibility of the employer.

Once you are assured that it is legible, consider the benefits that you will get from that company. Are they worth more than what you are getting right now? Is it something that you know you will be happy in and will make you stay for a long time?

These are the questions that you need to have solid answers on. Keep in mind that once you have moved yourself and your family, you cannot get your old life and work back. Make sure that you will not regret your overseas move and your new job.

2. The location.

You probably would want to go back and visit your relative once in awhile. Is the location so far away that you will not get an opportunity to do that much?

If you are from a close knit family, it will trouble you if you cannot visit them from time to time. So you should consider the location and see if it is possible for you to visit or them to visit sometime.

Another thing to consider in the location is the condition in that place. You are better off avoiding those that are frequently visited by natural calamities. You should also avoid places that will put your safety at risk. Even if they are offering to pay you a lot of money, you need to think of your safety first.

3. The place you will move into.

For sure, you would want your new house to be just like the one you have left. And you will want to make sure that you have all the necessities easily accessible.

Be sure to check the place where you will be staying before you plunge on ahead. Check for electricity and water supply. See if it is located near business establishment and a school if you have your children with you. Also check for the mode of transportation from your place to other destinations.

Make a checklist of these things before you accept that job and start moving overseas. If you think that all is well, then it will turn out to be the best decision you have made in your life.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Become a Millionare Selling Custom T Shirts

The American dream is to strike it rich as a self made millionaire. While in theory this is a fantastic idea, the truth is that there are few industries left where people can start from scratch and make themselves a millionaire through nothing but their own perseverance and skills. Furthering this dilemma is the fact that a lot of those jobs require a very high level of education and more importantly the years spent obtaining that education. I’ll let you in on a secret, I have a bachelor’s degree, and although I do not down play the importance of education for the vast majority of people (especially my children, who already think they know everything), I did not need that degree. I could just as easily started doing what I do now with nothing more than a GED. The wholesale T-Shirt industry is truly a way where a hardworking, motivated, and personable individual can make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.
How? I started out selling T-Shirts as a part time job to supplement what can only be considered a dismal income. I was actually turned on to the idea from a good friend of mine who makes as much as I do now. All it took to start from scratch was a small amount of money; remember at this point I was living from paycheck to paycheck. I used this money to buy some business cards and register the name of my company. I then sat down and started calling local businesses in the phonebook. A few of these companies went on to be my first customers and many of them continue to do business with me to this day.
With a base of customers, I needed suppliers. I needed suppliers, textile manufactures. This wasn’t hard. They’re in business to sell you their clothing, and they make high quality products. From there it was a matter of getting a contract screen printer to do the printing for me.
That is the long and short of how my business began. I bought t-shirts and paid a contract printer to do the screen printing. I then sold this product to my costumers. I came to think of myself as adding value to the t-shirts and bringing buyers and sellers together; all the while I was making more than I would have thought possible years earlier. I needed very little cash because I didn’t buy anything until my customers had committed to buying the custom t-shirts. If they wanted to pay with credit card it worked even better because I knew I already had the money. There was never very much risk and the potential for reward was fantastic.
Eventually my company was making enough money and taking enough time that I left my previous job as a trader to do it full time. I hired a secretary as soon as I could financially justify it and this freed up my time to seek and meet with customers. My company allowed me to make enough to grow the business and still never worry about my financial situation. The most beautiful thing about doing it the way I did in terms of growth is that I never felt like I was risking anything I couldn’t afford to lose.
About fifteen years after I started I got to a point where I was making enough money to try another expansion. I decided I would move into the screen printing myself. I currently own my own screen printing equipment and have a full time staff to do the contract printing for others that I used to have done for my own customers. I currently am in the process of setting up other companies that do what I started to do. I sell these companies to other ambition individuals and work as their screen printer. They go and get the customers for themselves, and I offer advice and the contract screen printing. We set up the new companies with their own website that offers pricing and quotes built in to it. We do the screen printing at special prices because of the special nature of the relationship that we have with these companies. Our websites allow the companies to decide what price they want to sell the shirts. This relationship benefits everyone because they don’t need to go thru the hoops of finding the printer and setting up the company and website, and it generates business for our company too.
This is where I currently am in my own business. I have attempted to show you the evolution of my business. I have made more than enough money to live comfortably, help put my children thru college, and save for retirement. The best part is how much I enjoy my job. I have woken up every day for the past ten years and known that I am my own boss. My destiny is my own hand and I answer to no one. I firmly believe getting into this industry was one of the best choices I ever made. Think about that all of this the next time that you wake up dreading going to work or the next time your boss is any four letter word you’d like.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Beautiful Costa Rica Real Estate For Sale

Costa Rica Eye Consulting is offering
property in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. This is a team of
professionals who are committed to finding the perfect Costa Rica
property for you.

Costa Rica is a politically stable country with low living costs and
high quality homes. You will enjoy excellent weather because of the
geographic location. Access to local foods and fruits give this
country a small island feel with the convince of big city amenities.

Costa Rica Eye Consulting has an easy to navigate website which makes
finding your dream home or vacation property a breeze. Not all
properties and listed on their website as some owners would like to
keep their sales discrete. Contacting them will open the doors to new
unlisted properties.

Clicking on the picture of any property will bring up the all the
statistics that you would need to make an informed purchase. You will
find that most of these properties offer a lot of house for the money.
If you have ever thought of investing in property in Costa Rica, maybe
now is the time to do it.

In order to have a truly international flair to this website, the
script has been written in English, Spanish and German. Assuming since
you are reading this you will need to view the website in English. To
do so click on the British flag in the upper right hand corner of the
navigation bar. The telephone number and email address are at the
bottom of the page in case you have a question about any of the
properties.

About ( http://www.costaricaeye.com )
Costa Rica Eye Consulting offers beautiful competitively prices homes
in Costa Rica. With great a customer support team and an easy to
navigate website you should not have a problem finding an investment
property, vacation property or your dream home.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Beating Crime with Printers

Perhaps it would be naive to think that the 21st century governments would stop at monitoring your every move on the street. Pause for a minute to contemplate what the next level of tracking could include. The answer is laser printers. If you think a document from your colour laser printer doesn't carry your name, think again.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) claims that it has cracked the tracking codes embedded in Xerox Corporation's DocuColor laser printers. Such codes are simply one of the numerous ways manufacturers employ technology to help governments fight currency counterfeiting.

The United States government is allegedly involved with a number of other companies in separate anti-counterfeiting programmes meant to prevent currency from being scanned and printed. The U.S. government, however, is not the only country teaming with the printing industry to fight counterfeiters. A few experts believe that the Dutch government is also using similar anti-counterfeiting methods through Canon’s encoding technology.

Researchers in the U.S. have uncovered patterns of yellow dots arranged in 15 by 8 grids and printed repeatedly over every colour page. The dots, however, are visible only with a magnifying glass or under blue light, which causes the yellow dots to appear black. The code appears as a grid of microscopic yellow dots, each less than a millimeter in diameter. These millimeter-sized dots appear about every inch on a printed page, nestled within the words and margins. By analyzing various test pages printed by supporters worldwide, researchers found that some of the dots correspond to the printers' serial numbers, and other dots refer to the date and time of the printing.

Consider two documents – one carrying the author's name and one meant to be anonymous. By comparing the codes, it can be determined whether the two documents were printed by the same printer, even if Xerox reveals nothing about a customer's serial number. The EFF is now studying printers from other well-known manufacturers with similar tracking codes, but whose keys remain secret.

Unlike inkjet printers, laser printers, copiers, and fax machines fire a laser through a mirror and series of lenses to embed the document or image on a page. Such devices range from a little over £80 to more than £1000, and are designed for both home and office use.

Peter Crean, a senior research fellow at Xerox, says the company pioneered this technology about 20 years ago because several countries had expressed concern about selling the printers in their country. The move aimed at allaying fears that their colour copiers could be easily used to counterfeit bills.

It is believed that since then, many other companies have adopted the practice. According to experts, several printer companies secretly encode the serial number and the manufacturing code of their colour laser printers and colour copiers on every document those machines produce.

Laser-printing technology makes it extremely easy to counterfeit money and documents, and the dots, according to supporters, in use in some printers for decades, allow law enforcement agencies to identify and track down counterfeiters.

However, the same dots could also be employed to track a document back to any person or business that printed it. Although the technology has been present for a long time, printer companies have not been required to notify customers of the feature.

If this practice disturbs you, don't bother trying to disable the encoding mechanism of your printer—you'll probably break it. The coding device is a chip located deep into the machine, near the laser. It embeds the dots when the document is about 20 billionths of a second from printing.

Although nobody has an estimate of how many laser printers, copiers, and multifunction devices track documents, experts believe that the practice is commonplace among major printer companies. The U.S. Secret Service would agree that it finds the printing industry quite helpful to law enforcement.

According to sources, counterfeiting cases are brought to the Secret Service, which checks the documents, determines the brand and serial number of the printer, and contacts the company. Some, like Xerox, have a customer database, which they share with the government.

Many people are apprehensive that the American government’s tracking initiative could lead to a serious breach of privacy. The government has already succeeded in persuading more colour laser printer manufacturers to encode each page with identifying information. Without your knowledge or permission, an act you assume is private could become public. A communication tool you use in everyday life could become a tool for government surveillance. And what's worse, there are no laws to prevent its abuse.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Beat The Forex Market Everytime You Want And Earn Big Profit!

Forex training is a necessity for anyone with this interest. Forex training is always beneficial for a trader, even if he has a few months of practical knowledge in forex market. Forex training is very important if you want to get into the world of forex trading.

Forex training is available via online courses, advanced trading workshops and one on one mentoring. Forex training is a process which requires a continuous effort to apply the knowledge that can be gathered from reading Forex trading books, into practice.

Forex training is the key to successful Forex trading. The best place to get Forex training is from someone who is already involved in Forex trading.

Investing in a high-quality Forex training is a good step to becoming a successful trader in the market. The best place to get Forex training is online. Online method of Forex training is good for newcomer for it helps him to get prepared with nuts and bolts of the trading market. The reason that Forex training is so vital is because the Forex market is extremely competitive and volatile. Quality Forex training is the key to success.

Investing in the proper Forex training is just as important as the amount of money that you will invest in your live trading account. The key goal of the Forex training is to learn where in the brokers WebPages to find what information, what the different indicators mean and what indicators to use for comparison.

Successful Forex trading begins with a good Forex training. This will save you a lot a lot of time trying to learn it yourself and save you thousands of dollars trying to find the secret formula for successful trading. Profiting and winning in Forex Trading is not rocket science, you just need the right information and strategy to follow.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Be Curious – And Be A Successful Communicator

There are many ways to improve the way you communicate. For example, you will always start things off on the right foot by opening the conversation in a way that creates mutual respect. Using phrases such as, "If you have a minute, I'd like to talk with you about something that I think will improve the way we work together," helps set your conversation partner at ease. It tells him or her that you have positive intentions.

It is also important to know your purpose for the conversation. Some purposes are more useful than others. A useful purpose is one you have power over. For instance, you can control your own reaction; you can share your view; learn about your partner's view; work toward a sustainable solution.

On the other hand, examples of purposes that are NOT useful are: trying to change the other person; attempting to control their reaction; or going in with a hidden agenda.

Be Interested
Of the many ways to improve your conversation skills, one of the best is to be interested. Curiosity is one of the most useful tools in the communication toolbox. When you enter the conversation with "beginner's mind," you will necessarily adopt the attitude of a learner. You will not have to pretend to ask honest, open questions. They will come naturally. As you listen, you can reflect on what is being said (and not said). You will gain information and ease tension. If you can't think of a question, you can always acknowledge what you've heard, or you can say: "I see, tell me more about that."

One of the reasons we're not curious more often is that we mentally equate curiosity with agreement. We think that if we don't disagree immediately, our conversation partner will assume we're okay with whatever he is saying. This is not useful thinking. It prevents you from seeing the whole picture and from learning where your partner is coming from.

The next time you find yourself in a difficult conversation, give yourself and your partner a gift by asking questions - questions to which you do not know the answer. Watch what happens. You will learn a lot, and you will feel more powerful, not less. Remember – listening does not equal agreement. It means you are a skilled and active learner, a good partner, and a conscious communicator. Live, learn, and enjoy the moment.

Good luck and good communication!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

BBC Banned Music: Top Singles Banned By the BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation also known as the BBC is a public broadcasting corporation. Therefore, it allows itself to ban materials that deviate from certain standards of civility. During the years, many singles that were seen as too explicit, distasteful or bear the potential for offending the British public were banned from BBC airplay. Here you can read about some of them.


In 1977, when England was celebrating the Queens Jubilee, the Sex Pistols had released their second single titled God Save the Queen. The single includes controversial lyrics that rhyme the national anthem title with fascist regime. Moreover, the record cover displayed a picture of the Queen with a safety pin stuck in her nose.

The single was found to offensive to be air played by the BBC, but it did not stop it from reaching number two on the BBC official singles chart. According to the myth, God Save the Queen was the top selling single in the UK at the time, but it was held back of number one to avoid controversies.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin scandalous duet Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus, translated: I love you... me neither, was the first ever number one hit to be banned by the BBC. Although at the time of its release, in 1969, the sexual revolution was celebrated, the British radio still was not able to cope with such explicit lyrics, not to mention Birkins moans and groans.

The BBC ban and The Vatican denounce, did not stop Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus from being a top selling single in the UK and worldwide. In October 7, 1969, the single reached number one in the BBC official singles chart. At the same time, it had reached number 69 at the US singles chart.

Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus was a major influence on another BBC banned single, Donna Summers disco pioneer from 1976 titled Love to Love You Baby. After counting 23 faked orgasms performed by Summer in Love to Love You Baby, the British Broadcasting Corporation banned the song. However, it did not stop it from becoming a massive hit. Love to Love You Baby reached number four on the UK single charts but peaked to number two on the Billboard pop chart.

Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is one of the most controversial singles as well as commercially successful singles in history. The BBC did not only ban the song it also did not stop BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read to publicly express his feelings of disgust from the single's explicit lyrics. In 1984, Relax stayed in the UK singles charts for 42 weeks. In five of them, it stayed in number one. By the end of 1984, embarrassed Auntie Beeb removed the ban. Relax is still very popular worldwide and it is one of the most recognized symbols of the era. The arguments on whether it gained such a huge success despite the BBC ban or the BBC ban helped promoting it have not been settled yet.

Paul McCartney and the Wings response to the 1972 Bloody Sunday events titled Give Ireland Back to the Irish, was banned by every media resource in the UK. It was forbidden from being broadcast by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority. In addition, the song title was not allowed to be pronounced on the air, so when it arrived to the BBC Radio 1 chart show it was presented as a record by the group Wings. However, Give Ireland Back to the Irish hit the top of the Irish singles charts.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Basics of Welfare Economics

Human beings are the building blocks of society. The societies agglomerate to make states. And then the nations are formed. The economy of a nation is the indicator of its prosperity. What the economy affects primarily are the people of a country. The technique, which uses the concepts of macroeconomics to achieve social goals, has been christened as welfare economics. Economics with all the data, tables, graph etc. can seem to be a very strict and rigid field. But the economists have now attached the human touch to the economic sphere too. Broadly speaking this field essentially involves the distribution of wealth among all the people and hence providing them with the buying capacity.

The need for this approach to study economics arises because of the increasing index of poverty. The people normally do not pay heed to the poor and the needy. There are increasing numbers of people involved in minimum wage jobs. They are employed but yet poor. The wage jobs do not cover the medical insurance or education for the kids. Now in this situation the person prefers to fulfill the need of a square meal then to go for the education option.

In a democratic set up it is seen that the welfare takes a high position in the agenda of the governments. This is, for one, required to ensure the votes. And secondly democracy has an influence of socialism and communism in it, thus the psyche of the government is for the benefit of the masses. America is known for being one such democracy. There are enough people to work for such causes.

The gamut of social welfare is very wide and anything can be brought under it. In one way it is provision of safety to the country’s citizens. Safety from poverty, hunger, disease and many other things a social worker can think of. Now a very thought-worthy question arose when Ralph Nadar brought forward the concept of corporate welfare to the forefront, in 1956. This involves giving tax holidays and other regulatory leverages to the corporations. The debatable issue is that the corporate firms in a capitalist structure cannot be expected to work for the social welfare. And at every step the interests of society and the corporate seem to clash. The design of the corporate structure of the country should be such that it can cater to the needs of themselves as well as those of the society. Corporate governance jurisprudence is probably stemmed out of such conflicts.

The core issue of this problem is probably the distribution of income. The dichotomy on this count arises when one school of thought suggests the governmental influence on income slabs and the other theorizes that government should not at all be involved but it should be the sole discretion of the employer to pay the employees. The actual game lies somewhere in the middle. The governmental regulations do influence the wage schemes. The need of the hour is however, to check the accumulation majority of the wealth among a few hands.

The economic reforms to boost the grass root level employees too have to be brought because it is they who really are at the hem of the economic growth. The new approach is good from the point of view of the low-income people but a balance has to be struck between their interests and the interests of business giants.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Basics Of Binders

Binders are found in almost every office. There is a binder for every need and people understand the advantages binders offer over other organizing methods. Loose papers get lost, papers kept in folders get bent and unorganized, but papers in a binder are kept in great shape and in order. Binders also make for a professional appearance when presenting information to a client or business partner. Binders are an office staple that should not be ignored.

Binders come in various types and styles. The variations depend on a number of things. The way a binder in bound effects the look of the binder and determine what need it can fill. Understanding the basics of binders is the best way to ensure when choosing a binder style that the one is chosen that will work the best. The following list explains the different binding styles.

- Double Loop Wire Binding: These binders are comparable to a typical spiral notebook binding. This style, though, does not spiral, instead the wire is looped around and through the papers. They are stronger than the typical spiral binding.

- Plastic Comb Binding: These are the least expensive type of binding, but also the weakest. They are like the double loop binding. They can also be spiral.

-Stapled Binding: This type of binding is a simple use of staples. It is often used for thin documents where the pages are stapled in the center. Larger documents use side stapling to bind the pages. This is also cost efficient.

- Thermal tape: This is a clean binding. It uses sealed tape that secures the pages together. It is very durable and looks very professionally done.

- Perfect Binding: The use of glue to bind the pages creating a clean, professional look. This is a costly biding method, though.

- Rings: This is the binding most often associated with binders. It involves usually three rings that are secured to a metal binding. The rings open and close allow papers to be placed in the binder or taken out easily. There are many designs of ring styles that effect the way the pages turn and lay in the binder.

The binder styles above demonstrate the versatility of binders. They can be simple or more constructed. Ring binders are the easiest way to use a binder as they can be reused many times or easily added to or taken from. The other binding types, like perfect binding or thermal taping are great for a specific project presentation where the material is only used once and then filed. All binders provide a professional look that says the business is organized and cares about putting a good impression on their clients or associates.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Basic Rules Of Starting Your Franchise

Starting a franchise can be a really profitable venture and a decision you will be glad you made. However, starting a franchise can be disastrous as well if you do not know exactly what you are getting into beforehand. So, if you want to start a franchise then do some research to find out all of the plus and minuses of franchises as well as the specific one you are interested in. It will be worth the time and effort to find out all of the information before you invest your many thousands of dollars. There are, however, several things you will want to now upfront. These include the different franchise opportunities currently available, market saturation, and the like. Once a particular franchise is determined on, or several are, then you will need to compare more specific information.

First, do some research to find out what companies franchise. Once you know all of the franchise options, you will be able to pick out the ones you like best and are most interested in. After that, you can narrow those down based on your investment ability and the demand for this particular franchise in your proposed market. The best thing to do is find a market that had a high demand for a particular franchise and then buy that one. All franchises will be more successful in a market with a high demand for the product.

Also, when considering a franchise you need to consider the market significantly. What franchises currently exist, what demand is there for your proposed franchise, are there plans for other similar franchise in the works by competitors, and the like. Evaluate the market as best as possible. By doing this you educate yourself on the market which means you will be able to match a franchise to the needs of the market. That is really important.

Finally, when you have narrowed down the franchises available that meet the demands of a particular market, then you can compare the statistics of the various franchises to find the one that best fits your management style, investment ability, projected profits and loss, advertising, and market. You will also need to ensure that the franchiser supports the franchise significantly, especially at first in order to ensure a successful start and continued business. If the franchiser is not interested in helping the franchise get started, then you probably want to look for one that does.

Once you have decided on a particular franchise, then it will be after considerable research. Because of this, you will pick the best franchise for you and the market, which means you have a better chance at being successful and enjoying your business.

Garage Sale Hints For Displaying Your Merchandise To Sell More

Garage Sale Hints for Displaying Your Merchandise

Garage sales are a common thing from early spring until just before the winter snows begin to fly. We’ve all been to dozens in our life and for the most part I’d say most people feel pretty comfortable that they could put on their own reasonable garage sale if they wanted too. Well we’d like to think that the following list of garage sale hints will help out those of you who are perhaps a little inexperienced in selling.

One of the most common mistakes that people make is in the way that they display the items that they are wanting to sell. If you spend just a few minutes thinking about what you are selling and how to best organize it, you will sell more stuff at a higher price. So…

Once your tables are set up either inside the garage a few days before the sale or outside on your driveway the day of the sale, it is time to put your merchandise out on display in a way that makes it easier for people to find and buy what they are looking for.

It is really critical that you don’t simply put everything out randomly, in big piles, or scattered all over the place on the ground. Ideally, you don't want people moving things around on their own. Take it from someone who used to work in retail: left to their own devices, people will make a royal mess of any organization system.

If you can keep people from rummaging about, in, and underneath your carefully organized displays, you will save yourself a lot of reorganizing headaches later. Starting out with easy to access displays that are organized logically is a good thing. Here are a few other hints to keep in mind as you put out your garage sale items.

- No clothes should be thrown on the ground
- Small items should not be placed in boxes under the tables
- Everything for sale should be displayed when the sale opens
- Group items by price.
- Divide the tables into areas for different price ranges and put a sign up letting people know what that range is
- The arrangement should make it easier for your customers to find what they need, what they want

These garage sale hints should help first-timers to have everything run smoothly. Just be sure to put like things together and give people enough space to move around.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Basic Business Attributes, Do You Have Them?

How many times have we heard the saying “we learn from our mistakes”. I have to agree with this saying, and also that the lessons we learn hardest we learn best! I have learned a lot from my mistakes, sadly (for me) most of them were made before the Internet existed as the fantastic networking tool it is today. Today it is possible to read articles or join a forum and get great advice (and not so great advice) from forums.

While it is great to learn from our mistakes, it is better to learn from the mistakes of others, or by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ as Newton said.

These are my 'business mistakes' I have learned from.

1) Keep your monthly fixed costs as low as possible, and make your number one priority to arrange an equal amount of regular income on a regular monthly basis to cover this amount.

If there was one piece of advice I would give it would be the above, as more businesses go bust due to poor cash flow than anything else!

2) Thoroughly research and work in your mind and bounced off other trusted people, your idea. Market test it as much as possible while keeping the idea as quiet as possible.

3) Get a business plan on paper (not the sort the bank or enterprise agencies use as they are by and large a load of rubbish (although you will need this for the bean counters). Go to (1) above, and set in stone a solid plan for achieving this. After you hit break even continue it on to the next target, and so on.

I just used the magic word there, 'target'. you MUST be sales orientated in business as the owner, if you are not then you are failing in your main duty which is to ensure the continued existence of the business.

4) Do NOT care what others think about you, i.e. what car you drive etc. ALL of this will change if you stick to the plan and keep your focus on short term targets and longer term goals.

I just tripped another magic word in business ' Focus' .

5) Keep your focus, decide what the targets are, work out how to get them, and focus on doing that. If you need £1000 a month to pay the bills, then this is what you MUST do. If you lose focus of your core objective, you are going to lose out big time, and end up failing.

If you doubt the power of focus, then try this test:-
Get a friend to hold 3 tennis balls in their hand
Get the friend to throw all three at you in one go
Try to catch the balls
Repeat three times. I bet you will not catch many, if any at all.

Now get them to throw them again, and this time focus on catching one ball.
Repeat three times
Now you will have caught one ball three times.

It is true in business that you must focus on the core objective, just as with the balls once you catch one, you move onto the next, until you have achieved all your goals, or at least your most important ones.

Of all the skills needed to succeed, I would say focus is up there with the top 3 along with enthusiasm and determination.

Generate a Healthy Income Online with Gifting

If you've always dreamed of earning a part-time or full-time income online from your home, gifting might be the solution. Gifting offers a tremendous opportunity to work from home, reduce your taxable income, and gain wealth for your future. Through gifting, many Web entrepreneurs are discovering benefits they didn't realize were theirs.

Gifting Explained

Gifting is a unique home based opportunity in which no company is involved, there are no payroll checks, and there are no overhead expenses. It relies on the "act of giving" and the reap-and-sow concept - giving results in receiving. Gifting is beneficial to everyone because gifts within certain monetary value limits as set forth by the government are considered tax-free. These gifts come directly off the top of your income, thus, decreasing your taxable income and possibly your tax bracket.

The beauty of gifting is you can give and receive as many gifts as you want all the while helping others to become a giver and receiver. There are many ways to give gifts and benefit from giving on your taxes. Some acceptable gifts are monetary gifts, real estate gifts, mutual funds, gifts in kind, life insurance gifts, income gifts for heirs, charitable donations, and retirement assets. Churches, charity organizations, companies, and even royal families have been benefiting from giving for years. There are even medical insurance alternatives called medical share programs in which participants send money as gifts to individuals according to monthly medical needs. But many individuals don't realize they can benefit too, even if they don't own a business or charitable organization.

Giving and Receiving for Income

To establish a full-time or part-time income, there are home based gifting opportunities that act as a liaison between the parties on both the giving and receiving end. The givers and receivers all benefit by recommending others, but unlike pyramids or network marketing plans, those who are recommended are not on bottom levels trying to work their way up. Also, there is no selling involved. Web resources, videos, and other avenues make explaining the process easy. And unlike most business opportunities, there are no products or services to sell. Everyone gives and receives the same gifts, so everyone benefits.

Benefits of Gifting

Gifting is growing in popularity as a home based opportunity for several reasons. The benefits of giving are not commonly known to the general public; therefore, there's a good opportunity to educate others about gifting and its many rewards. Also, there are many others online who would like to share in a gifting opportunity but aren't sure how or who to trust. This allows new gifters to introduce many people to the concept without a lot of advertising.

Another benefit is anyone can participate in gift giving from their home, enjoy freedom from a 9-to-5 job, and spend more time with their family. Gifting also brings many interesting people together to form lifelong friendships. Everyone involved has a sense of giving back to the online community while also enjoying the benefits of receiving extra income for enjoyment, bills, retirement, college tuition, savings, and other financial needs.

Gifting allows many people to stay at home while building tremendous wealth. The gifting income levels vary from one individual to another, with some earning thousands of dollars each month. For those who realize success through gifting, the "joy of giving" becomes much more joyful!

Generate a Healthy Income Online with Gifting

If you've always dreamed of earning a part-time or full-time income online from your home, gifting might be the solution. Gifting offers a tremendous opportunity to work from home, reduce your taxable income, and gain wealth for your future. Through gifting, many Web entrepreneurs are discovering benefits they didn't realize were theirs.

Gifting Explained

Gifting is a unique home based opportunity in which no company is involved, there are no payroll checks, and there are no overhead expenses. It relies on the "act of giving" and the reap-and-sow concept - giving results in receiving. Gifting is beneficial to everyone because gifts within certain monetary value limits as set forth by the government are considered tax-free. These gifts come directly off the top of your income, thus, decreasing your taxable income and possibly your tax bracket.

The beauty of gifting is you can give and receive as many gifts as you want all the while helping others to become a giver and receiver. There are many ways to give gifts and benefit from giving on your taxes. Some acceptable gifts are monetary gifts, real estate gifts, mutual funds, gifts in kind, life insurance gifts, income gifts for heirs, charitable donations, and retirement assets. Churches, charity organizations, companies, and even royal families have been benefiting from giving for years. There are even medical insurance alternatives called medical share programs in which participants send money as gifts to individuals according to monthly medical needs. But many individuals don't realize they can benefit too, even if they don't own a business or charitable organization.

Giving and Receiving for Income

To establish a full-time or part-time income, there are home based gifting opportunities that act as a liaison between the parties on both the giving and receiving end. The givers and receivers all benefit by recommending others, but unlike pyramids or network marketing plans, those who are recommended are not on bottom levels trying to work their way up. Also, there is no selling involved. Web resources, videos, and other avenues make explaining the process easy. And unlike most business opportunities, there are no products or services to sell. Everyone gives and receives the same gifts, so everyone benefits.

Benefits of Gifting

Gifting is growing in popularity as a home based opportunity for several reasons. The benefits of giving are not commonly known to the general public; therefore, there's a good opportunity to educate others about gifting and its many rewards. Also, there are many others online who would like to share in a gifting opportunity but aren't sure how or who to trust. This allows new gifters to introduce many people to the concept without a lot of advertising.

Another benefit is anyone can participate in gift giving from their home, enjoy freedom from a 9-to-5 job, and spend more time with their family. Gifting also brings many interesting people together to form lifelong friendships. Everyone involved has a sense of giving back to the online community while also enjoying the benefits of receiving extra income for enjoyment, bills, retirement, college tuition, savings, and other financial needs.

Gifting allows many people to stay at home while building tremendous wealth. The gifting income levels vary from one individual to another, with some earning thousands of dollars each month. For those who realize success through gifting, the "joy of giving" becomes much more joyful!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Baseball Betting: How to Bet Basics

If you know nothing about sports and you still feel the urge to wager, baseball is the easiest sports to wager on. As opposed to football and basketball, where you are mixed up with the point spreads and other confusing calculations, in baseball betting you simply put your money on the outcome of the game. In addition, the baseball season lasts longer, which means more matches and bigger chances to go home with the winning money. Here is a step to step guide to baseball betting.

The main difference between baseball betting and other team sports betting such as football and basketball is that while the latter ones use point spreads, the former uses the money line.

What is a Point Spread?
Point spread is the most common betting type offered in football and basketball betting. The sportsbook spreads the odd of a certain match by subtracting points from the favorite team, which is the team most likely to win and adding points to the underdog, which is the team that will raise a lot of eyebrows if wins.

What is a Money Line?
In baseball betting, the sportsbook sets the odds strictly on the outcome of the match. In order to even the action, bettors would have to risk more money on the favorite and risk less on the underdog. This is called the money line.

For example, if the money line is minus 170 on the favorite and plus 150 on the underdog, then you would have to bet 170 dollars on the favorite in order to earn 100 dollars. On the other hand, if you bet 100 dollars on the underdog, you would win 150 dollars if they would eventually win the match.

The difference between the minus 170 on the favorite and the plus 150 on the underdog is known as the twenty cent line. If the money line was minus on the favorite and plus 150 on the underdog, it is called the ten cent line or dime line. The fifteen cent line is also common in baseball betting.

Sportsbooks also offer total bets and run lines in baseball betting.

1) Total Bets:
These wagers are based on the sum of the runs scored by both of the teams. For example, if the sportsbook sets the over under total of a match as 7, the over wins if the sum of the runs scored by both teams exceeds 7 and the under wins if it sums up to less than 7.

2) The Run Line:
This wager is the baseball variation of point spread. When you are betting on the run line, you are betting on whether one of the teams wins by more than one run, which is marked as minus 1.5 or stays within one run, marked as plus 1.5.

Conclusion:
Although the money line makes baseball betting simpler than football and basketball betting, it causes the payoffs calculation to be more complicated:

1) In order to calculate the payoff when wagering on the favorite you should add 1 to the favorite price and divide it with the favorite price.

2) In order to calculate the payoff when wagering on the underdog you should add 1 to the underdog price.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Bartending: Part Time Job, Full Time Income

Bartending is one of the few jobs that you can make a full time income from a part time job. If you are an outgoing person that likes to be in a social environment, then bartending is worth a look.

It is very easy to become a bartender. There are many schools that teach bartending, and it only takes about two weeks to complete the course. Most bartending schools charge less than $300 and help you find a job.

Bartending is actually very easy. It does take some practice, but most bartenders don’t need to learn an enormous amount of drinks. In actuality, most bartenders make only a dozen or two different kind of drinks. If someone asks for something special, they usually pull out a drink recipe book and make the drink from scratch. While some bartenders know a couple of hundred drinks, the general population only knows about a dozen.

You can make great money being a bartender. Most bartenders work only a couple of days of week; however their income can be huge. It is not uncommon to make $100 or $200 a shift. If you work at a large bar or club, you can easily double that. So if you are looking for a great career opportunity, choose bartending.

More information available at http://www.business-00.info/careers-employment/

Free Ebook Shows The Simplicity Of Surging To The First Page On Google

free harry potter ebook, free romance ebook, free ebook software, free computer ebook, free internet marketing ebook, search engine placement, search engine placement services, search engine placement service, top search engine placement, better search engine placement, improve search engine placement, search engine optimization search engine placement, improved search engine placement, higher search engine placement, internet marketing search engine placement, guaranteed search engine placement, search engine placement and optimization, search engine placement improvement, high search engine placement, seds to know all of the ranking criteria in order to get to the top of search engine lists. In fact, even if you were extremely good at it, Google could and will change algorithms at anytime. The game of getting to the first page can be complicated, but doesn't need to be. "PJ" is prepared to explain in his free report, just how easy it can be. "This information is very helpful to both the novice setting out to sell his or her product for the very first time, or perhaps the more experienced Internet salesperson who is frustrated with the costs of the high profile SEO professionals".

"It will take perseverance, patience and the willingness to trust in the methods that have been proven time and time again," PJ says. "Also, although you won't advance to the top overnight, it's going to be much quicker than you think".

Paying for the top position rarely works - the most popular search engine doesn't allow it, and users ignore the paid-for listings anyway (just like they ignore banner ads). Beautiful graphics and stunning animations usually reduce your search engine ranking! Massive lists of repetitive keywords don't work - search engines use natural language syntax checking and frequency analysis to eliminate such pages from consideration.

PJ resides in a Eden Prairie, Minnesota which is an upscale suburb just outside of Minneapolis. He has been interested in Search Engine placement for quite some time. Now , finally he says he is prepared to "spill all the beans" to those interested in his years of research. "Be ready", he says, "You're going to be surprised to see just how simple it is". For a FREE EBOOK detailing the fastest way to the top of the search engine, visit:
http://www.ride-to-the-top.com and
http://www.1stepsystem-premier.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Bartending

SHAKING, STIRRING, AND STRAINING
Drinks requiring only shaking are covered with a plastic shaker cup and mixed within the glass; whereas shaken and strained or stirred and strained drinks are originally mixed within (a) shaker cups (glass & stainless steel) and then transferred to a glass. Remember to always fill your shaker full of ice before mixing drinks requiring either stirring/shaking and straining. The same applies to glassware; always start with a full glass of ice.

*SAFETY PRECAUTIONS*

Please keep in mind that while directions such as "shoot drink", "drink without using hands", "ignite drink", or "while leaning head over bar pour drink into mouth" are all authentic recipe components, they are only suggestions and should not be attempted if you feel that they might pose a hazard to your health. Make certain to never carry or transport a lit drink, as alcohol is a flammable liquid and should be respectfully treated as such. Before drinking, completely extinguish any drink suggesting ignition.

Always overstock on ice, fresh resupply is critical in the maintenance of professional standards. Whenever glassware or bottles are broken in the vicinity of the ice bin, melt the ice with hot water, clean the bin, and restock with new ice.

Ice

Ice can be one of the most important factors in determining a drink's quality. Generally speaking, the small square-shaped "slices" usually referred to as "bar" ice are best. Aside from preventing premature blender destruction, the smaller style ice cube, will by virtue of increased surface area, make for a significantly colder drink. The resulting reduction in vapor pressure (fumes) from the alcohol makes for a more palatable mixed drink.

As mentioned before in the section on Ice, whenever glassware or bottles are broken in the vicinity of the ice bin, melt the ice with hot water, clean the bin and restock with new ice.

A 2-speed commercial blender is practically a must for quality frozens. Don't destroy a 15-speed kitchen blender trying to crush ice; it's simply not made for the job. Waring® produces a good line of commercial 2-speed Blendor® models that start at less than $90.00.

Liquor Measurement

The use of a shot system has been adopted, whereby a shot is equal to whichever size jigger you use, keeping in mind that the recipes are based on a 1 1/2 oz. shot. When using a different size jigger, correct proportioning can be main­tained by using larger glassware and more mixer if the "shot" is bigger or vice versa if smaller. Use a 1 1/4 oz. shot and the specified sizes and measurements for a milder recipe variation. Splashes are 1 oz., scoops are 4 ozs. and dashes are from 3 to 5 drops. This system was chosen not only because it's quick and easy to use but most importantly, because it's adaptable to your bartending style.


Liquor Measuring Key
Dash-------3 to 5 drops

Scoop------4 ounces

Shot-------1 1/2 ounces

Splash-----1 ounce

Tablespoon-'/2 ounce (3 tspn.)

Teaspoon---'/6 ounce

A.K.A.-----"Also Known As"

S.A.-------"See Also"

V/O--------"Variation or Option"

/----------"or"

R----------"Registered Trademark"

Free Online Classifieds

Free classified ads are quickly becoming a popular method for businesses to advertise. After all, it is free advertising and who can turn that down? However, for businesses that have never used free classified advertising before, it can seem confusing. In reality, online classified advertising is very easy, quick, and of course, free. You just have to know how to take advantage of this service.

For new, small and growing companies, online classified advertising can be a very useful way to recruit new employees. Visitors to online classifieds can search through job listings in their area – narrowing their search by postcode. This way, you can advertise in the area or areas that you are located. Classified ads are also a great way to advertise internship opportunities for extra summer help or for recruiting new graduates. Job descriptions are often posted by category so your ad will be exposed to people that are looking for a position within a company like yours. The ads are usually posted much longer than a traditional classified ad, and best of all it’s a completely free service for your company.

No matter what your company offers, you can advertise on free classified ads. Whether you provide services or sell a product you can advertise it for free. For small businesses that are trying to make a presence in a community this is a great way to get started.

Because it won’t cost your company anything to advertise with these classified ads you can save your advertising budget for other things as well as advertise online. All it costs your business is a small amount of time to put together an ad and submit it to the online classified website. It usually only takes a few minutes to set up your account and it’s very easy to get started.

Another great benefit with online classified ads is promotion of events. If your company gets involved with an event, promotes a workshop or class, or anything that you want the public to get involved in, you can advertise it completely free online.

Most individuals and companies have to pay annual membership fees or pay for these kinds of advertising benefits. But free online classified ads are just that – completely free. You may as well take advantage of this great service especially if you are a small business with a tight advertising budget and not a lot of time to commit to advertising methods.
Visit http://www.adhysteria.com

Take the first step and find an online classified website that you are comfortable with. Search through the site and make sure that visitors can narrow their search through postcode and that the site is easily navigable and organized – these are typically features that users look for. Once you are set up you can submit an ad for your company’s services, job openings, event, or anything else you can think of.

Top five reasons to use online classifieds

Everyone loves a freebie! There are several free online classifieds sites like Craigslist and OzFreeOnline and Adhysteria which offers services that are as good as you get on paid sites. It’s a great opportunity to use a site that offers grab-all-you-can opportunities with no price tag attached. It is very helpful for those who want to start their small business and even those who just want to sell their things. After all, if you're selling your used car, you want to make the most money out of it, and free online classifieds makes it possible by eliminating the need for middleman.

The second factor that makes online classifieds appealing is freedom. Free online classifieds patrons have control of their goods. They decide how they want to present their product as well every little detail that comes with it.

Posting you ads on the Internet, specifically on classifieds sites, will give your ad the much needed exposure to reach the people who needs to see it. A wider exposure can give you better, faster and more promising results for your ads.

The fourth reason is the experience of posting your free ads online. You can go through the wonder that the Internet have given us and remember the days when you use to pay the good old newspaper to advertise. Now, it’s amazing how few taps on the keyboard and clicks on the mouse make transactions faster. No more waiting because you need the results now!

Finally, online classifieds have more than ever connected people in this world. Aside from connecting buyers and sellers, these sites are also a great way to meet people.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Barriers to Advancement Facing Women in Business

Copyright 2006 Red Ladder, Inc.

Women continue to enter the workforce in record numbers. In fact, almost 47% of the workforce is comprised of women. Yet, despite this fact, very few women hold the top slots.

Take one stroll past the executive suite in your organization and there will probably be a noticeable lack of women to be found, particularly if you exclude the support staff. Perhaps you never took the time to consider this or to even ask the question, but given the number of women in the workforce, does it seem rather odd that there aren't more women ensconced in the executive suites in business? I think so.

I've talked with many women leaders to try to identify the barriers that preclude more women from reaching the corner office. Here's what I've learned.

First, life-balance and family tradeoffs continue to plague women who want to build successful careers. As has long been the case, the bulk of family and household responsibilities still fall on women's shoulders. How each woman, her family, and her place of employment choose to manage and negotiate around this issue will clearly have an impact on a woman's ability to take advantage of those business opportunities that lead to long-term personal and professional success.

Another surprising deterrent is the perception that women lack key business credentials. As a woman with an MBA and MA under her belt, this one makes me chafe a little. However, having the right business credentials means more than having the right degree. Rather, it means being able to demonstrate in measurable ways a clear understanding of those business practices and the financial aspects that are important for an organizations success. This is what is commonly referred to as business acumen. Women don't lack key business credentials, they just need to do a better job of getting the credit and recognition for using them.

Finally, women continue to lack representation at senior levels simply because they just don't have visible positions. Many women typically follow career paths that lead them into the more traditional female roles such as marketing or operations. The lack of coveted profit and loss responsibility will often preclude them from consideration when the top jobs do become available.

Corporations need to make the case for developing women leaders within their organizations. They must stop overlooking the fact that women have good instincts about business and that they are good managers, delegators, collaborators, and team players. Since most businesses are built on relationships, these are crucial assets to an organizations long-term success.

While there are other reasons why organizations should focus on developing more women leaders, the primary reason, simply put, is that it just makes good business sense. Those organizations that want to reap the kind of financial returns so critical to their long-term success, should begin seeking out and supporting executive women leaders. Over the long haul, that's something that we can all bank on. Don't you agree?