Friday, July 30, 2010

Accenture's Global Technology Growth Continues in India

The new delivery center represents not only the further expansion of the company's global delivery network, but the dedication and commitment that Accenture is providing to the continued investment in global business growth.


The Pune delivery center is Accenture's fifth city presence in India, and will utilize technology graduates and IT professionals with skills in the technology sector. By August 2006, Accenture plans to employ a maximum of 1600 employees.


"This new facility in Pune will support our growth plans in India, which is a key node in Accenture's Global Delivery Network," said Karl-Heinz Floether, Accenture's group chief executive for Technology & Delivery. "Our employees here will work seamlessly with their colleagues around the world-sharing the same training, methodology and tools to ensure consistent, high-quality services for our clients."


Accenture's focus has always been in management and consulting, and their global expansion division is no exception. The launch of this technology delivery center is a further commitment to India to tap into the large pool of high-quality talent within the country.


Through the Global Delivery Network, Accenture has grown its headcount in India from fewer than 4000 in 2003 to a current level of over 17,000. That is a tremendous and significant increase in committed resources and talent as a testament to the potential global market. India is one of the few countries that are predicted to see an increase in the labor market in relation to expected population levels. Unlike most of the developed countries, India should not begin to a decline in their workforce for another 50 years. This presents a valuable opportunity to companies like Accenture looking to India as a point of global presence.
For more articles please visit :
http://www.big4.com/newsletter/Big4JulyVol-2NewsLetter.htm

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Accenture Named Diversity Initiative Achievement Winner

Accenture, a global management consulting and outsourcing company, has earned the Annual Diversity Initiative Achievement Award winner title for the second time in the last three years. Accenture has been awarded by the National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF); and received it at the Annual Meeting and Law Firm Expo of NAMWOLF in New York.


The Annual Diversity Initiative


Achievement Award identifies a business partner of National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) which spends a minimum of 5% of its outside counsel budget on minority and women-owned law firms. Since its inauguration three years ago, Accenture has been taking part in the program and was the first award recipient of NAMWOLF in the year 2005.


Yolanda Coly, managing director of NAMWOLF said, "Not only has Accenture done an outstanding job in hiring and forming long-lasting relationships with law firms owned and run by women and minorities, but the company has also been a powerful vocal advocate for our cause and those of other organizations, championing a more diverse corporate America throughout the years."



Accenture's associate general counsel and director of the company's legal services in the Americas, Joel Stern, said that Accenture is continuously finding out innovative methods of generating an inclusive culture which will reinforce their ability to deliver new solutions to their clientele. He further said, "By providing an efficient way to connect with a talented pool of minority- and women-owned law firms throughout the nation, NAMWOLF is a powerful tool to help us accelerate our journey."

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

About Those ID Cards

Cards are very popular and useful as far as identification and security is concerned. An ID card (identification card) is a piece of documentation that is designed and used to validate the identity of the person carrying it. With an ID card, the bearer is recognized in all the financial and administrative sectors. It is also a document of authentication that lets him or her to be protected by the law of the state.

You must have seen library cards and authorizing bank transfers, they are a kind of identity documents that only contains the bearer’s identity. An identity document will be called a complete ‘identity card’ only when it is in form of the standard sized cards like ISO 7810 cards. These cards are generally plastic cards. You can also select from other card sizes like CR 80, CR 90 CR 1000 and others. Identity cards that carry a photograph of the bearer are called photo cards.

These days most all ID cards are also photo ID in order to add reliability and authenticity. Photo ID cards have become more popular because they avoid the chances of transfer of cards to other people. It makes identity cards a complete bearer’s object. ID cards have defined custom card sizes and a selection can be made from different card sheet layouts. The high-tech smart card is another type of ID card that can be completely read by computer and detect flaws if there are any.

The main purpose of an ID card is to provide information about the bearer. An ID card contains primary information like name, date of birth, sex, parent’s name, complete address (the address should be updated in the card if you have changed in the recent past), nationality (in multinational states), and social security number. The photo ID card also carries other information that is equally important but secondary. This information is height, weight, blood type, color of eyes, hair and some birthmark (for identification purpose). ID cards issued by a state are the unique civil identity of a person. It determines and defines a relation between the person and the state.

A photo ID card is for your security but it is necessary for you to secure your own ID card. New technologies like magnetic strips, 2D barcodes, watermarks, biometric signatures and images give complete protection to your ID card and due to them; it has become much harder to misuse another person’s ID card.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

About Heavy Equipment And It's Uses In Construction

There are different types of construction that can be performed depending on what needs to be fixed or built in society. For instance one major type of construction is heavy construction. Heavy construction is the type of work that occurs when infrastructure is added to an already built up environment, such as building a highway. Those who own heavy construction projects are typically national or local level government agencies that deal with large contracts that last quite a length of time.

Heavy construction projects are usually done in the best interest of the public to service them better. Of course, it is hard to agree with this when you’re stuck in traffic while the roads or the sewers beneath them are being replaced, but indeed the end result has us in mind. That being said, not every heavy construction project is undertaken by the government. Some large, private corporations, such as power companies, harbors, railroads, mines and golf courses, are also involved. These private companies, among others, undertake heavy construction in order to create dams, railways, massive earthwork projects, etc.

Some developments that are considered heavy construction projects include:

- buildings
- parks
- playgrounds
- apartments
- stadiums
- factories
- malls

The most important part of heavy construction that makes it successful is the equipment that is used. Heavy construction equipment is essential to the project, because without it, even the basic construction work could never be completed. They are typically quite large, and are created specifically for one or two different uses. The primary equipment used for heavy construction includes but is not limited to: bulldozers, cranes, well drilling machinery, earthmoving equipment, loaders, draglines, cable plows, scrapers, generators, rollers, light towers, etc.

Each piece of heavy construction equipment plays an important role in the project. For instance, as far as groundwork is concerned, heavy rollers are used. Heavy rollers set up the project and find the base. They are then used to raise and drag tons of stones and iron from one place to the next.

The biggest problem that often occurs with heavy construction is the cost of building. Heavy equipment is quite expensive, and the people needed to work these machines and tools need to have the skill and experience in order to handle them. That being the case, many companies make the decision to rent or lease heavy equipment, sometimes even with or without the operators.

Unfortunately, because operators need to have both the skill and knowledge to work the equipment, they have become practically as indispensable as the heavy equipment. This can sometimes cause problems for companies who require heavy construction projects. To beat this problem, some companies hire people and then pay for their training, as opposed to trying to find someone who already has the training and is therefore going to request a much higher salary.

Despite certain problems, and expenses, most heavy construction projects are completed. The result of a heavy construction project is usually something that many people can benefit from and enjoy.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne Review

Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne is popular and well-like cologne. They offer many different types of cologne for you to select from. It can sometimes be difficult to make a decision on which one you want to purchase. Reading an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review will help you select which particular one you want to buy.

Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne have a huge line of different colognes and perfumes. They have specific ones that are marketed for men and other lines that are targeted for women. It would take you a week or more to test sample all the different choices, if not longer. Being able to read an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review will save you a great deal of time and make the choice much easier when buying one of their colognes.

Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne have variation in prices. Some of the colognes are relatively inexpensive. You will find that other products in the lines can be extremely expensive and at the top end of pricing. Using a review will help you decide which products to look at that are within your budget so that you can select a product that you both like and fit your wallet. Knowing which colognes are in your budget narrows down your search and saves you time when making a purchase.

Another reason to look at product reviews is to get a general feel of what others think about a particular item. For example, do people like the design of the cologne? Does the scent last a long while or a short period of time? Is the bottle easy to dispense the cologne? These are types of questions that reading a review will help to answer for you and make shopping much more enjoyable.

Where are some good places to find an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review? One place is magazines. Many health and beauty magazines offer cologne and perfume product reviews. Some of them even have sample strips that you can open and actually get to smell the scent that they are reviewing for the product line.

Another great place to find product reviews are eZines. eZines are online magazines and often sent to people in the email. You can subscribe to product review eZines and even cologne or perfume eZines. Many times you can request from the editor of the eZine to do a specific type of review for you. If you want to purchase this product line, you can ask them specifically to do an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review for you and the other readers. Most editors are always looking for topic ideas and more than willing to help you out.

Reading an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review will help you decide which cologne is the best for your individual tastes. It will save you time in making your selections and make shopping for products on the Internet or even a local store much more enjoyable. You will also know what others think about the various colognes in their different lines to decide which ones to avoid and which ones to look further at. You can even use an Abercrombie and Fitch Cologne review to help you select one of their colognes to give as a gift to someone special in your life.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

A Writer's Inner Battle

There is a psychological nuisance so powerful that can deflate the drive, self-esteem, and human spirit of many aspiring Writers of any age. These Writers are faced with an obstacle that make them stop, think twice and question their right to be a part of a respected community. This even leads them to doubt their ambition of pursuing their literary or journalistic calling.
It is that inner voice echoing: “Huh! Who do you think you are, a J. K. Rowling in the making?” or “Oh my God, stop pretending you have a literary mind!” and more similar lines of thinking. Some may call it a fiend while others may describe it as the self-defeating aspect of a person.
If you have been afflicted as I have been, do not worry, the voice speaks only in behalf of detractors, real or imagined. It is not the embodiment of the authentic gift of creativity you and I were born with.
When you know you have a great idea brewing in your head that you could almost see it completed in your mind, strike the keys; When the voice blows its cacophony horn, resist the urge to stop.
Mind and Behavior
How your thinking becomes your staunch enemy at times has reasons of its own.
While confidence takes a respite, this occupational hazard of qualm attacks during your journey as a blossoming writer haunts even the best of Writers.
“I have written practically nothing yet, and now again the time is getting short. There is nothing done. I am no nearer my achievement than I was two months ago, and I keep half doubting my will to perform anything. Each time I make a move my demon says at almost the same moment:” Oh, yes, we’ve heard that before!” Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923), British short story Writer.
Just as how old manipulative thinking habits have repeatedly, slowly, and unconsciously crept into your subconscious, so shall you replace them with new ones consciously.
“Whatever action we take is first of all determined by our thoughts, so if we change our thoughts, we can change the way we behave.” Cherith Powell and Greg Forde
Decision is your first step. Redeem your faith in your ability to write by making up your mind of wanting to do so. Ignore unwanted mental murmurs right away. Refuse to dwell on them.
“Anytime you can be aware of and witness your own thoughts, instead of becoming lost or absorbed in them, you’re in a position to grow from your experience rather than being immobilized by it,” Richard Carlson, Ph.D., famous author and Expert on happiness and stress.
Act on this decision by writing always until the habit has been embedded in your system. Stick to it. The discipline will condition your mind to an ‘I can’ attitude and will provide you with proofs of your writing skill, slowly but surely.
Search for the inner voice responsible for getting you on board this vessel of courage to have ever wanted to write or written a few pieces in the first place. Relive it. Delight in it.
However, more than positive self-talk, you will need something tangible to corroborate your long buried positive belief. Produce the written piece. It will bear out the reality of your skill as a writer and will sustain the writer’s spirit running in your vein.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.
In addition, submitting your work often and getting published even in small publications (print or online) immerse you more in the world of writing and defines further what you really want, what you can achieve and what you will ultimately become. It validates you further as a writer in your eyes and in the eyes of others.
A published work further nullifies that damaging inner voice and even the real detractors (in contrast to professional, constructive and objective Literary Critics) existing beyond your writing comfort zone.
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask Act. Action will delineate and define you. You will find out from your actions.” Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), Polish Novelist, Playwright, Essayist.
Beating the Beast Within
Make it a habit to study the lives of people who started out with wobbling knees in careers totally different from the degree they have earned in college, dreaming dreams that no one thought they could reach. Count the number of times they were told they were misfits but went on to succeed in fields seemingly incompatible to their personality and intellect.
Read Writers’ biographies and unearth their struggles, look around you and be inspired. Shift your focus from the mockery of your thoughts to real quiet people who never bragged but wrote nonetheless with profundity.
As a late blooming writer myself I employ these pointers. In my own pace, I have learned to fight back. The automatic reaction casts out the ugly feeling of inefficiency and helps me to proceed.
It may not guarantee a life free of backslidings to negative self-talks but these mental approaches serve as buffers that strengthen the mental defenses overtime until the bad voices are subdued.
The advice of other writers that says write, write, and write is a gold mine. It sharpens and stimulates your writing mind. Best of all it brings you closer to your vision and away from your psychological beasts.
So unless you do exactly the opposite of what your demon says you cannot do, your inner battle will not be silenced.
Pursue your dream. Write!
I love essays! I enjoy reading them, checking them, teaching my students how to generate them, but most of all I enjoy writing them! You want to ask why. I hope after reading my article you will understand. And I so much believe that you will also fall in love with the incredible world of essays. Let’s start our trip from a short background. The word “essay” originated from French word “essai” which means “attempt, effort, sketch”. And this translation reflects the essence of the task you are assigned at your college. Really, it is your personal attempt to give a challenging sketch on some engrossing issue. Unlike other academic assignments, essay suggests freedom of your creative work. Its main advantage is that you can write it on any topic, in any style. Essay is your own point of view on something you have heard, read, seen etc. The forefront of the essay is your personality, your thoughts, feelings and your life position. You have a unique chance to enter a reasonable controversy with other authors, as the teacher expects you to show your erudition in the subject. However, you should remember that regardless freedom of the writing process, it is not that easy at all. Because you are expected to find an original and capturing idea (even in the traditional context) and exceptional opinion on some problem.
The title of essay does not strictly depend on the essay topic: the title can also serve as a starting point in your reflection; it can express the relation of the whole and the parts. A free composition of essay is subject to its inner logic, it is an emphasized position of the author.
The style of the essay is marked by its aphoristic, paradoxical and figurative character. To convey your personal perception of the world you should: employ a lot of capturing examples, draw parallels, choose analogies, use various associations. One of the characteristic features of essay is the wide usage of numerous expressive means, such as metaphors, parable and allegoric figures, symbols and comparisons. Your can enrich and make your essay more interesting if you include in it: unpredictable conclusions, unexpected turning points, interesting clutches of events.Essay presents a dynamic interchange of author’s arguments, supporting evidence and questions.
Be brief, but at the same time avoid absolute simplicity. No one will like reading a monotonous narration. Completing the draft of your essay, read it aloud, yes, aloud. You will be struck by the number of rough details in your essay. You should get rid of them with no regret. If you have to say something new, original and exclusive, then the genre of essay is your genre. Be creative, free your mind and may be you will reveal a great essayist in yourself.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

a unified conferencing solution: audio-video-WEBconference

Many years of running voice messaging and electronic mail, we have lost sight that essential communications happens during real time and not differed time. Although, we've all had the occasion to experiment with direct communication technology like: audio-conference, videoconference and WEB conference.

Each of these technologies presents advantages accompanied by their disadvantages. Audioconferencing transports voices to many while leaving us in the dark. Videoconferencing gives us color but it is not useful for collaboration around a presentation or a document. For the most part, WEB-conferencing is designed to collaborate with screen sharing and sometimes giving the impression of talking into space.

Today, unified conferencing integrates audio, video and WEBconference onto one interface for PC. It replicates in the domain of conferences what unified messaging has realized while integrating vocal messaging with email. Although, it's the screen sharing that changes everything making participants in a WEBconference, actors and not just spectators. That constitutes the most important catalyst of collaboration and source of synergy in the organizations.

Tele-efficiency also releases, Accessware, a bi-directional remote screen sharing add-on for Conferenceware, its unified conferencing solution. During a WEBconference with Accessware, the presenter could show the screen of a participant to all. Inversely, he or she could give control of his/her screen to another participant, which then becomes a co-presenter.

Friday, July 23, 2010

A Thriving Business - Heavy Transport

Heavy transport refers to moving heavy material from place to another. Material movers are the people who perform such transportation. These heavy transport workers need special training if they are to work with chemicals, toxic material or specialized machinery. Physical training is required where extreme physical exertion is required. Heavy transport workers require a good sense of balance. They must possess the ability to read, understand and judge. Possessing basic arithmetic skills is also an integral part of this business. Many employers allow experienced workers to qualify as a trainee or a supervisor.

Category of Heavy Transport Workers
Workers in the heavy transport industry may be categorized into two groups: the laborers and the operators. The laborers work manually while the operators handle machinery and other equipments. These are the industrial truck and tractor operators, crane and tower operators; dredge operators, underground mining loading machine operators, pump operators and many others.

According to their designation, these workers perform their duties. Like the truck, tank and ship loaders work for loading and unloading material at the dock. The shuttle car operators are responsible for the running of electric or diesel cars in the underground mines. Machine feeders are responsible for oiling and maintaining machinery. Wellhead pump operators take care of smooth flow of gas or oil from power pumps and auxiliary equipment. Similarly, all types of workers strive to do their particular assigned jobs. They are, thus known according to the work they perform.

Heavy Transport: Nature of Work
Heavy transport work is repetitive in nature. It may seem monotonous to workers. Therefore, shifting the duty time seems an appropriate option. Workers generally put in eight hours shifts and some times even longer. Many factories have round-the-clock shifts. Workers are hence required to do night shifts as well. The working conditions of heavy transport workers are at par with any other profession, when it comes to the hours put in.

Heavy transport is a thriving business. It provides employment to large number of people. It is on this business that a large number of big enterprises and factories depend.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A Surprising Variety of Custom Containers

Custom containers include not only containers of non-standard dimensions but also containers rebuilt into houses, shops, garbage bins, and so on. By containers, we mean those large 20'x8'x8' and larger boxes used to transport everything from heavy machinery to thousands cartons of trinkets (in each box).

These containers are used extensively in international trade as they can be packed and custom sealed at the factory and then transported by truck, railcar and ship (or aircraft) to distant locations without being opened till they reach their destinations. The standardized dimensions and specialized handling equipment make it easy to transfer the containers from trucks to railcars to ships and in the reverse direction. With containers, the efficiency of transport logistics improves dramatically.

While transporting containers filled with merchandise is an economic proposition, transporting empty containers is not. Containers that come in are re-used to ship merchandise out from their original destinations. Where this is not possible because of unbalanced trade, empty containers tend to accumulate at high import destinations.

These empty containers cause problems, and hence the urgency to convert them into other uses. Let us look at some of these rebuilt custom containers.

Container Houses

A 20 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet high container can accommodate a 9'x6' living room, an adequate bed that folds into the wall when not needed, several chairs that also can be folded into the wall, a counter, small kitchen unit and toilet. It would be cramped of course, but can provide living quarters at worksites. A 45'x8'x9.5' container is another standard size. It can accommodate more spacious rooms and facilities.

The containers can be fitted up inside to protect from outside heat and create pleasing interiors, and doors and windows can be cut to suit the overall design. With solar power, it can even move around with continuous power supply.

Instead of living quarters, the design can be adapted for creating mobile shops, eating-places, or other kinds of accommodation. More than one level can be built by stacking containers over one another, or by going for smaller levels.

Flat Racks

The container walls and roof can be stripped out (and recycled) leaving the four corner reinforcements intact on the floor plate. With a little modification, these can then be converted into flat racks suitable for different uses. For example, fit them with wheels and they can be moved along tracks. Cargo can be fitted inside easily, and lifting and loading are also made easier.

Several numbers of these racks can be stacked while transporting empty, saving space and cost.

Garbage Containers

Another custom container is the garbage container. The empty containers lying around wasting space can be converted into excellent garbage containers that can be transported in container trucks, and handled with standard container handling equipment. Garbage can be packed tightly inside, and removed by opening one end that constitutes the door.

Open Top Containers

Loading certain kinds of cargo, such as heavy machinery, is easier into open top containers. With the top open, such items can be lifted by crane and placed into the container. This is much easier than trying to load them the conventional way.

Custom Containers

The above examples will give an idea of the versatile applications possible with standard containers. Then there are tank containers for liquid cargo, refrigerated containers, ventilated containers for organic produce, smaller containers for air cargo and so on to fit numerous custom container requirements.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A Startling Fact About How To Stop Communication Disasters ...With One Question

Too often, we are only half listening to what people are saying. This is because we believe we know what the other person is going to say or because our mind is on something else.

Sometimes we think we understood, but don't clarify to find out if in fact we did heard it right.

    Some other things that cause mis-communication are:
  • Ineffective listening
  • Noise
  • Meaning in words
  • Language
  • Gatekeeping
  • Appearances

We may not have developed our listening skills, which is considered one of the most important skills in business, yet is rarely taught in schools.

Our minds are often in the past or future, depending on what we have done or need to do. Other times we are guessing or assuming what they are going to say. Some people are even afraid of what the other person might
be saying and do not want to hear. Many times people only "listen" enough to respond.

Noises of all kinds get in our way. These distractions prevent us from hearing. They can be other people, telephones, radios, TVs and more. Many noises don’t make a sound. They are based on how we are feeling, our bias, knowledge, skill and background to name a few.

As well, when it comes to defining words, the first is the standard dictionary definition. However, many words have multiple meanings, especially in the English language where slang is prevalent.

Based on your own experience, the society you were raised in, whether English is your first language, any emotional issues associated with the word and the type of education you had will effect the definition of the word.

One of the biggest blocks is gate keeping. This is anything that your brain or unconscious self does not want to accept as true or relevant. We filter out most of what we are exposed to. If we were to see and notice everything at once, we would go crazy. So our brain’s RAS (Reticular Activating System), says, "Is this important or a danger?" If the answer is no, it filters it away.

The problem is we don’t realize what we are stopping at the gate. And the person you are trying to give a message to also has their own gate keeping system.

One must also be aware of their audience, the person with whom you are trying to communicate. If you are at a formal function and you are dressed relaxed or in jeans and a t-shirt, the people that you want to communicate with will be spending more time on thinking about how you are dressed over what you are saying.

The same applies with if you are trying to relate to the unemployed or street people and you are dressed in an expensive designer suit, they will have no interest in speaking with your or trusting you. Remember, your clothes communicate a message.

It is important to clarify that you and they have understood what was meant and even repeat this process until you know they understand.

Never the less, too often disasters happen because of mis-communication. It is up to you to do something about it. Remember, it can be as simply as asking to clairify

I know about an example when the supervisor, who while heading out for the night said,

"Don, turn off the suds machine" Don thought he heard,
"Don't turn off the suds machine", so he shrugged and thought, Ok and walked on.
Check out the results of this miss-communication at an airport hanger. Mis-Communication

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Solid Choice for Business cards

In order to keep pace with today’s busy world, you go out with a potent handy tool. It must be so accessible that you can put them in your pocket. Tiny yet powerful, what do you think will it be?

Whether you are a businessman, lawyer, doctor, engineer, model, marketing analyst, you are definitely in need of business cards. Let’s face it, we cannot cope up just by talking the whole day. Our facilities are limited thus, we have to extend them through the help of marketing tools.

Business cards are powerful in the sense that it can transmit valuable information by just handing them to individuals. Whether you know them or nor does not matter. What matters is that you give them to the right recipients.

Who then, are the right recipients? They can be your prospective clients or customers, your friends, your associates and employees. With this, you can be assured that your money will not be put to trash but will serve as an investment to make your business or profession productive.

Brochures need to be eye-catching so as to attract attention. Thus, they must be printed in the most effective manner. The solid choice though is 4 color business cards printing. Why? Simply stated, it is outstanding – outstanding for the cards, outstanding for your resources.

To choose how many colors to use in a brochure printing job is an easy task. You will just have to consider the text, image, graphics, logo and the likes. This is another reason why 4 color printing is such a big hit. With it, colors are like a huge palette available to be used by the printer. Second, it is not expensive like six-color printing and spot colors.

To achieve color quality, avoid doing color separations just by yourself. Seek assistance from printers. 4 color process is pretty exacting and may not be tolerated by amateurs. Thus, you have to have assistance from the pool of experts when it comes to 4 color business cards printing. Printers can adjust to your business card printing needs.

Business cards are advised to be printed on coated paper. After that varnish or liquid lamination is applied. This will make them durable and lasting. To be sure that you will be getting high-quality prints, request for matchprint proofs.

Make a lasting business card impression, 4 color business cards printing can be your valuable formula!

How Copper started the legend of Che Guevara

Locals around the Chuquicamata continue to claim that the Ernesto Guevara who visited the area in 1952 was nothing more than a brawling drunk, with a penchant for one-night stands. If Che had caught the boat to Easter Island, as one story goes, “there would have been no Cuban Revolution.” That may well be an exaggeration; but a good case can be made for the proposition that the huge open-pit copper mine of Chuquicamata, or Chuqui as it is commonly known in Chile, remained firmly etched in the psyche of the Argentinean revolutionary right until his death. Copper production in Chuquicamata began in 1915, just as German scientific successes in the quest for artificial nitrates had resulted in the collapse of the world market for Chile’s traditional export: saltpetre (potassium nitrate). Since then copper acquired a pre-eminent position in Chile’s economy, and thousands of indigenous workers deserted the floundering haciendas to find work in copper mines like Chuquicamata, El Salvador and El Teniente, all American-owned until the Chilean copper nationalization program of the late-1960s. Initially, it was the plight of those mine workers which shocked Che as he headed north from the historic city of Valparaiso, after abandoning plans to reach Easter Island. But as Che and his companion, Alberto Granado, entered the Chuquicamata mining complex, the full story of Chile’s copper, and the world demand for that copper, began to unfold. Chuquicamata also emerged as a classic example of the relationship between supposedly modern mining techniques and crucial role of exceptionally cheap labor on the commercialization of copper. It was at Chuquicamata that Che learnt, from a mine foreman, the value of copper in the post-war industrialization of North America and Europe. In Valparaiso, a barroom conversation with an American prospector had left Che wondering why ordinary Chileans were obsessed with their copper deposits. “There is an unimaginable amount of gold and silver riches lying hidden in the Andes Mountains,” the prospector repeated to anybody who cared to listen. But, as a Chuquicamata foreman explained to his visitors, “there is one and only one truth about mining, any mining, and the gringos will tell you that: focus on keeping the production cost as low as possible, let the rest of the world worry about demand and supply cycles.” The picturization of life around the Chuquicamata in The Motorcycle Diaries left Robert Redford and his guests deeply moved at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. But Che apparently took away more than the images of extreme poverty from Chuquicamata. In later years, he was able to see how the United Fruit Company used clout and politics to make windfall profits, year after year, from its Chiquita bananas in Guatemala. During an essentially failed trip to Africa, to advance the Laurent Kabila-led insurgency, he saw how foreign companies were scrambling for the vast mineral potential of the Congo, and destroying the social fabric of the region in the process. Finally, a few weeks prior to his death in 1967, Che studied the tin mining sector of the Bolivian economy and noted, once again, that mine owners and traders had continued to make profits, regardless of boom and bust cycles in the industrialized economies. Though he never returned to Chuquicamata, Che kept abreast of the story of Chile’s copper. And perhaps the story of Chile’s copper continued shaping the Che legend. Since copper constituted a significant portion of Chilean exports, American mining interests exercised a domineering influence in the Chilean economy. At the same time, disease and hunger continued to cast dark shadows over the shanty towns around Chile’s copper mine, whatever the level of international copper prices. Citing copper, Che regularly warned Latin American governments, at every available opportunity, that foreign domination would only compound the problem of impoverishment. But who was listening? “This continent is full of Chuquicamatas,” said a senior Chilean mining official at a seminar in Havana as the socialist government of Salvador Allende proceeded to nationalize Chile’s copper mines and introduce worker emancipation legislation in 1971. “The mining laws need to be revamped urgently. But who has the will, and the muscle?” President Allende, an ardent admirer of Che, came to power as a result of the 1970 elections. Three years later he was overthrown in a military coup; while the nationalization of the copper mines was not reversed, trade unionists in Chile’s copper belt had to wait for another 30 years to legitimize the demands of those indigenous workers Che encountered along the road from Valparaiso to the Peruvian border.

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Simple Strategy to Increase Profits

In today’s competitive business environment it is essential to find ways to reduce costs and increase revenues while keeping productivity and quality high. One of the best ways to achieve this is through hiring and retention of outstanding employees.

Far too often hiring managers rush through the hiring process due to being reactive rather than proactive when filling positions. With some preplanning in the hiring process and implementation of sound strategies once people join your organization, you will lower the cost of doing business by considerable amounts.

As you prepare to hire consider the following:

• What type of person are you looking for?
• What are the values that drive your company?
• How difficult is the job you are filling?
• Do you have anyone internally who can do the job?
• How long will it take to find the right person for the position?
• What are you willing to negotiate with the potential candidate?

In looking for potential candidates you may want to try more than the traditional employee search. Tap into your network of professional connections. Some of your best candidates may be working for your competitors. Be careful about hiring someone just because they are a friend or family member. Not that friends and family members don’t make good employees - often they can be fantastic. And yet, if you are hiring them only because they are a friend or family member, you are setting yourself up for some big problems. With the wrong choice morale with other employees can go down. With the right choice it is just as likely to go up.

Think through the compensation package. Are the wages fair for the job, industry and market? Make sure your benefit package is competitive for your industry. Find out what other companies are offering as far as compensation and consider matching or beating their offerings.

There are occasions when someone may take a position without thinking through income, benefits or fit. Once they have gotten settled in and are feeling comfortable with the position and the company, they may realize the compensation and the job is not all it could be. That can cause some discontent on their part. To avoid this, do your homework.

Another key to keeping good employees is to make sure they are treated with respect, dignity and appreciation. This may seem like common sense and yet, it often doesn’t happen. I consult with various types of organizations employee retention and how to gain more commitment from the staff. I often will meet individually, in private, with a cross section of the staff. I spend at least an hour with each employee in a confidential meeting to find out their view of the company. Inevitably, the areas that are most lacking for the employee to be fully satisfied are communication and appreciation.

Once the area of discontent has been identified I design programs for the company in which to address the problems. What is amazing is the problem is often on the way to being solved by virtue of the fact the organization has brought me in. A common comment is, “Finally, someone is listening to me.”

Often, a company’s problems can be lessened with some good coaching and training of management. It is amazing how many managers and supervisors were put into their position without any training in interpersonal skills, management and supervisory skills, and how to communicate effectively. Nine times out of ten the people who need the most training are the ones who think they need it the least. And, they are often the biggest obstacle to the success of a company.

In order to stay competitive on all fronts you must keep your entire team on the leading edge. By doing so you will be in business for years to come with a happy, dedicated and productive team. And that will equal profits.

High Income Business Opportunities

There are a lot of opportunities to make a lot of money working at home. In this article we will talk about a variety of specialized, little known online home business opportunities that can be found on the internet. One way to earn work at home is to visit an online job bank. In it, you will find assorted online work opportunities and it is up to you to pick the ones that suit you best. You may not know that you can earn money buy teaching online courses. This position would require that you have extensive knowledge in the field you wish to teach. Some of the most popular subjects include IT professionals, computer engineering and the teaching of programming languages. These are all high income business opportunities and excellent when it comes to working at home. Another highly sought after position is the medical writer. If you have a background in the medical field, you will have no problem finding a job writing about it. Almost every online job bank is filled with a plethora of such positions and all are available for those who wish to work from home. Writers who can write content for web sites are also in high demand. Most of these kinds of articles are written with specific keywords that must be used, in order to boost the sites “visibility” to search engines. Artists are also highly sought after for web sites and other things. If you have a talent for art, there is a good chance you can find yourself an online job using this talent. Web designers are also in demand and once again you can work from home. There are plenty of online home business opportunities on the internet. All you have to do is look. Having a specific skill is also a great help. Specialize in a field, and become the best that you can be in your chosen field. When choosing a job online, make sure that you choose one you will enjoy. You’ll find that if you’re enjoying your work, you’ll tend to be more successful in the long run.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

A Simple Sales Strategy: Define What Selling Is!

How do you define selling? A lot of people think of selling as persuading/convincing people to buy things they may or may not want or need. To some, selling is all about closing a deal. Thinking of selling like this is not very empowering to you. Frankly, if you have this perspective on selling, it's no wonder if you hate it. I would too!

So what perspective can you take about selling that will make it enjoyable, exciting and something you look forward to? Sounds like a bit of a tall order doesn't it? Read on.

Hopefully by now, you have made the list of all the problems that you can solve for your target market. You're going to be surprised how long that list grows over time. So really, if you look at your list and you think about it, you are a master problem solver. What you're really doing is helping people. Correct?

So try on this perspective about what selling is: Selling is helping people. Selling is serving. Selling is a process of identifying and solving people's problems.

See, feel and know that selling is serving. This will cause a big shift for you. With this perspective, you will really become passionate about wanting to help people. Find this passion and let it shine through.

It is your purpose, your moral obligation, to have as many sales conversations with people as you can so you can help as many people as possible. If you're not having these types of sales conversations, you are holding back the gift you have to offer the world. You owe it to people to be there for them with your expertise and wisdom.

Next time you're talking to a potential client, think about how you can help them, how you can serve them. Forget about trying to sell them something. If what you have to offer does solve their problems, and you facilitate the conversation using the strategies we are covering, people will sell themselves and will subsequently buy from you.

If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think the people you're talking to will feel? Think about this: people hate to be sold. The minute they feel they're being sold, they often want to get away - fast. Don't you? On the other hand, if they feel you are sincerely trying to help them solve their problems, they will relax and open up to you.

If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think you will feel? Does energized, excited, relaxed, and natural come to mind?

This perspective is simple but powerful and very attract-tive to clients.

(c) 2005, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end) and all links are made live.

High Volume Merchant - Do You Need One?

When your business grows to the point where it is ready to move into the electronic age, you should give some thought to opening a high volume merchant account to expand your company’s potential. A merchant account will allow you to partner with a local bank or another financial institution to provide credit card processing payment options to online customers through the company Website. Creating a high volume merchant account will let you increase operating capacity to process exponential numbers of customers and credit transactions. You won’t have to worry about keeping correct change on hand at all times, nor will you have as many bad checks to chase after. Your customers won’t have to look for an ATM and pay extra usage fees to get cash when they wish to shop at your company’s physical location or online Website. You can hire fewer people to accept payments since your electronic equipment will be able to do that for you. In a short time your profits may soar as operating costs dwindle. To apply for your high volume merchant account, first find a bank that offers this service. It need not be in your area, as you can now do most banking tasks online via the Internet. You will probably want to open your merchant account in a country that is economically stable. One with U.S. bank branches might be particularly useful in helping you open a high volume merchant account, since many U.S. banks enjoy a highly esteemed international reputation. Whether you apply online or in person, you will need to show proof of your citizenship and your company’s country of operation. You must show that your business does not involve illegal, and in some cases, immoral activities like pornography, gambling, pharmacy, and telemarketing initiatives. Generally, there are no limits on volume, so even if your credit card processing unit brings in far more profit than anticipated, you need not worry about being charged extra fees, although you will have to clarify this up front. Your application for a merchant account could be approved in a day or two, which means you could start accepting credit card payments in a couple of days. Of course, you will need to select the type of credit card processor that you want to use either at a physical location or via your online Website. You may want to use a wireless processor for employees who travel from one site to another. Your high volume merchant account will be ready for business promptly to ensure that payments can be processed right away for your customers’ convenience and your company’s profit. Many entrepreneurs, company owners, and managers find it exciting to expand their operations to include credit card processing options so that customers can shop night and day, 24/7. Start browsing online banking sites or community financial institutions that can provide this opportunity, and carefully read the conditions and terms for each institution before you choose one and apply for your high volume merchant account.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

A Simple 8 Step Formula For Testing Your Headlines

I am going to let you in on a secret? The successful entrepreneurs are not successful because they know things that you don’t know. They are successful because they TEST every advertising campaign they embark on first before they start spending "big" money on effective forms of newsletter and ezine ads.

Ezine Ads

Placing ezine ads is one of the most effective form of advertising on the Internet today purely because you can advertise/market exactly to your target groups.

But if you don't know which of your headlines, your benefits and your offers are the ones that will make you money, you will probably not even be able to get the money back that you have to spend on your ezine ads.

8 Easy Steps To More Effective Headlines

To be capable of determining the most effective adverts, you need a system. I will show you one system how it can be easily done. Of course, there are literally thousands of different systems that could do the task as well. But if you want to analysis without spending too much money, then my way of testing will be an invaluable help for you.

The structure Consists Of 8 Easy Steps :

1.) Write down the benefits of your product and contemplate the advantages for your target group, not yourself. A bit of brainstorming is required here to see which ones immediately come to mind.

2.) Turn them into a set of 10 different headlines. If you sell an e-book about Dog Training and one of your ebooks benefits is that even first time dog owners can understand how to do it, then tell them about it in the headline

e.g. :

"A Step-By-Step Guide Teaches You Everything You Need To Know About Training Your Dog - If You Can Read, You Can Implement A Quick and Easy Dog Training Routine ! "

3.) Write 2-3 different versions of your ad copy. Focus on one or two other essential benefits. Get the reader curious and excited about your offer. Your aim is to make the prospect click on your link !

4.) Create a few different tracking links (that lead to your sales letter) for each ezine you want to submit your ad to. You must be able to decide exactly which ads and more importantly headlines are successful, and where the responses are coming from or you will be shooting in the dark.

You can use these 2 free services for this : http://www.hyperlinktracker.com/ and http://www.linkcounter.com/ they are both outstanding free services.

5.) Use one and the same headline for all your free ezine ad sub- missions and send out your free ezine ads to at least 10 ezines.

There are plenty of free well established ezines which give you free subscriber ads if you join their mailing list. You need publications with at least 1000 subscribers for a decent test of your ad.

6.) Look for the ezines with the most number of clicks. Only choose the most successful ezines. Now send 10 different headlines to be published in the next issue and one and the same ad copy to these ezines.

7.) By now, you should be familiar with which headlines work and you can change over to paid forms of ezine advertising in the knowledge that the ad you use with give it your best shot. Order Top Sponsor Ads and Solos in ezines with high circulation 10000 + subscribers.

If you get an acceptable amount of clicks but little sales, try changing your copy in the body of the ad and maybe your price as well. Is it too cheap or too expensive. Selling cheap don’t work.

You can find out if you :

8.) TEST, TEST and, you guessed it : TEST...!

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@lucygreen.com

Edward Green is the owner and operator of a successful online business. Ed has over 15 years in corporate business operations which include guerrilla marketing skills, customer service and Professional networking capabilities. http://www.lucygreen.com

Grants for Business

There are some Government grants that are available for EXPANSION OF businesses (but not to establish a new business). When a government agency makes funds available for a grant, it places an announcement in the Federal Register which is issued every weekday. For the major part, these grants are very specialized. Moreover, many Government grants are not available through the year. That is, you can't apply for most of them at any time you wish -- in practical, you can apply for them only when they are announced by a Government agency. GRANT is not exactly a loan, Attempting to get funds through a orthodox financial institution can be very lengthy and requires loads of paperwork, only to find out that you've been refused. These Government Agencies don't have to work under the same abovesaid requirements that banks do. You work on how much funds you require, as long as it's a legible amount and complies with Government Agencies basis, the fund is yours to keep and you don't have to repay it. This money is interest free and non taxable .None of these plans need a collateral ,co-signers , credit check, security deposits , you can apply even if you have a bad credit or bankruptcy , it doesn't matter, you as a U.S. citizen and tax payer are entitled to these funds. Anyone planning about going into business for himself, or wishing to enlarge an existing business should head for the world's largest "one-stop-money-hub" where FREE MONEY is being held for you to begin or expand a business by the Federal Government. It is absolutely amazing that people living right in the United States of America wouldn't know that every year the world's biggest source of free business aids in delivering. While there are still no direct small business grants that can be borrowed from the federal government, many state development agencies offer direct small business grants and other types of financial assistance designed to encourage and help businessmen in starting or expanding a small business SOME FACTS: Over $29 trillion dollars in low-interest loans and free grants; over one-third billion dollars in obtaining of contracts; and Around $32 billion dollars in research grants FREE consulting. With a market that remains unpredictable, and a requirement for even greater economic growth on all aspects, the federal government is more interested than it ever has been earlier to give you the money you need to establish your own business and become your own boss! Majority of people never try for FREE government GRANTS since they feel it is not meant for them, or simply don't know who to contact or feel there's too much red-tapism. In spite of the perception that people should not trust the government for aid, the great government give-away programmes have remained so amazingly big that if each of the approximately 9 million businesses applied for an equal share, each would receive over $69,000. The fact is, however, that people from all aspects of life do receive GRANTS MONEY free and other help from the government, and you are entitled to it.

Friday, July 16, 2010

10 Tips to Succeed in Your Legitimate Home Business

Virtually everyone would jump at the chance to start a legitimate home business so they could work at home and attain financial freedom. But not everyone has what it takes to transform a home business opportunity into financial success. Here are ten tips that will help you achieve your personal and financial goals through running your own legitimate home business.

1. Secure your start-up funds. Any successful business owner will tell you that you need to invest money in your business in order to make money. A home business is no exception. Expect to spend a maximum of $5,000 for a legitimate home business opportunity. If the opportunity is sound, you should be able to get back your initial investment within a matter of days or weeks, but you do need that initial investment.

2. Get high-speed Internet. If you don't already have DSL or a broadband Internet connection, you should have it installed. The best home business opportunities are Internet based, so you need reliable and speedy Internet access.

3. Find the right opportunity. Like every other person, you have a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Find a legitimate home business that draws on your strengths. If you aren't a salesperson, for example, stick with a home business that doesn't require you to make cold calls.

4. Get support. Launching your own business can be a daunting prospect, so be sure that you have the support you need. Look to family members and friends for encouragement, and look to the company with which you affiliate to provide you with a sense of community.

5. Take advantage of available resources. Unless you are a seasoned entrepreneur, you probably aren't aware of the nuances of running a business. The home business opportunity you choose should have a number of resources available to you, so take advantage of them. These resources might include a back office set-up, daily or weekly conference calls, and online tutorials.

6. Key in on marketing. The success of any business, whether a brick-and-mortar store or an Internet-based business, is marketing. The bottom line is, if people don't know about your business, you'll never turn a profit. Take full advantage of the marketing tools and advice that you're provided.

7. Set up a wok schedule. The wonderful thing about being able to work at home is the flexibility that comes with it. However, setting your own work hours doesn't mean that you don't have to work. It's helpful - particularly when you're starting out, to schedule your work hours as though you were going in to a "regular job." In doing this, you'll ensure that you put in the time necessary to make your business succeed.

8. Minimize any distractions. If you've never worked from home before, it's easy to divert your attention from the task at hand. While you're working, close the doors of your home office, turn down the ringer on your home phone, and vow not to check your personal email. Forget the laundry and the errands, and concentrate on your business.

9. Keep good records. It may not seem important know, but come tax time, you'll need financial records of all of the expenses and income associated with your home business opportunity. Some people use a spreadsheet, while others use special accounting software. Either way, keep track of everything, and keep your receipts.

10. Have fun! Having the knowledge that you're working toward your financial freedom while being able to work at home in a legitimate home business is incredibly rewarding. Always keep your goals in mind, and have fun creating a stable future for you and your family.

Guide to business and data trends

If one factor is to be named on which today’s business world stands it is undoubtedly the data management system of organization. The significance of data captures and interpretation is such that many make and break of most business organizations and big corporate houses depend on efficient data management. Collecting data known, as capturing data at the first place is indispensable for any business house. All type of trading needs data, to manage both the internal and eternal working of the company. Information about details of products dealt by organization, employees working for the growth of company and the marketing opportunities available each aspect need to be studied carefully and analyzed for business promotion, expansion and even day-to-day normal running of business. Data manipulation and interpretation has been an integral part of enterprises since long only the methods of data entry, storage and retrieval keep on being upgraded to suit growing needs of business world. Older methods of huge paper work for data management requirements of a company have long given way to the computer age and an era of paperless offices is on its way to live for long. Computer handling of data is much more efficient, reliable and fast for all types of data needs in any business. Gathering huge amounts of data at one place and being able to manipulate it easily is one of the greatest advantage of digital data setups. Computerized information’s can be stored on variety of media depending on the requirement, nature and volume of data. Very Large amounts of data that is necessary to be retrieved only when needed can be stored on secondary storage devices for permanent accumulation. Hard disks and CD-ROM’s have been popular in acting as data repositories. Data can be written to CD-ROM’s by way of burning them using CD-writers and information in hard-disk is stored with the help of any computer. Even data sharing and transfer has become a matter of minutes by the invention of computerized data management. Information about anything in business can be easily accessed by anyone whoever has the powers to do so even of he is situated at remote distances. In special business organizations where data transfer and sharing is vital for its success emergence of computers has been a heavenly blessing and has given a huge boost to its economic status. Airline reservations, railway bookings, knowing the performance of business in different branches of the organization all has been made easy by introduction of digital computing systems. These data spreading and keeping of backup copies, apart from serving good to the business has also created threat of data theft and data damages for business. Hackers from all over world and also social technical culprits impose high risk of accessing and misusing vital facts of business. Apart from natural damages like that of fire, flood, lightning or sudden accidents business data needs to be safeguarded from ill- intentions of some malicious human beings. All these necessities have given intense boost to data security software and other safety measures implied by companies. Even the extra costs incurred in beginning for implying protection against anticipated data loss are worth being considered for long term gains of business houses

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Guaranteed Income & MLM Success Available for Anyone!

Just about everyone would like to make some extra money with a guaranteed income and MLM success. In fact, most people would be thrilled to have a guaranteed income in a business that is their own and allows them to operate it from home. What's more, this business would allow the business owner to have more time to spend with family and friends, more time to do activities that they enjoy and have the money that allows them to have a more leisurely lifestyle. Come on, though, this is a fantasy, right? No! A guaranteed income and MLM success is well within your grasp. You can have the things that you want and live the life you have always dreamed of living. There are ways that you can start your own business and earn a residual income, making money effortlessly. This system really works, it has targeted a very large market that is hungry to buy, and is the perfect system, the perfect product. Through this system, you get the freedom of owning your very own business that you can operate from home. In fact, you can operate your business from anywhere that you can operate a laptop! Go to work in your pajamas! Work when you want doing what you want. This system will tell you how. There is no point in giving up a 9 to 5 job that you hate and trading it for another job that you won't like either. Until now, your options were limited when it came to having a legitimate home business. You could either try to make a go of it with all of the scams that inundated the internet, wading through the different programs to find the lesser of the evils in hopes of making a few bucks, or you could run a highly specialized business such as writing, day trading or some other business that required special skills. Well, those days are over. With this system, you get guaranteed income and MLM success. The really cool part is that literally anyone can do it! If you can type on a computer or click a mouse, you can make money with this system. There are two ways that you can make money with that system. You can sell some products which works great until the market becomes saturated. This market saturation eventually happens with nearly every product, then the demand declines because you are no longer the only game in town. This means that at that point you will have to lower your prices or move on to something else. The other way, though, is a secret method that is exclusive to this system. It allows members to make money day after day, year after year, with residual income. What's more, there is no one to call, no meetings, not time consuming conference calls that tell you little or nothing about how to make money. The focus in entirely on how you will increase your business and make the amount of money that you want to make. How much is up to you and how much effort you want to invest.

Failing To Plan Your Business Financing Can Be A Death Sentence For Your Business

Most businesses start out thinking the first thing they need is a great business plan. The popular myth is that potential lenders will place great stock in your business plan as a major consideration for approving the financing you need.

While a well written business plan will assist you when you are seeking financing, it is far down on the lender’s list behind things such as your business management team’s experience, your past business successes and your “lending character “. Having a plan for accessing the business capital you need to execute your business plan is what is required to bring your business success. Not having a viable business financing plan is the direct cause of why 90% of all new businesses fail.

Your lending character means the lender sees you having the ability and stability to repay the loan. They also ask how far they believe you can take the business to maximize the potential earnings and therefore their chances of getting repaid.

The first thing a lender is going to look at is how did you structure the business and were you responsible and knowledgeable in that. Are you Incorporated or an LLC? If not you are declined for a business loan and everything becomes based solely on you as an individual. Did you do your EIN, State, business licenses and bank filings correctly? If not, you are declined because lender’s require attention to detail.

A simple business credit report check by a lender will quickly show whether or not you are even in the ballpark for getting approved for financing. If the lender finds that you haven’t bothered to insure that your business has active reports with all three major business credit reporting agencies, then of course you are immediately declined.

Next, the lender will look at the character of your business credit reports. What do they say about your business? What kind of payment histories have you had with debts that are easy to get such as vendor trade lines, small business credit cards, equipment leases, etc? If your business has no credit history or very minimal history then no lender will even consider your business for a larger loan when you have no track record of paying smaller debts.

If you pass these simple tests, now a lender will get to the heart of you business loan application and it is only at this point that you even get the opportunity to present your funding request. Unfortunately as high as 90% of all business loan applications never get to this point, because most business owners never take the time to complete the initial steps.

So you have made it this far, The next question you need to ask is what is a lender going to want to see? Debt service! Here is where the lender finally looks at your business plan (or at least the financial pat of it) to determine if your business can debt service the loan. To make this determination a lender will test the reality of your numbers. Basically this means do your numbers add up and do they make sense.

If you don’t know anything about accounting you had better get help. When a lender looks at your projected financial statement and finds simple accounting errors, then in most cases you will again be declined. They don’t want to lend money to someone who cannot produce a simple proof and loss statement; or someone that can’t balance a balance sheet. There is a lot of help out there, get some.

Next, a lender will look at the market niche section of your business plan. While most business owners think that this is the place that sets them apart from the competition, it actually is the part where lenders will compare you to your competition. Here is where lenders must see that you have done you market research. Can the revenue claims that you are making in your financial projections be backed up by the actual market demographics for your specific business industry, location, customer base, etc.? It essentially comes down to the need for your product or service.

All of this can seem overwhelming and in truth it can be. It is the reason that 97% of all business loan applications get declined. The overriding reason is that business owners are not taught this in school and typically only gain this knowledge through years of brutal experience that normally includes having one or two failed businesses under their belts.

This will give you plenty of information to get you started on putting together a business funding request. In my next article I will cover some of the other aspects of your business plan. For a full version of an excellent business funding guide do a search on Google, Yahoo, or MSN for "Business Funding Workbook".

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Get Paid for Surveys - Review

I am sure by now you may have already heard about taking surveys to earn money. You can get paid for survey participation. Today there are more advertising companies offering the opportunity. It is good for them because they can service their marketing clients better and it is good for consumers because they can easily earn additional cash. People working from home, students, housewives and many other people earn up to $500 per month just from completing several paid surveys. All you need in order to get paid for survey participation is to join a web site of a company gathering survey participants. Soon after you are approved, you will start receiving surveys. The first survey may come on the same day you have joined or within the first two weeks. How soon this will happen and what amount of surveys you will be receiving per day or per month depends on your profile - if you are a male or a female, your age and interests. This is because each company is conducting researches within specific target groups - for example, consumer reviews for a new lipstick will be addressed to females, age 25 to 47, of certain income level and even social status; new sports equipment survey may be sent to both male and female who pointed out that they are interested in sports. If you have plenty of free time, you can join several marketing agencies. Thus, you are increasing the chance to receive surveys more often and earning more money. Bear in mind that some surveys do not offer money rewards. Instead, to get paid for survey participation, you may receive a product or a service as a gift. For example you may receive a discount on some of the products from the company that ordered the survey, free trials, coupons, samples or you may even enter a price draw. It sounds so easy to get paid for survey participation. However, you still need to “do your homework” before joining any paid survey programs. There are a few things to watch out for. What are the application terms especially if a membership fee is required? Is the site legal, Is it a real marketing company but not a pyramid company, in case you are offered paid access to a database of companies looking for people to participate in their surveys - try to find the same lists for free (there are so many web sits that will offer you the same information for free), be very careful about privacy issues. Never give out your personal information until you have done all of your homework. Even if they are a reputable company limit the amount of personal information that you give them. Feel free to visit some of my sites Cash Paid Surveys and Get Paid For Surveys

FADING GIANTS---The Tendency for Recognized Leaders to “Lose It” as Mega Builders

Copyright 2006 Dr. Eileen Silva

It was a rare moment in networking history: four people with high MLM visibility sat together around one table. One was the man who revolutionized the diet industry, exploding his company to over 300 million within 4 years of its launch and building dozens of million-dollar earners in his 30-year tenure in the MLM industry.

On his left was another legend of MLM--- heir to one of the largest MLM fortunes to ever be amassed and owner of the company that was, arguably, the most charismatic and wealthy meteoric-rise-to-riches ever to hit our industry. My husband, Taylor Hegan, and I, who have made in excess of three million dollars the last few years, as well as creating over a dozen other millionaires in the last decade, rounded out the circle.

When the subject of industry leaders’ ability to repeat their successes as they move from one company to another came up, we collectively decided that very few “big” leaders are able to change companies and repeat their track records.

Perhaps the most compelling reason for this is the nature of the dream we sell: “Build an empire that you can manage from the beaches of the world.” “Create financial freedom, which gives you the time freedom to spend with your family and your hobbies.”

We, who have actively helped mold the industry for the last three decades, have noticed that those who hit the big incomes seldom continue to build and work the business aggressively from a recruitment and growth emphasis after their checks surpass $20,000 a month. In light of that sabotage phenomena, I thought it would be useful to offer up some guidelines to help you avoid becoming a statistic once you hit it big!

I suggest that you: 1. Hire a staff to help you run your business like a business; 2. Never abandon doing the leadership steps that got you there. These include: retailing, advertising, sponsoring, mentoring, training, personal development work, leadership management, daily communication, and event planning. With the current trend in compensation payouts and telecommunication systems, as well as recruiting systems, distributors tend to develop their loyalty to their products and company. One of the biggest money earners of all time recently made this interesting statement: “If I wanted to leave my company today (after more than a decade and $35 million commissions earned), I wouldn’t be able to move people with me. They are all so product-bonded that it’s not about me, or the lure of an opportunity; it’s about the results they are creating through retailing systems and new recruiting systems.”

In your less successful days I would encourage you to sponsor your weakness --- in other words--- if you don’t like doing mail order, I would encourage you to sponsor someone who did. As you progress up the ladder of success with MLM, let me implore you to hire your weaknesses--- so that within your immediate direction, your office continues to execute all the necessary phases of the business.

Let me also suggest that at the very least you plug back in 10% of your income toward business expenses…. and quite possibly it would be appropriate to invest considerably more than that. Taylor and I spend many thousands per month on expenses, but as he is quick to point out that we have steadily amassed a fortune in the face of this expanded tab.

If you want to avoid becoming a fading giant, you must continuously assess your business developments and surround yourself with a mastermind group that will stimulate you to be the best you can be. Remember: the true great leaders of MLM are not necessarily the biggest earners; they are the most well- rounded performers with industry staying power. Make sure, as you take your career to the superstar level, that you remember the importance of continuing to execute the tasks that originally got you there! You will then be, as multi-millionaire, Charles Givens, has always said, “Ten feet tall and bulletproof.”

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Get Rich With Little Work? Here's How

You've heard all the warnings before. There's no such thing as get rich quick. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If there's a business that requires no work, I haven't found it. If you aren't very curious, don't think very hard, and try your best not to look around you, it's pretty easy to accept those bits of conventional wisdom as fact. You'll hear government pamphlets tout them (since when did career government people know anything about getting rich). You'll hear media people warn you to stay away (and in case you forgot, media folks have spent their lives as corporate employees). I sometimes think the only reason they tell us we can't get rich is they want us all to keep working our jobs at low pay! But enough of that. It's easy to see people all around you who are doing VERY well financially, not working too hard at it, and enjoying life tremendously: - The investor who keeps putting money in stocks and soon has hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank. - The person who buys houses, fixes them up, rents them out, then sells them at a big profit. - The person who gradually starts several small businesses, using the profits from one to finance another and hiring people to run them. - The woman or man who joins a Network Marketing opportunity, then builds up their organization and earns thousands per month doing very little work -- for life. Think for a minute, and just about everyone reading this article knows one or more people just like this. They're earning, or will soon earn, FAR more money than they would working a job. Many aren't working any harder than they would in a job. And ALL of them are having the time of their lives. But how am I going to get the cash and time I need to start my own business venture, you ask. These days you don't need a bankroll OR a lot of time to succeed. You definitely don't need to quit your job. You can easily run your business in your spare time, even if you have VERY LITTLE spare time. The vast number of people who want to own their own home-based business have made it possible for organizations to sprout up, all designed with one purpose in mind -- to make it EASY for anyone to go into business. Entry fees are often quite low. For FAR less than you would pay for an office, staff, and equipment, you can have your own high- end web site, automated prospecting system, and even a professional team of sales people who bring home the customers for you. That last feature is what interests me most! Many people running a home-based business just hate to sell. In fact, that's the one thing that keeps them from making money. Having a professional team of sales people working for you can solve this problem, since they talk with prospects and sell them on your products and services BEFORE sending them your way. Because a lot of small businesses are using their service, your cost to have the sales team work for you is quite inexpensive. So stop putting off owning your own home-based business. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it. All the tools, ideas, and systems are already in place to make you a HUGE success.

Factoring Canada - How To Finance Your Canadian Business

Financing a business in Canada has its unique set of challenges. If you are like most business owners you have probably relied on the banking industry to obtain financing. However, obtaining business loans is difficult. Your business must have years of profitable operation experience in order to qualify. But what if your business is new (but growing)? Or, what if you don’t qualify for a business loan but still have a great business?

You have two options, and they are not available from your bank. They are available from a factoring company. Do you have one of these two problems?

Problem: Your clients take up to 60 days to pay. You need payment faster!

Waiting up to 60 days (or sometimes more) to get paid can be very challenging for a business owner. Especially if you have regular expenses, such as salaries, rent and suppliers that must be paid. The solution to this challenge is to factor your slow paying invoices. Factoring (also known as invoice discounting) allows you accelerate client payments, reducing the 60 day wait to 2 days. It’s very easy to obtain and the main requirement is that you do business with good commercial or government clients.

Problem: Your client just placed a large order. You need money to pay suppliers.

If you are a distributor, wholesaler or reseller, then you have a unique set of challenges. You have suppliers that need to be paid quickly and clients that want to pay slowly, leaving you trapped in the middle. The solution for this challenge is purchase order financing. Purchase order financing covers up to 100% of your supplier payments, enabling you to deliver the goods and close the sale. With purchase order financing you can accept big orders with confidence, knowing that you’ll be able to deliver.

Is factoring or purchase order financing for you?

These financing products work great if you meet two very important criteria. First, your profit margins must be above 10%, and ideally closer to 20% (or more) Second, you must do business with reputable commercial clients or the government. If you meet these two criteria, then these products should help you grow your company and take it to the next level.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Freight Containers Transformed Logistics

Freight containers are standardized shipping containers. Shipping containers have standard dimensions, typically 20'x8'x8.5' or 40'x8'x8.5' or 45'x8'x9.5'. They have to be constructed to certain minimum standards of sturdiness to withstand the rigors of long ocean voyages and transfer from one mode of transport to another. Shipping containers meeting the standards can get CSC - Convention for Safe Containers - certification, a must for use in international shipping. Specialized trucks, railcars and handling equipment have been designed to accommodate these standard sized containers. The containers fit neatly into these vehicles (as well ships' cargo holds) and the handling equipment can easily transfer the containers from trucks to railcars to ships and in the reverse direction. The freight containers themselves might have forklift pockets (typically available only for 20' or shorter containers) that facilitate forklift handling. Standardized freight containers enhanced the speed and efficiency of cargo movement, and expanded world trade. The easy and quick transshipment of the containers from one mode of transport to another - inter-modal transport - is the main factor that makes the efficiency possible. The multi-modal transport facility also enables carrying goods across terrains like water, rail track, road and air to get from origin to destination without any disruption. Freight Container Ships Freight containers are typically shipped in "cellular" container ships, so called because the ships' cargo area is segmented into standard cells to accommodate containers, resembling a honeycomb. The cargo capacity of ships is expressed in TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units. The space occupied by a 20-foot standard freight container is one TEU, and that occupied by a 40-foot container is 2 TEUs. Container ships these days can carry nearly 5000 TEUs. Freight Containers and Security Freight containers are designed in a vandal proof manner. They also typically incorporate sturdy locking in the form of one double door that is secured by four locking bars extending to the whole height of the container. The locking bars have additional lockable handles that can be secured by padlocks and sealed. Packing and locking the whole container at the shipper's premises and thereafter opening it only at the consignee's premises can further increase security. Any required customs inspection and certification are done at the shipper's and consignee's premises. Considering the security, container-based shipments incur less expense for insurance against theft, pilferage and damage. Packing Freight Containers Cartons can come in different odd sizes, and the internal dimensions of containers are less than the outer dimensions. Hence dividing the outer volume of the containers into the carton volumes will not give a correct idea of the number of cartons the container can carry. For example, dividing the outer volume of a 20'x8'x8.5' container (1360 cubic feet) into the volume of a 1.5'x1'x1' carton (1.5 cubit feet) might give the misleading idea that we can pack 906 cartons into the container. The standard internal dimensions of a 20-foot container is about 19.35'x7.71'x7.83' giving an internal volume of 1168 cubic feet. Dividing this volume into the carton volume of 1.5 cubic feet gives the number 778. Even this figure is wrong because the size of the carton is an odd one. If you stack the cartons lengthwise across the container length of 19.35', you can accommodate a maximum of 12 rows. A maximum of 7 rows of such 12-row cartons can be accommodated along with width of the container, giving 84 cartons per layer. 7 such layers can be stacked along the height of the container accommodating a grand total of only 588 cartons. That leaves a lot wasted space. So you change the arrangement. Cartons are arranged lengthwise across the width of the container. That accommodates 5 cartons across the width. 19 such 5-rows can be accommodated across the container length, accommodating 95 cartons per layer. The number of layers remains the same at 7 and so the total number of cartons that can be packed this way is 665, significantly more than the last arrangement. Even now, there is wasted space that cannot be avoided considering the misfit between carton volume and container volume. Packing freight containers to full capacity thus needs some advance planning.

Factoring and Purchase Order Financing in Canada

There was a time when obtaining business financing in Canada was very hard. But this is changing as small business financing companies are moving into an area previously dominated by large banking institutions.

As most business owners know, qualifying for a business loan or a line of credit is very hard. Bank lending criteria is so strict that few companies ever manage to get any financing. But that is changing.

If you own a company that sells goods or services to other businesses (or the government), then there are two financing options that are available to you. They are invoice factoring and purchase order financing.

Are your clients taking up to 60 days to pay their invoices? Consider invoice factoring.

Selling to mid size and large companies is great, as they can provide you with reliable and steady business. However, their payment terms are always challenging. They usually demand the right to pay in up to 60 days. In the meantime, you must cover paying rent, salaries and suppliers. This can easily be fixed by factoring financing. Factoring can eliminate the 60-day wait and get your invoice paid in 2 days. The process is simple, you sell your invoices to a factoring company, who pays you up front for them (less a small fee). You get your money up front, while the factoring company waits to get paid.

Need money to pay your suppliers? Consider purchase order financing.

If you sell products as a reseller or wholesaler, then your biggest challenge is getting the financing to pay your suppliers. In this case, purchase order financing may be the right solution for you. Purchase order funding provides you with the necessary funds to cover your supplier expenses, allowing you to fulfill the order and deliver to your clients. The transaction is then settled when your client pays their invoice and the collateral is the purchase order from your client.

Conclusion

Both factoring and purchase order funding are easy to obtain and can be set up in days. The biggest requirement is that you own a profitable company and that you do business with reputable clients.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Four Dumbest S Corporation Setup Mistakes

I see and hear about a lot of dumb S corporation setup mistakes. Some of the mistakes are made by entrepreneurs and investors trying to save money on accountants and attorney fees. And I guess that’s okay--albeit penny-wise and pound-foolish. But you know what really irks me? Some of these mistakes—in fact, most of them—are made by attorneys and paralegal services… Professionals who should know better. But enough whining. Without further fanfare, here are the four dumbest mistakes that I see people make again and again when it comes to setting up a new S corporation. Mistake #1: Not Using an LLC An LLC is almost always the place to start if you want to end up with an S corporation. Why? I like to tell students and clients that LLCs are akin to lite beer. Remember the lite beer commercials? Same great taste but with half the calories? LLCs work like that. LLCs provide you with all the same great liability protection, but they require only half the red tape. This might all seem irrelevant, but LLCs can make an election to be treated as an S corporation for income tax purposes. Acccordingly, you want to use an LLC as the basis of an LLC in almost all cases—and not a corporation. Mistake #2: Forgetting about the Foreign Corporation Registration Rules Read those tempting advertisements for Delaware or Nevada corporations? The advertisements sound pretty good, but most small businesses shouldn’t use out-of-state llcs or out-of-state corporations. Here’s why: If you’re doing in business in, say, New York, you’re not going to be able to avoid state taxes by forming your llc or corporation in, say, Nevada. The tax and corporation laws in your state will require you to register your out-of-state, or foreign, llc in the states where your business operates. Those same laws will require you to pay state income taxes in the states where you earn your income. A couple more quick points: Large businesses do like Delaware for a variety of reasons—mostly having to with how sophisticated the Delaware chancery courts are. But this applies to really big businesses that will litigate in Delaware—not small businesses. And Nevada does offer corporations a no-income-tax haven—but you need to set up a real business presence there, with an office, employees, property—the whole enchilada. Mistake #3: Electing to be Treated as a C Corporation A long time ago if you wanted to turn an LLC into an S corporation—before July of 2004 as I recall—you first had to turn it (for tax purposes) into a C corporation. You did this by filing something called an 8832 Entity Classification Election with the IRS service center in Philadelphia. Then, once that entity classification took effect and the LLC was considered a C corporation, you made a second election to have the new C corporation treated as an S corporation. You did this by filing another form called a 2553 with the same IRS service center you’ll later file your corporate return with. This two-steps-to-an-S corporation process was pretty much a disaster. Thankfully, the IRS finally threw its hands up and said you only need to file the S election paper (the form 2553). Some people still want to do it the old, unfortunately. Which is really dumb. The old way doesn’t work very well. And, in a worst case scenario, you may end up with your LLC converted to a C corporation but not converted to an S corporation. Note: If you do foul up an S corporation, know that the IRS is very, very forgiving. You might want to get an accountant’s or attorney’s help if you get into this trouble, however. Mistake #4: Electing to be Treated as an S Corporation Too Early Once a business generates profits well in excess of the amounts paid to owners for salaries, an S corporation election saves the owners big money--sometimes tens of thousands of dollars per owner per year. But you don’t want to elect S corporation status too early if you were smart enough to start off your business as llc. This is especially true if you’re the only owner of the llc. By electing S corporation status, the llc needs to file an expensive corporate return, needs to begin doing payroll--even if the only employee is the owner, and may need to pay additional payroll taxes like the 6.2% federal unemployment tax. (This tax is levied on the first $7,000 of wages paid to each employee.) Wait until your business is profitable to elect S status for your llc. You patience will pay off in two ways: simpler accounting and less expensive tax returns.

Facing Your Daily Stresses And Anxieties In The Business World

Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and/or in the business world.

Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.

In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.

As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Finding A Work From Home Data Entry Job

ere are several things that you want to remember when you are looking for a work from home data entry job. First of all, you always want to be sure that you are dealing with a company that is going to do good work for you and that is not going to rip you off... Then, you want to take a good look at the type of work you will be doing and make sure that it is the type of work that you are suited for, and the type of work that you will be able to do easily. Lastly, you want to be sure that the money you are getting is going to fit your needs. When you are finding a work from home data entry job be sure that you do your research and be sure that the jobs you are finding are not scams but are actual jobs. This might sound confusing and it might be hard to do at first, but once you have been looking for work from home data entry jobs for a long time, you will be able to spot the scams and will be able to avoid them. You can also look for the name of the job or the name of the company that offers the job online and see what people are saying about that job or about the company that offers them. This is another great way to make sure that you are able to understand what the job is all about and that it is not going to be a scam. Doing your research will help you make sure that you are not being scammed. Then, you want to look into the job and make sure that it is the right job for you. Be sure that when you choose a work from home data entry job to apply to you are finding one that really meets your needs. It should be a work from home data entry job that you can easily do and that you know you will be good at doing. Be sure that you take your time and research each of the jobs that you might apply for and make sure that before you apply for a job you know that you will be good at it and that it is something that is actually going to interest you. This is something that is very important. The last thing that you want to think about when you are finding work from home data entry job is whether or not the pay rate is perfect for you. Be sure that when you find a work from home data entry job you are finding one that will actually work for you, and then be sure that you are going to be paid the right amount for it. This is something that you want to figure out very carefully, because if you are not going to make enough money to live on from the work from home data entry job, it is not going to be the right job for you. Be sure that the money is what you need it to be.