Monday, April 30, 2012

Effective Trademarks - How to Select a Good Name


Your trademark is the most important asset your business will ever own.  A good trademark will distinguish you from the competition and help you stand out in a crowd.  A poor trademark will entangle you in legal disputes and blunt your marketing efforts.  Selecting a good trademark is as simple as following the following guidelines.

1. Avoid Trademarks that cannot be Registered.  There is no point investing in a trademark that you can’t register.  Registering the mark protects it from competitors, ensures your ownership rights in the mark and makes it easier to enforce your rights against copy cats.  As you will read below, certain types of words are inherently poor choices for inclusion in a trademark because they cannot be registered.

2. Avoid Purely Descriptive Words.  Words which describe the nature or quality of the goods or services sold with the mark are not permitted to be registered.  Hence, the mark “Cold Beer” for use with malt beverages cannot be registered because it describes the actual product being sold.  If registered, it would prevent anyone from using the terms Cold and Beer to describe their malt beverage.

3. Avoid Surnames. Surnames cannot be registered as trademarks.  Hence the mark “Wilson Power Boats” is a poor choice for a trademark because the word Wilson is a surname (and the rest of the mark is descriptive). 

4. Avoid Confusing Trademarks.  A trademark which is confusingly similar to a registered trademark cannot be registered.  Hence, the mark “Sun-Screen” cannot be registered if the trademark “Sun Screen” has already been registered for a similar type of product.  A search of the US Trademarks Database (www.upto.gov.) and/or the Canadian Trademarks Database (www.cipo.gc.ca) is a good idea.

5. Avoid Generic Words in a Trademark.  The goal is to select a trademark which is as unique and distinctive as possible; therefore, avoid generic words.  Examples of generic terms include “green, superior, Canadian, American, deluxe, gold, premium, economy,” and a plethora of others.   These words are generic and if you incorporate them into your trademark, you ensure that you blend into the crowd, not stand out in front of it.  Geographic words fall into this category.

6. Avoid TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms) and Numbers.  IBM, ATT, and CNN are distinctive trademarks because their respective owners poured tens of millions of dollars into making the marks famous.  Even a poor trademark can be made famous if you through enough money at it.  But acronyms are intrinsically difficult to remember, while words, especially colorful words, are easily remembered.  Hence “ELS Software Solutions” is not as memorable as “Volcanic Silicon.”  Likewise, avoid using numbers in a trademark as they tend to be less memorable.  Furthermore, there are a limited number of unused acronyms available, so there is an excellent chance that your TLA will be confused with someone else’s.

7. Do use invented words.  Invented words are words which do not exist in any language, apart from your trademark.  Examples include Spandex, Exxon, Kodak, Viagra, and several other famous trademarks.  Invented words are a good choice for use as trademarks because they are not descriptive and they tend to be quite distinctive.  You can create an invented word by simply combining parts of other words.  For example, Microsoft is a combination of “Micro computer” and “software.”

8. Try animal or plant names.  Animal and plant names tend to be quite memorable and, if used appropriately, can convey a good image while still being distinctive.  Apple Computers is a good example, but other examples include Tiger Direct, Ford Mustang, and countless others.

Finally, make sure that the first word in your trademark is as distinctive as possible.  It is often necessary to add descriptive words to the trademark in order to convey what is being sold or marketed in association with the mark.  If generic words must be included then it is doubly important to ensure that the first word of the mark is as distinctive and unique as possible.


Effective Body Core Conditioning Tactics


You rely on your body to get get out of bed, to lift your children, to perform your job and to take you places everyday. If you appreciate what your body does for you, you will provide it with nutritious food, hydrate with water and be sure to add some activity into your day.

While our limbs provide mobility, reach and strength it is our body core that provides the basis of each movement. Sedentary lives can cause our body core muscles to weaken and become subject to strain or injury. Even if you workout or participate in sports you may not be working the body core muscles you rely on to perform.

What is your body's "Core"?

Your body core is the midsection of your body, from your groin to your shoulders. The core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers stability, balance and flexibility. Every movement you make originates in the core - whether you are reaching for your toothbrush or running a marathon. If the core is not properly conditioned it will limit your physical abilities.

Working the muscles in your body core will improve the effectiveness of movements in your limbs. Most exercise routines focus on building muscle. By creating a stable, strong base for those muscles you can optimize the strength and flexibility of each limb.

How do you strengthen your Core?

There are many exercise routines and products that work the muscles of the body core. Professional trainers create customized routines to enhance an athlete's abilities by developing the proper core muscles. However, there are also many programs developed for individuals who wish to incorporate it into their fitness routine or to begin one.

The exercises and products developed to strengthen your body core do so by creating resistance or instability so that the core muscles must respond to maintain balance. The exercises are gentle on the body but are intense and beginners will quickly 'feel' the muscles being used. Proper alignment is key so having a trainer to check your position will help identify the safest and most effective way to perform an exercise.

Body core exercises often imitate moves that we employ in daily life or sports and thus train the body to rely on the core and reduce the strain we put on our limbs. Two popular forms of exercise that develop core body strength are Pilates and the Swiss ball.

Pilates uses the body as its own form of resistance. Learning to breath properly and perform slow, controlled movements allows a person to isolate and strengthen core muscles.

The Swiss ball (also known as a Fitness ball) is an easy and fun way to strengthen the body core. While there are many exercises that can be performed with the Swiss ball, simply sitting on it will create the instability needed to engage the core muscles to maintain balance.

Good core strength is important at every age and fitness level. Whatever your goals, find a way to incorporate body core conditioning into your routine to reduce fatigue, avoid muscle strain and improve your strength and mobility.


Editors Help Business People Do the 'Write' Thing


You've got spelling and grammar checkers on your laptop computer, so you're all set to crank out the perfect sales letter while you're on the road.

But Chandra Clarke and Terence Johnson of the online editing service Scribendi.com would urge you to not hit the "print" button just yet. Those spelling and grammar checkers can make mistakes, and even one typo could not only ruin the impact of your letter but reflect poorly on you and your company.

Written marketing materials are often the first impression prospective customers have of a company. And prospects can be very unforgiving of those little typos.

In the article "Ethos and Error: How Business People React to Errors," University of South Alabama English professor Larry Beason found that mistakes in written materials create confusion regarding meaning and harm the image of the writer and the writer's company. The typos often reflect on more than the writer's communication skills, Beason said. The people he interviewed called sloppy writers "hasty," "uninformed," "careless" and "uncaring."

"If you don't care about your work," wrote one of the respondents, "why should I care about you and your business?"

But carefully proofreading your work may not be enough - studies show that people often miss their own typos. According to the studies, you see what you expect to see in your own writing, rather than what's actually there. Another person, or an editing service like Scribendi, can provide a fresh set of eyes.

Scribendi offers a variety of services, including proofreading, editing and translation. Clients upload their files to Scribendi's Web site and download their documents after the editors are done correcting and polishing.

The editors come from a variety of backgrounds, so they're familiar with their clients' fields. In addition to correcting grammar, spelling, flow and consistency, they explain word usage issues and standard writing practices, so clients learn how to improve their own writing.

When it comes to making a great first impression, Clarke and Johnson believe no project is too small. The image you create with a short press release, they say, is as important as a deal-closing presentation.


EDI Emanio


EDI is short for Electronic Data Interchange. It is a trade exchange system that replaces common business forms and documents such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping documents, etc., with a computer-based communications and records keeping system.

Another definition of <a href="http://www.emanio.com/">EDI</a>: “Electronic Data Interchange is the inter-organizational, computer-to-computer exchange of business documentation in a standard machine-processable format.”

There are a number of key points in this definition that makes EDI very different from other forms of paper or electronic communications. Firstly, EDI happens between companies, it is cross enterprise. While the growth in the use of computers and other advanced technologies has been tremendous during the past decades, the same trend is beginning to happen between companies. While the technology of EDI can be used internally within an organization, by definition EDI is organization to organization.

EDI happens between computers. The purpose of EDI is not to eliminate paper, but rather to eliminate the time and the data entry associated with paper. It is generally accepted that 70 percent of one computer’s business data output becomes a second computer’s data input. In a paper environment without EDI this means that the same information is being entered, in different processes, into both computers. With EDI, the computers are linked such that duplicate data entry does not take place.

The purpose of EDI is to improve the flow and management of business information. Any information that, today, is on a business form of any kind, is appropriate for EDI. EDI is currently being used for all of the most common business transactions such as purchase orders, invoices, quotes, bills of lading, status reports, receiving advices; and also for some very specific transactions such as residential mortgage insurance applications, healthcare claim payments, and material safety data sheets.

Because EDI is computer-to-computer communication, rather than person–to-person communication, the data being exchanged in EDI must be understandable to a computer. This means the data must be in some pre-established, structured format, thus allowing the data to be “read and understood” by the computer without human interpretation.

As stated earlier, the purpose of EDI is to improve information management. EDI accomplishes this by reducing non-value added time and eliminating redundant data entry. The basic functioning of EDI, as compared to a paper-based system is illustrated in the paragraph below.

In the basic EDI transaction that would be shown in a figure, the buyer’s computerized purchasing system creates an order on a paper form. The paper purchase order is delivered through some manual system to the supplier. When the order is received by the supplier, an order entry clerk abstracts information from the purchase order and enters it into an order entry system. With EDI, on the other hand, the data moves directly from the buyer’s computer to the seller’s computer, without any delivery or processing delays. In EDI, the transformation to a paper format, the interpretation of that paper format by an order entry clerk, and the re-entering of the data are functions that are no longer necessary.


Edgar Agent


What is an EDGAR agent? EDGAR is the Electronic Data-Gathering Analysis, and Retrieval System. This system is designed to handle the Securities and Exchange Forms that publicly held companies are required to file. What used to be done manually is now able to be done automatically online. Your  Edgar agent collects, validates, indexes, accepts, and forwards appropriate forms that your company is required to submit.

EDGAR filings is a great boon for investors and companies. In the age of instant online access to nearly everything, companies did not want to wait for audit reports that took a long time for accountants to generate. With online agents, the reports are collected, synthesized, and accessible to companies and investors alike. Investors can quickly and easily view financial information of companies in which they are considering investing.

Companies are required to file these forms with the EDGAR database. Like many financial forms, these are long and complicated. Often companies don't want to spend time on them when they have to run their businesses. The solution that companies find is to have a service prepare and file the appropriate forms for them. Such services offer companies quarterly and annual filings of a variety of forms, as well as quarterly, semiannual, and annual filings for mutual funds. In addition, they will handle Quarterly Institutional Investment Managers filings. Filing agents also "EDGARize," or convert documents into the acceptable SEC filing format.

Putting everything in the correct format, meeting the deadline requirements, having all the pertinent data, and knowing which fees are applicable is an overwhelming job when added to the myriad duties company officials already have to handle. Edgar agents handle this process for them in order to ensure they are in compliance with the SEC rules. In order to get started with an EDGAR filing agent, you need to provide certain information. For instance, you will need to provide both your CIK (Central Index Key) and CCC (CIK Confirmation Code) numbers to the agent. These are unique codes given to entities in order to file forms with the SEC. Your company then emails the documents that need to be filed. The filing agent EDGARizes the documents, and you are given the opportunity to review them. After your review, the agent will file the forms with the SEC.

These services can often work very quickly, if you are in a time crunch. As with any service you hire, you should check on the reputation of the company. Also, are they knowledgeable about all aspects of the EDGAR system and filing requirements? Do they file your documents or only prepare them? Registered agents can help you handle the necessary forms, ensuring that your company is up-to-date with the SEC's regulations.


eBusiness - Small Business Necessity


The rapid growth of the internet commerce in recent years presents established small businesses with a serious dilemma. On the one hand, they can stick with the business model that has worked for them for the last number of years. On the other hand, they can make the shift to serious eBusiness.

Choosing to stand pat is usually much easier in the short term. But in the longer term this almost certainly means they will be left behind by technology, and lose many of their most important clients to more aggressive competitors.

But shifting to eBusiness may involve committing substantial resources to developing a new game plan. That usually means refining product lines to make them easier to sell online, upgrading computer systems and websites, and training personnel at all levels to be more web savvy. It also means developing or hiring staff to handle the administration of new marketing, sales, and delivery systems, and working with outside consultants and service providers to handle the technical aspects of the new program that cannot be handled by your own people.

Is adopting an eBusiness Solution worth the effort?

Are the short term difficulties involved in making the transition to eBusiness worth the effort?

In virtually all cases, Yes.

It is like any other investment in your business. Some businesses look at the cost of upgrading production equipment or of renovating their office or retail space and decide it is simply not worth the cost. They decide the future is too uncertain to risk moving ahead, so they opt to tread water until either circumstances change, or they simply cannot continue any longer in business.

In this sense, choosing to stay abreast of technological changes is a business necessity. And these days, deciding to get involved with eBusiness is the most important technological decision many current businesses will ever make.

Advantages of eBusiness

Here are some of the more important advantages of moving to eBusiness.

You can develop a more cost-effective Communication and Marketing Strategy - The most obvious advantage of "upgrading" to eBusiness is that it gives you a vital web presence. In an upgraded "eBusiness environment" your company web site becomes the focal point of your communications and marketing strategy. And in an era when an increasingly large number of people are using the web as their first source of product and service information, "being there" 24/7 is extremely important.

You can reach New Markets World Wide - The internet offers exciting ways of reaching new markets that could only be dreamed of in the past. There are methods of promoting your products online that allow you to precisely target the customers you are after whether they are in your town or on the other side of the world.

You can reach Local Customers and Prospects more effectively - Until recently, companies offering a product or service to local customers could not see the benefits of having an online presence. But as more and more people become comfortable with using the internet instead of traditional advertising sources like classified ads or yellow pages, having an aggressive web presence makes better business sense even for local companies. This may also offer a springboard to developing new markets further afield.

You can cut Advertising and Marketing Costs - Online advertising is not only more efficient, but it is often less expensive than traditional advertising. After sales training expenses can also be reduced by utilizing online seminars, training videos and tutorials.

You can streamline the Ordering Process by taking orders online - Implementing an online ordering system allows you to eliminate manual paper work or telephone order taking. It also offers the possibility of integrating your sales order system with order fullfillment and delivery so customers can be up to speed on the progress of their orders at all times.

You can cut Communications and Telephone Costs - While the costs of voice communications using long distance telephone services have been coming down rapidly over the last few years, switching to an eBusiness model offers the possibility of totally eliminating many of these costs. Of course there is traditional email. But beyond that, there are systems like "Live Help" where customers can chat live with support or sales staff. And the most recent development is VoIP (Voice Over Internet) which promises to completely revolutionize telephone service.

Finding the right eBusiness Solution

Every business is unique, so every business will require a unique eBusiness solution. Chances are most small businesses will not have the resources inhouse to make the move. In that case they should find an eBusiness solution provider that takes a comprehensive approach to each situation. Rather than offering a pre-packaged program, they should be able to look carefully at a business and make recommendations based on its specific needs. That includes the ability to provide staff training and ongoing support long after the initial system is put in place.


Ebooks As Powerful Marketing Tools


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Ebooks are Promotional Powerhouses
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Ebooks are part of the new frontier of cyberspace.
They are an entirely new medium for sharing marketing
information, ideas, techniques, and expert knowledge.
Each day the number of people accessing the Internet
grows, causing the exposure of your ebook to increase
incrementally. It's obvious why electronic
self-publishing has become so popular so quickly.

The publishing industry, I hope, does not intend to
forever banish the printed word to the dustbin of
history. Books in print have their own special
qualities and merits, and the world would be
diminished by their disappearance.

Having said that, let's look at what makes ebooks so
important and so unique. Ebooks have certain abilities
and qualities that other mediums do not possess.

For example, ebooks are fairly easy to produce, and
their production cost is inexpensive. Just think about
it: you don't need a publisher, an agent, a printing
press, offset film, ink, paper, or even a distributor.
You just need a great concept, the ability to write it
or to hire a writer, and the right software.

Additionally, ebooks are easily and rapidly
distributed online. They are also easily updated; they
do not require a second print run. All you need is to
go into your original creation and modify the text or
graphics. Because of this flexibility, ebooks can
change and grow as fast as you can type.

Ebooks are also immediately obtainable. You don't have
to go to a bookstore or search through endless titles
at an online bookstore. All you have to do is download
it from a website, and presto! It's on your computer,
ready to be read.

Ebooks are interactive. This is one of the most unique
and specific qualities that ebooks offer. You can add
surveys that need to be filled out, order forms for
customers to purchase your products or goods, sound
and video that draw your reader into the virtual world
of your ebook, even direct links to relevant sites
that will expand your ebook outward. The potential is
virtually limitless.

Ebooks have a particular kind of permanence that other
mediums do not possess. Television shows and radio
shows air once, and then may rerun a few times. Ebooks
remain on your computer for as long as your choose,
and they can be read and reread whenever you choose
to. They can even be printed out and stored on the
shelves of your traditional home library.

Another wonderful quality is that ebooks have no
barriers in terms of publishing. You don't need to go
through the endless process of submitting your
manuscript over and over again, and then once you land
an agent, having the agent submit your manuscript over
and over again. Nor do you have to shell out thousands
of dollars for printing a self-published book. All
ebooks require is a writer and appropriate software.
Figure out your market, write your book, post it on
your website, and with the right business savvy, your
audience will come to you.

Finally, you have creative control over your ebook.
You don?t have to compromise with an editor or the
publishing trends of the time. You don't have to
haggle with a designer or wait for copyedited galleys
to arrive by snail mail. You are in complete control
of the design and the text.

How to Use ebooks for Marketing and Promotion

There are innumerable ways to use ebooks to promote
your business and drive quality traffic to your
website. Once posted on your site, you can turn them
into a daily course, which brings your customer back
to read the next chapter. You can use them as a free
gift for making a purchase or for filling out a
survey. Put your ebook on a disc, and you will have an
innovative brochure. Blow your competition away by
inserting the disc into your sales packages.

The most effective marketing products are those that
are unique. Copyright your ebook, and immediately, you
have a powerful tool that you, and you alone, can
offer to the public. People will have to visit your
site to acquire your ebook, which increases the flow
of quality traffic and the potential of sales and
affiliate contacts.

Make sure that you keep your ebook current. Update it
frequently as the market and trends change. Add new
advice and techniques to show your prospects how your
goods or services can enrich their lives. By
constantly keeping abreast of new trends and
techniques, you can continue to see profits from your
ebook for years after your original creation.

Another phenomenal advantage of ebooks is that you can
test their marketing potential without putting out
hardly any cash at all. You can even produce an ebook
one copy at a time, each time you receive an order,
eliminating the need for storage and inventory. By
this method, you can gauge the saleablity of your
ebook, and make adjustments as necessary until the
orders start pouring in. Ebooks allow you to learn
about your market and customer habits and motivation
over a period of time, without risking your precious
financial resources. They also provide you with an
invaluable way to gather marketing information, which
you can use in many different facets of your business.

Use your ebook to discover what the specific goals and
problems are in your specific industry. Then figure
out how to solve these problems, and publish an ebook
with this invaluable information. This will increase
the value of your business, upgrade your reputation,
and get you known as an expert in your field.

You can extend the value of single ebook by breaking
the book down into chapters for a serial course, into
special reports available on your website, or into
audio or visual tapes. Ebooks can be broken down into
several different promotional materials by excepting
some of the articles and using them to promote your
product. You can include a catalog in your ebook to
promote all the products or services you sell. You can
include a thank-you note for reading your book and an
invitation to download a trial version of your
product. Or you can include a form for your audience
to contact you for further information or with
questions, thereby building your business
relationships and your mailing list.

Using ebooks in this manner helps to cut the cost of
individually producing separate promotional materials.
You can use a single ebook to entice new prospects and
to sell new products to your current customers.

No other medium has this kind of flexibility and
ability for expansion. Think of your ebook like a
spider spinning a beautiful and intricate web. Now go
and create that web, and see how many customers and
prospects you can catch!


Easy Work From Home Ideas – Quickstarts For Everyone


Worthy efforts in offering great energy towards the completion of a challenging task and finding success through tenacity and intelligence and ultimately reaping that sense of accomplishment as well as the additional skills, abilities and experience that were acquired while overcoming difficult obstacles be damned.  Today is all about easy.  And what kind of benefits can one derive from easy?  Let’s just put it this way; it’ll be nothing to brag to your psychiatrist about, but your accountant will be jealous.  That’s right forget about all that fluff science, psycho babble that tries to talk one into the value of feelings of accomplishment, acquired knowledge, self awareness and the like.  In today’s world the only true value has dollar sign in front of it (Aaah…well maybe a Euro sign would suit you better, but you get the point).  So, initially you need to get that notion through your thick skull that says you want do something where you feel proud to tell others what you do.  So, first stop that.  Then start focusing on easy…and financially rewarding.

Easy work from home ideas are plentiful.  You simply need to know what tickles your fancy and then put that idea right out of your mind, because we’re not here to have fun, we’re here to make money.  Easily.  And once we take our easy work from home ideas and translate them into sweet, sweet cash in just a moments time, we retire.  Then you can think about fun.

And while you’re swinging in your hammock, sipping the most luscious nectar from the gods, watching the days pass lazily and lighting Cubans with dollar bills there’s one more thing that you can do to enhance the pleasure.  Think about all those fools with their silly misplaced and misguided condescension at your home business still churning out thankless reports and products for some faceless despot while thoughts of downsizing dance through their heads.  Think about that, move the little umbrella, take a sip and give thanks to easy work from home ideas and the cash, not the pride, they give you.


Easy Money During Your Free Time


Living in NY can make you crazy sometimes.  If your living situation, job, and life partner are all exactly as you wanted, that’s a more than exceptional life in the city.  Most of us spend our time on Craigslist looking for the perfect apartment, love, and job to appear before our very eyes.   If it’s not on Craigslist we resort to a Google search and punch in whatever it is that crosses our minds.   

Whenever you do a job search the web is saturated with these ads that create the illusion of getting rich by simply giving your opinion.  If only!  I’d be a millionaire.  And if we could somehow rid ourselves the task of going through the mundane daily prerequisites of 9 to 5, we’d all sign up.  But alas, the many tempting ads that assure extra cash do indeed mean it to be simply extra; don’t quit your day job in hopes of climbing the survey ladder to executive status, because it’s not going to happen.  At most you can win some great prizes from washer/dryer combos to weekend get a ways.   

If you have the patience to fill out a survey and start the madness you can begin earning that little extra bit of money immediately.  Otherwise, you could win prizes rather than cash, and be entered to win even bigger prizes simply for your participation in the survey.   It then becomes more like a virtual raffle that you have agreed to be a part of.  But I strongly suggest opening a new email account specifically made for your survey activities.  Upon filling out the information form the surveys will begin to be emailed out to you.  And if you decide this is for you, separating your normal mail from survey mail may simplify your life.  It’s not a full time gig, but it will earn you a little extra for whatever you require.


Easy Games to Play for Fun


Get acquainted with a practical guide on the easiest games that you can play online. And once you read this article, you will find that you have at least stopped losing all your money. If you follow the advice well and to the dot, you will also learn how to start winning cash from other players or by beating the casino. Sounds interesting? It is.

Note that the games you must look out for are those where the house edge is very low. If these are hard to find at the casino you have entered, look for those games that depend more on skill than on luck. Some of these include blackjack and poker. The games to avoid because they depend solely on luck are any of the slot machine games such as Caribbean Stud or the regular or progressive slot jackpots. These rely only on luck and the house edge there is against you.

What is a House Edge?
Since the casinos and betting establishments are in it for making money, they have created an artificial method to gain leverage over the players. This is what they have termed house edge. What it means is that over and above what you win, the casinos deduct a certain amount for themselves. It is something like insurance but only for them and not for you. But the casinos do not actually do this. Instead, they have inserted these odds into the game winnings so that you do not notice it. When you win, you are paid according to the newly calculated odds and you are no wiser.

For instance, if you walk over to a casino and place a bet of ten dollars on a roulette table. (For arguments sake, let us also suppose it was an American roulette table.) If you win, you should be given three hundred and seventy dollars because the true odds is thirty-seven to one. Instead, you will only get three hundred and fifty dollars according to the odds of thirty-five to one. This is what I was referring to in the previous paragraph. What has happened is that you have lost twenty dollars to the casino as part of the house edge.

Playing Poker:
Pick and play this exceptional game because ,here, you are not competing against the house at all. It is other players like you who you are up against. Do battle against them and defeat them for cash. No house edge comes in the way here, but you do pay a small part of the money you win to the casino as a commission. This winning commission is called rake, and its so minute that you do not feel it pinch your pocket.

In addition, this is one of the best games to play if you are good at it and if you have razor-sharp skills. You will be able to mint money like crazy if you can read other expressions and count the cards well. You can also pick from a variety of game variations such as <a href="http://www.gambling-portal.com/red-dog-poker.html">Red Dog Poker</a> and Texas Holdem.

Playing Blackjack:
This is one of those games that the casino does not like you playing. If it was up to the betting establishments, they would remove these tables altogether. Why? Because the edge for them is only a half percent! Thus, is you play well by remembering that you have to beat the dealer and not reach 21, you stand a big chance of accumulating a large sum. I also suggest you brush up on your mathematical skills.

If you wish, learn how to count cards, but be careful. Because card counting works, casinos have banned it. All you have to do is count the colored cards (the cards that are ten and above). Then, it will be easier to decide which bet to make and which not to make. Practice again and again at home because you not only have to master this skill but you also have to learn to do it silently so that the casinos do not catch on.

Video Poker:
This is a game very much like one of the many regular and progressive slot machines games you will run into at a casino, but it is different. Unlike slots, skill plays a big part in the results, and thus you have a bigger chance of winning than at one of the slot machines.

But, before you begin, glance at the payment structure pasted on the machine. You should make your gaming decisions based on the house odds and payment structures of the machine.


Sunday, April 29, 2012

Easy Fundraising Ideas


Stay at home moms, school children or just about anyone who wants to raise some funds for either a good cause or for some personal reasons need not worry about which fundraising idea they would use and considering that there are actually a of fundraising ideas out there. It’s actually up to you to pick the one that it suitable for you target market.

Common as well as tried and tested fundraising ideas that are sure to be able to earn you a lot of money are the following:

1. The Basics

- Use baked goods that look appetizing
- There is no need to be extremely competitive with your peers
- Presentation is as important as quality
- Sell as much baked goods as you can
- Offer a package deal where you lose money on one item but make it back on another

2. Offer Samples

A good fundraising trick when it comes to bake sales is to provide your customers free taste so that they’ll be able to sample the goods before they actually commit into buying them. You may think of this as costly but you wouldn’t really hand out actual sized muffins or cookies, just bits of it will do and if your baked goods are really good then your customers will probably end up buying more since bake sales are fundraising events that don\'t really occur very often thus customers may wish to stock up a bit.

Other popular baked goods that sell easily during bake sales are:

- Home made cookies
- Cakes
- Pastries
- Cheesecakes
- Soft pretzels
- Pies

3. Cookie Dough

A new fundraising idea when it comes to bake sales is to actually start selling cookie dough that comes in all sorts of great tasting flavors! This item has a high selling factor because you can price it far lower than regular cookies (as it takes you less time and effort to make). Make it as unique as possible. There is actually no need to spend too much on eye catching packaging. You just have to be very creative and incredibly resourceful for this one.

Types:

- Chocolate chunk Chunks of chocolate are fabulously laid out onto the cookie
- Peanut butter Nutritious yet an incredibly sweet delight
- Sugar Baked to golden and crisp perfection, this is already a household specialty
- Snickerdoodle Deliciously sweet cinnamon that is mixed with your cookie dough
- Oatmeal raisin Chucked with delicious sun dried raisins with oatmeal that is reminiscent of what your grandmother used to make
- Candy There are rainbow embellished cookies that can easily catch your little tykes’ fancy usually made with M&M chocolate as toppings
- Chocolate macadamia nut Just the sound of this luxuriously creamy cookie dough is enough to make your mouth water
- Triple chocolate Chocolate lovers rejoice at this incredibly sweet and delicious home made treatan
- Chocolate walnut crunch Another cookie dough favorite at fundraising events

4. Pizza Cards

Another popular fundraising idea nowadays is selling pizza cards and the community discount fundraising card. During these hard times, people would actually avoid a couple of bargains here and there but scrimping on food was never an option. That is why pizza cards are a great fundraising project. Not only is it very convenient to sell pizza cards (you can just phone up people, offering them the pizza cards or just knock on your neighbors’ doors and start offering your product), but there is actually no need for you to organize an event for this anymore. In addition, a lot of people are easily attracted to how cheap pizza cards actually cost.

Pizza companies actually love this fundraising idea as they tend to get more customers and would actually gain a lot of profit if you’re able to sell 30 pizza cards. You in turn will also earn a lot since if you buy the pizza cards in bulk you’ll actually be able to buy them from the supporting pizza company for just $3.00 each! It’s perfect for all sorts of fundraising events from school charity fundraising events to the neighborhood fundraising project.

5. Discount Community Cards

Discount community cards, however, are the most profitable and popular fundraising product ever. This actually proves to be a bigger bang for your customers’ buck as they can choose to avail of all sorts of products or services from the various neighborhood establishment area. Unlike the pizza card wherein you can only use it for getting pizza, the discount community card is far more flexible. Great for bargain hunters.



Maintaining and running a business takes a lot of effort and in today's competitive world, if one does not have an online presence this becomes very difficult. In order to get a website created and functioning, the owner of the business needs to invest a lot of money and time. Everything from hosting the site, to domain name costs money. But for people who are looking for free file hosting, there are many options available today. There are sites which are into offering of free storage space that will help in hosting video or music files of any size and format, mp3 or otherwise. Free web storage services are very interesting, it means the user does not have to worry about carrying the files, uploaded software on them, as everything is uploaded and can be downloaded from the web space itself.

Since the uploaded mp3 files, and video hosting files are accessible form everywhere, and that too at any time. This works very well for music file hosting and for data backup as well. Apart from the usual word, music and video files, people can even upload softwares, Adobe PDF formatted files and carry out free software hosting too. Hosting a file means having a space to put your files in, and making it visible to all who access the sit. Almost all the free file hosting services offer unlimited uploads and downloads facility as well. They do however have a policy that says files that have been hosted but not been accessed for over a month or two will get deleted. This again is not followed by all, but most leading hosting sites follow this pattern. This is just to make sure junk files are not taking up space that can be used for other purposes.

The mp3, video and flash files uploaded could be up to 100mb in size, which means even the largest file can be accommodated. They also allow fast web hosting thanks to the bandwidth allotted to the sites, through which the users can access and download the files in no time. For people who are not very comfortable with the computer, they can get a professional or someone they know to do free upload files and store all their movies and images on the web.

Earlier, people used to go in search of Floppy disks and CD's to store their favorite songs and movies, but today thanks to such free hosting facilities, life has become far easier. A person just needs to either remember the site's address or have it mailed to their own account and can access the data from anywhere in the world. They can simultaneously upload multiple files, which means they save time on upload and download. These also give them the flexibility to multi- task and complete numerous tasks within the shortest period of time. Thus, the free and unlimited web hosting services helps out not only businesses but also individuals who have tones of data and other files.


Easing Delegates Into The Event


Attending a major conference in a big city like London was a daunting prospect for Geri Hunter. She was always pretty nervous about these events anyway, although she realized the enormous benefit she received from networking and keeping up to date with the latest trends. The recent terrorist bombings didn't add much to her peace of mind either.

Because you won't know exactly what frame of mind your delegates are in as they await the beginning of the event, it is important that the presenters opening words orientate the audience to the reasons for holding the event. They should refer back to the original objective and should cover the following:

• Who are the people running the event?

• Why has it been organized?

• What should delegates expect to get from it?

• How will the event be run?

• Where in the venue will elements of the event be held?

• When will significant activities and breaks happen?

This welcome speech should be well rehearsed and word perfect, delivered in an up-beat tone to set the energy level for the day otherwise you may lose the audience before you have even begun.

Safety and comfort

As the event organizers you are responsible for ensuring that your audience understands the evacuation procedure in the event of fire, flood or any other emergency and for checking that everyone has been accounted for. Find a way of integrating this information into the beginning of the event and include information about smoking areas, toilets and also identify one of the administration staff as a key contact for any queries.

Some venues set the room temperature at the beginning of the day to a low level in full knowledge that it will rise naturally during the first hour. It pays to recognize this and to empathize with the audience, asking them to let you know if the room temperature becomes uncomfortably cold or hot so that you can do something about it. Say “Because we're not sitting still like you will be, it can be difficult for us to judge whether the room is comfortable.”

Timekeeping and flexibility

As the event moves on, you may find that the original timings were somewhat optimistic and you are not going to complete sections before the advertised break times. If this happens, be honest with the audience. They are probably more aware than you are that things are slipping. Whatever you do, keep religiously to the break times. They are important for boosting audience energy and, critically, the venue is already programmed to get hot beverages and food to you at these times. Changing the breaks on the run can cause far greater fall-out than changing the content of the event. Use the break time to take soundings from the audience about which material might be cut out and compensated for in other ways.

Above all be flexible in your event management and be prepared to do some emergency surgery to presentations later in the day.


Earn The Insider Secrets Of Income


Get Rich Quick Scams Revealed
Read this article before you consider paying for a "get rich quick" program.
From: http://swasdm.amentors.hop.clickbank.net 
Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.
Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered.
I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section.
In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.
I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying!
Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low!
To Your Online Success,
http://swasdm.amentors.hop.clickbank.net


Earn Money While Helping Others Improve Their Health with Low Level Laser Therapy


If you've always wanted to start a unique business from home or earn some part-time income, you can do either of these by recommending low level laser therapy to others. Low level laser therapy is a growing trend that's helping many people to unleash their body's ability to heal itself.

Low level laser therapy provides a fresh approach to pain relief and cell regeneration, but there are striking differences between therapeutic lasers and other types of treatments or medications. One of the main differences is there are no known side effects of low level laser therapy. Also, low level laser therapy can now be administered at home instead of spending time and money to visit a doctor's office for therapy sessions. Low level laser home devices allow those with arthritis, back or neck pain, inflammation, tension and stress, and other ailments to reclaim their health and enjoy a more balanced life.

Low level laser home devices are also called cold lasers, soft lasers, and quantum healing lasers. There are also brand name soft lasers that are named for their innovative technology, such as the Scalar wave laser. The home devices are lightweight, handheld, and easy to use for everyone. Most companies will provide instructional DVDs or manuals to educate users about low level laser therapy and how to use the home device.

Earn Top Dollar with Cold Lasers for Home Use

With so many practical benefits of low level laser therapy, it's easy to recommend this product to others. The devices may seem pricey, but you can explain to others that the long-term benefits and savings are well worth it. They won't have to take time from work to visit a doctor's office for their low level laser therapy. They can keep the device for years to come, even after it's paid off. Their whole family can benefit from low level laser therapy. Not to mention there are numerous health benefits, and the therapeutic lasers help to relieve stress. Low level lasers can be a precious asset to anyone's health.

So, how will you earn money? Some companies that sell cold laser home devices will allow you to purchase the laser devices at discounted wholesale prices. Then, you can in turn sell the cold laser devices to others. This can work well if you already have an established business, especially one that sells natural healthcare products and vitamins. In this case, many of your customers may already be interested in unorthodox healing methods. Or, you can start your own business from scratch with only the cold laser devices. You might also want to visit other established businesses to see if they would like to sell cold laser devices to their clientele.

On the Cutting Edge of Technology

One advantage to starting your own low level laser therapy business is you will be on the cutting edge of technology. Low level lasers aren't new to the medical world, but the home devices are fairly new to the market. The soft lasers for home use have been years in the making and many people are ready for them, just like when personal computers for home use hit the market years ago.

Many people don't yet realize the tremendous benefits of soft lasers, and they certainly don't realize they can do their own therapy at home! This proposes an amazing opportunity for you to gain wealth while educating others about this powerful technology. Even if you don't have experience with low level lasers, it's an untapped market that's easily accessible for beginners.

Low Level Lasers as Gifts

Low level lasers make great gifts for any occasion - birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, and so forth. You can earn money while advertising these as gifts when holidays roll around. Everybody knows at least one person who has a lot of chronic pain or other health needs. That person would be thrilled with a device that's going to alleviate or reduce their pain without side effects. A therapeutic laser home device would make a splendid gift that they will treasure for years to come!

Before choosing a company to work with, make sure the company is well established and up-to-date with the latest low level laser technology, such as the Scalar wave laser. There are many types of cold lasers, so study on the latest products before searching for business opportunities. Once you learn about low level laser therapy and how it works, you'll want one for your own personal use, and you'll definitely want to share this technology with everyone you know!


Earn Money Playing Online Blackjack


Blackjack is by far the most played casino card game in world. It is a simple game, and a game that can be beaten with the correct strategy. The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer by obtaining a hand valuing more than the hand of the dealer without exceeding 21. A hand valuing 21 is often called a 'Blackjack'.

In the game of blackjack all the numbered cards are valued at their face value. Jacks, queens, and kings all value 10, and an ace values either one or eleven, whichever value works best for the player.

On a typical blackjack table, there is one dealer and up to six players. Before the cards are dealt the player must make a wager of any amount up to the table limit.  Once all of the players have made a wager the dealer will deal each player two cards face up.  The dealer will also deal himself two cards - one face up and the other face down.  At this point the player is given a number of different options, which include hitting, standing, doubling, splitting, or buying insurance.

If a player decides to hit this means the player would like to be dealt another card.  A player can hit as many times as he or she chooses with exceeding a hand valuing 21.  If a players hand exceeds 21 this is referred to as busting, and if you bust you automatically loose.  The player's second option is to stand.  By standing a player is stating that he or she is happy with the value of their hand, and does not choose to be dealt another card.

If by chance a player is dealt a hand of two cards of the same value he or she can elect to split the pair into two separate hands. If a player decides to split, the wager amount remains the same for both hands and each hand is played separately.  In the situation that the player believes his or her hand is a winner the player can double down.  By doubling the player is deciding to double the wager amount and to be dealt one additional card.  On the contrary when a player believes his or her hand could loose because the dealers up card is an ace, the player can choose to buy insurance. Insurance protects players from a dealer blackjack. 

Basic strategy suggests that players should only play against the dealer, and not pay to much attention to the other players on the table.  By observing the cards dealt to the other players it is possible to gain an edge on the casino by using card counting techniques.  Card counting is not necessarily difficult but it can get confusing if you take into consideration the speed of the game.  It is always recommended for beginners to learn the blackjack strategy tables very well before even considering card counting.

Blackjack strategy tables are just basic tables that outline the correct mathematical course of action for any given hand.  Typically there are three different blackjack strategy tables.  The soft hand table is used if a player has a hand with an ace valuing one, the hard hand table is used if a player has a hand with an ace valuing eleven, and the double down table is used to decide if the doubling option works for or against the player.

Players using the strategy tables have a great advantage over players that don't.  Blackjack is a game of strategy and with easy to use tables that guide your play there is no reason why you can't beat the casino.  The players that win the most stick to the strategy tables and never make decisions based on luck alone.  Just believe in the tables and you will eventually win also.  Don't you want to break the online casino?

21Bet.com provides all the strategy tables you need to win!


Saturday, April 28, 2012

Earn Money at Home with Unique Home Employment Opportunities


For stay at home moms, retirees and anyone that wants a new job, home employment may be the ideal solution.  There are many different ways to earn money at home within the reach of anyone who wants to find them.  Join the more than three million people estimated to be working at home now.

Many Advantages when You Earn Money At Home

Anyone who is willing to work will be able to have a successful home-based business.  Whether it is full or part time is up to you.  It doesn't matter if you have children at home, or have other obligations, you can work at your own pace and on any schedule you choose.  You will be able to earn money at home without having to leave the comfort of your own surroundings.

Think of the advantages of working for yourself at home.  You won't have rigid hours and bosses to answer to.  You can have your own business with the computer or other equipment you already have, without costly offices and overhead.  You will have the freedom to make your own decisions and will eliminate the stress and costs of commuting.

Working For Others At Home

There are numerous possibilities in home employment.  Depending on your interests, you can work for yourself or other companies and earn money at home.  There is a great need for assembling products at home for all manner of companies.  There are directories offered on the Internet that will give you a comprehensive listing of companies needing workers.

By purchasing a directory like this, you will be able to study the entries and pick out one or several that appeal to your interests or skills. There are also companies that will pay you to do clerical and computer work, telephone polls, background checks and process insurance claims.

Be Your Own Boss

If you would like to work as your own boss and earn money at home, there are services that people need and will pay for.  Helping people find credit solutions and money brokering is an opportunity that's in demand today, and you'll need no prior experience.  There are companies who will train you in these services.  You will collect the fees yourself without going through a middleman.

Start Your Own Business

If you have a unique product or service to offer, you may want to open your own Web business.  There are sites on the Internet that will help you get started and many are free.  Another way to earn money at home is to join a free affiliate program online and sell the products of others through your own website.  You can earn extra money by advertising for other companies, and receive commissions from the sales it generates.

For anyone with ambition who wants to earn money at home, the sky is the limit. Start looking now for the kind of job that you would enjoy doing at home.  Make your life more fulfilling and profitable by taking control of your destiny.


Friday, April 27, 2012

Earn an Extra Income with these Home Business Opportunities


No matter what your skills or interests, there are many opportunities to make money on the Internet. Whether you're a career mom who wants to stay home while earning a living or a father who wants to earn an extra income, the Internet is still wide open for success.

Below are some unique ways people are earning money online and tips on how you can get started.

Information Research and Brokerage

The Internet is often called the "Information Highway" because so much information is available online. Someone has to find and compile this information through research and put together helpful materials, articles, brochures, manuals, and so forth. Businesses and organizations usually need a continuous flow of information to provide to their users. This gives you a great opportunity for employment from home. You can find work-at-home jobs researching or preparing informative materials for one particular company or start your own home business providing the services to several companies.

Specialist Opportunities

If you wish to specialize in a certain field, there are many home business opportunities in various fields such as real estate, finance, education, writing, and retail. You can narrow your job search to the fields of interest to find a job you love. For instance, if you've always wanted to work in real estate, you might find a work-at-home job with a real estate company. Even if you're not a real estate agent yet, there are opportunities for clerical work, photography, website design, accounting, and more.

Niche Home Based Business Opportunity

Another type of home business is the "niche" business. "Niche" means a unique product or service - something that is not available just anywhere. Perhaps you've developed a certain product or have found a rare product that you can buy wholesale and sell through your own website. Or, you might have a unique service to provide to individuals or business owners. The possibilities are endless!

Affiliate Marketing and Other Moneymaking Methods

Another way you can earn money online is through affiliate marketing. You can become an affiliate of one or more companies and sell their products or services for a commission. To do so, you will probably need your own website. Some companies will provide a ready-made website for you; however, you should have the ability to customize the website for uniqueness in the search engines.

You can also work for companies online that are involved in marketing or finance. There are paid survey programs, turnkey opportunities, and wealth-building programs to help you create multiple streams of income. With paid survey programs, you fill out survey forms online or participate in product forums to earn dollars. Some are earning $100 to $200 per day doing this full time while others earn a great part-time income.

With turnkey opportunities, you are provided a website that has been tested and all the tools you need to build wealth. Some turnkey solutions require a fee to start, some are free. Just be sure to check out the company first for legitimacy.

As you can see, home business opportunities are available for just about anyone. There are work-at-home jobs or opportunities to start your own business. Choose what will work best for you so you can start reaching your goals today!


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Earn A Regular Income From Home On Your Computer By Freelancing


If you long for something different from your everyday 9-5, you are not alone. Many people feel trapped in their jobs and work is something they do not enjoy. But what if there was a way where you could find your perfect job, decide your salary, and even set your own hours. Does this sound too good to be true? Well, it’s a reality for thousands of freelancers who work from the comfort of home each day.

FACT: Freelancing provides a sense of freedom not found in the average workplace.

Freelancing is the best way to earn income without having to go to a boring 9-5 job. As a freelancer you can do many types of work including data processing, web design, programming, writing articles, photography, and the list goes on and on. Freelance jobs are plentiful if you know where to look. It is a genuine and legitimate way to make money on the Internet. There is a large variety of work, and so much of it, that it is almost impossible NOT to find work once you get started. There is no need to worry about finding online jobs because there are so many employers who are ready to hire people like you and me for their projects.

FACT: There are many opportunities on the Internet right now for freelancers.

There are many freelance sites on the Internet where you can advertise your services and look for work. Some are free to join and others charge a membership fee. You need to make sure you find the right freelancing site for your needs. There are also many guides to freelancing available but you need to make sure they not only cover how to freelance but where to find freelance work. Freelancing is becoming a way of life nowadays for many people. There is no reason why you can’t join the freelancing revolution and start earning real money from your own home right now. All you need to do is arm yourself with the right information and the right attitude towards working from home.

There are many advantages to working from home as a freelancer including:

Be your own boss. No more being told what to do and when to do it.

Set your own hours. No more boring, same old 8 hour work days, day in and day out.

Quote your own price. No more working for a lousy minimum wage that will hardly get you and your family by.

Work from the comfort of your own home. No more working in a stressed out, overcrowded office.

Choose what projects you want to take on. No more doing stacks of paperwork for hours on end or work that you are made to do.

FACT: You can make working from home more than just your dream.

Working from home is not impossible, lots of people have tried it, liked it, and have made it a way of life for them. Ordinary people are becoming very successful and making a living as a freelancer, but becoming a success does not happen overnight. The main thing to remember when looking for online jobs is to always do your homework before jumping in. With a little effort and persistence, you will be able to build a good reputation online and work will start coming to you. Take control of your life and realize that freelance work is an honest, reliable way of earning a regular income.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Earn $400-$700 a Day Working Just 60mins


From: 11k4u
Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this. Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.
Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters. Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered.
I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section.
In conclusion, almost all of the programs I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.
I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products. Many of them have started to make money just days after buying!
Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low!
To Your Online Success,
11k4u


Monday, April 23, 2012

Dumpster Rental - Skip Hire - An overview for first timers


Dumpsters  (Skips in UK) come in a range of sizes and shapes; from 2 cubic yard mini dumpsters to 30 cubic yard garbage roll on-roll off dumpsters suitable for retail premises.

The basic builders' dumpster that people see at construction sites and on the back of trucks is 8 cu yds. This can hold up to around 10 tons of rubble. Even the most simple of building jobs produces an amazing amount of rubble, as you will know if you have ever had a simple job like a blocked off chimney opened up again.

This type of dumpster is commonly dropped off from the back of a small truck with a pair of arms that lifts the dumpster off and on the truck.

Different dumpster hire firms, in different cities, have different bases for their charges. Some charge per week, others just for each load taken away. Some charge by the ton. Obviously, you need to ask about the company's charging structure when you are booking and work out which package is going to suit your needs the best.

If you cannot accommodate the dumpster on your drive or front yard, you will need to provide lights and may need planning permission to leave the dumpster on the road. Find out in advance. The hire company will normally provide you with the legal minimum lights you need.

Some companies have drop-front or drop-side dumpsters, perfect if you are hoping to wheelbarrow your rubble directly into your dumpster. These dumpsters are in heavy demand, particularly in summer, so book ahead. If you can get one you will also need to obtain a builder’s 2 inch thick plank to wheel your barrow up, but it saves you all the work involved in lifting the rubble a shovel full at a time to head height.


Sunday, April 22, 2012

Dubai Gives Up on US Ports


After several months of suffering numerous criticisms, the United Arab Emirates finally yields to political antagonism. Dubai Ports World has ordered the removal of the facilities from the five ports they have purchased from the United States. Dubai has announced their decision right after the meeting between the Republican representatives in both the House and Senate was concluded. In the private meeting held in the morning, the leaders told Bush that that transaction between the U.S and the United Arab Emirates was destined to fail.

Some business factions said that this mounting paranoia in the U.S Senate could possibly harm future trade investments. This defeat, some warned, may come back and haunt the U.S because it may damage the relationship between both countries. It should be noted that the UAE is an important ally nation of the United States in the Middle East. In an act to save the rapport between the two countries, UAE’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has decided to hand the operations of the P and O Ports North America Inc. to the supervision of the U.S.

Just last February, DP World has announced that they will put their plan to take over the management of six US ports after numerous bombardment of criticisms by several parties. Concerns over the national security of the U.S were voiced out if ever the deal were to take place. It is a well-known fact that the Middle East is home to the terrorist group Al-Queda with some members coming from the United Arab Emirates. Critics who opposed the deal used this as the basis of their opposition, saying that handling the management of the ports to a nation with questionable association to terrorists would compromise national security.

England, along with some officials, defended the deal. They said that paranoia should not be allowed to rule the minds of the people. They added that this is exactly what the terrorists want to happen. Administration officials have repeatedly said that although the management of the ports is going to be handed to the DP World, the national security will still be under the U.S entities' supervision such as the Coast Guard and the Customs of Border Protection.

However, this assurance didn’t stop the House to vote in opposition to the deal, and quite overwhelmingly. After reviewing the transaction under the agreed time of 45 days, the House vote resulted in a 62-2 vote against UAE’s management of the U.S ports.

According to White House officials, the decision came about after the meeting of the Congress and DP World. It has also been said that the senior officials of the administration had no direct involvement in the meeting. Several upper bodies of both governments discussed the issue and worked out a result, which was for the United Arab Emirates-based company to back out. After several weeks of controversy and heated discussions, the conclusion came surprisingly swift. It is still unknown how the company would formalize its departure but DP world would not suffer any substantial economic loss.


Saturday, April 21, 2012

Drop Shipping Increases Profits


You would like to increase your income by selling other peoples` products but you just don`t have the money to stock inventory.

On the other hand, perhaps you have lots of your own product and would like to increase your sales, but you don`t have a lot of money for advertising.

The solution to both problems may lie in drop shipping.

1. Sell Products You Don`t Own

You would like to sell a variety of products but you don`t have very much money. Don`t worry! Your customers will supply you with the necessary capital. You don`t have to stock inventory. You can drop ship orders.

For example, you receive a credit card order for a product retailing for one hundred dollars plus five dollars shipping. You now turn around and fax (or e-mail or phone) your order to your dropship supplier. You pay the fifty dollar wholesale product cost plus five dollars shipping using your own credit card.

Your dropship supplier now ships the order to your customer. With no investment in inventory, your gross profit equals fifty dollars.

2. Sell Products You Do Own

Would you like more sales of your own products? Consider drop shipping your products for other dealers.

As an example, you may have a product that sells for one hundred dollars plus shipping. Every time you sell that product yourself, you will have a sale of one hundred dollars. However, how many one hundred dollar sales can you make personally?

Now consider the situation where you offer your dealers a wholesale price of fifty dollars. You could have hundreds or thousands of persons selling for you.

It is true that each product sale now only brings you only fifty dollars in sales. However, these are sales that you wouldn`t otherwise have. What would it cost you to obtain these sales through traditional advertising channels? Would your advertising even bring you the desired results?

Keep in mind that with this drop shipping arrangement, you pay only for results. When a dealer retails your product for one hundred dollars, he is really receiving a fifty dollar profit for selling your product; you could view it as a sales commission. You receive only fifty dollars per product sale but sell way more than without drop shipping. You ship directly to the customer for your dealer.

So, whether you sell other peoples` products or your own, drop shipping can increase your sales, preserve capital, and maximize business profits.


Friday, April 20, 2012

Donald Trump, True Leader, True Business Man


Through the years we have watched Donald Trump Rise and Fall, only to rise again.  A man that truly understandings the ups and downs of business.  It is believed that a good business man must be humbled a few time before greatness.  This is the only way a good leader can be developed.  A business person must know what they have to lose.

Donald Trump is a amazing person.  His true leadership shows in his approach to his employees.  He does not judge them for their education, but by their performance and ability to lead.  Not all great leaders can have degrees.  Street smarts and business experience can crush a college educated person.

Here are a few items we would like to point out about Donald Trump:
- A person that knows success and tells us to brag about. Blow your own horn.
- Do not judge a person by their education, but always respect those who have one.
- Learn to make the deal, buy knowing what you want and how your going to get there.
- Surround yourself with great people.

Business Subjects That Donald Trump Would Be A Great Influence:
- Master of great real estate deals.
- Marketing, What your doing and what you have already done
- Leadership and People Skills, Respect those around you, yet everyone one knows who is in charge.

Donald Trump has proven to be a household name to us for his accomplishments.  Many folks down play his forwardness and horn blowing ways, but he always seems to be on top.  Mr. Trump is someone to watch, learn and understand.

A site has been provided for you to understand Donald Trump better, at http://www.searchtrump.com . A site devoted to Donald Trump and his leadership.

You can also email  trump@nwcustomwebs.com with any of your questions.


Thursday, April 19, 2012

Don't Neglect Those Seminar Rituals


Once everything is in place for your seminar, workshop, conference or other event and all of the finishing touches have been applied to the main venue room, make a point of testing the delegate experience. Run a presentation or a video on the screen and try out seats in all corners of the room to check for screen and text visibility. Test the sound level at the furthest point from the stage and remember to compensate for the deadening factor of the audience. You will also want to find areas that you feel may be problematic once the audience has arrived so that you can quickly make adjustments.

As you sit in various seats, pay attention to the overall feel of being there.

• Is it pleasant?
• Are there draughts from doors or air-conditioning units?
• Can you smell cooking from the kitchens?
• Does the room look clean and tidy from this angle?
• Are there distractions like activity outside a window that the presenters cannot see but the audience can?
• Does the view from the seat reflect the value of the ticket?

Remember that, for longer events, this seat may be home-for-a-day to your delegate and they will appreciate small touches like easily reachable water bottles and bowls of mints.
The arrival ritual

As on any other public occasion, people have certain expectations when they arrive at an event. It is a kind of ritual that must be undertaken to gain entry to the magic kingdom of information.

If a delegate has been invited or has been pre-registered, they should be able to arrive twenty minutes or more before the start time and find a table outside the event rooms covered in name badges neatly arranged in alphabetical order. This table will be managed by a smiling administrator ready to acknowledge them quickly, to welcome them and to provide them with their name badge and any supplementary information they will need. The additional information is usually contained in a professionally prepared folder.

The administrator will direct them from the reception table to a coffee area and will also provide them with information about the location of toilets, telephones and smoking areas.

Many will have come alone and may not be acquainted with other delegates. To ease any awkwardness, some quiet background music will disguise uncomfortable silences. The event team, especially the presenters are expected to mix with the guests and, as well as making small-talk and introducing one delegate to another, they should be continuing their information gathering task to ensure that the event resonates with relevance.

At the advertised start time a robust voice should invite the assembled delegates to enter the inner sanctum of the main event room. Upon which note there will be a surge of activity as delegates find their seats.

This approach is obviously tried and tested and it's what people expect but if you want to experiment with different techniques, this is your opportunity to stamp originality on your event.


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Don’t Let Passions Rule When Buying A Business


For many, the American dream of owning a business is in queue right behind owning a home. I was a teenager when I owned my first business. Since then I have bought or started many businesses and helped others do the same. Here are some common mistakes I have witnessed or committed myself.

Paying too much

This results from the combination of all other mistakes. Many new business owners set themselves up for failure by paying too much, which results in higher loan payments, lower operating funds, and reduced borrowing capacity.

Letting your emotions rule

If you have always dreamed of owning a business, it is very easy to get caught up in the strong emotions invoked by seeing those dreams coming true. To counteract your emotions, take your time, do your homework, and enlist the help of objective advisors.

Paying for potential

You should only pay for the business as it stands at the date of purchase, not what it could be in the future. You will have to spend time, effort, and money to develop its potential. The seller chose not to invest these things, so he does not deserve to be paid for them.

Not evaluating yourself

Do you have what it takes to run this business? Try to match your strengths to the important duties you will be required to perform. Running a small business requires the owner to do many things. No one can be good at them all, so make provisions for those areas in which you are the weakest. Some tasks like payroll and bookkeeping can easily be contracted to outside vendors. Possibly your spouse, other family member, or a partner could do things that you cannot or do not want to do.

Not building a team of experts

At a bare minimum, you should enlist the aid of an attorney and a CPA. The attorney can prepare and review documents, help structure the deal, and make you aware of legal and liability issues. The CPA can provide a financial analysis of the business, and advise you about tax and accounting matters. You should consider adding a business valuation professional. His valuation report can be used to determine the reasonableness of the asking price, negotiate a lower price, and provide valuable information about the business, the industry, the competition, and the economic conditions.

Relying on bad information

You should verify all important information about the business. Your CPA can check financial information like receivables, payables, and inventory. Your attorney can review loan documents, leases, and contracts. Your business valuation professional can analyze the competition, the industry, and the economic conditions. Use independent appraisers to value real estate and equipment. Get a credit report on the business through your CPA or banker. You can do some of the investigating yourself to save money, but do not cut too many corners – it may cost you in the long run.

Changing too much, too fast

Once you own the business, you will be tempted to start making wholesale changes from day one. You risk alienating long-time employees and customers. Unless the business is in bad financial condition and needs immediate action, its better to take some time to get to know the business, your employees, and your customers before making changes. This is a perfect time to solicit suggestions from employees and customers.

Buying a business because you like to do what the business does

One reason restaurants have a high failure rate is people buy or start them because they like to cook. Very few restaurant owners spend time cooking. Their time is spent managing staff, ordering supplies, doing paperwork, and handling daily crises. A small business owner must wear many hats – including that of manager.

Not being interested in the business’s product or service

I made the mistake of thinking that because I am a CPA and smart that I could own and operate any business. I bought a business that sold high-performance auto parts to young men who drove jacked-up, four-wheel drive pickup trucks and went to the drag races every weekend. I did not do either and never understood why anyone would. I could not relate to my customers and went out of business in about a year.

Conclusion

Buying a business is a complicated, emotional process. By avoiding these costly mistakes, you can prevent turning your dream into a nightmare.


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Don’t Get Caught By Work At Home Scams


You've decided that you want to give up that 9 to 5 and be your own boss.  You've decided on your niche and done some research into it.  What do you need to do next? Source a product to bring in some money.

There are many websites out there that are legitimate, enabling you to build a substantial business and earn money working from home on the Internet.  You could be answering questionnaires for $20 each, reading transcripts of books prior to being published, writing articles. However, there are others, generically called “get rich quick schemes”. These schemes encourage you to spend money that you haven't got with false promises on the returns on your investment. The people who run these schemes (scammers) prey on the naïve or vulnerable and reel them in.  Once, you are under their spell there is no letting go.  Some, even ask you to pay money upfront stating that they'll double even quadruple it for you!

The auction sites are the worst sites for these people to hide in and wait for their prey. You've probably all visited one at some time, searching for that special gift for a family member, friend or even yourself.  The scammers advertise their merchandise, usually something that is a much sought after product. You see it and snap it up, pay, they get your money and you don't get the goods.  This happens time and time again. 

Help is available though.  The Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) and Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) are two organizations that are there to help you keep away from these fraudulent scams and check out the legitimate ones on the Internet to prevent you from losing you're hard earned cash.  They are encouraging people to complain to them about these scams.  If you get caught up in one, no matter how much money is involved, you MUST report it and stop it from happening to some other unsuspecting person trying to look for an honest way to make a living online.

You owe it to yourself to check out the Companies or people that are advertising a scheme or goods.  Do they have testimonials and are they real?  Follow them up by contacting the people who have made the testimonials.  Visit their sites and check them out through the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission.

Forums are a good place to get some help.  They are full of valuable advice.  You can read up on the benefits and pitfalls of schemes or ventures you are intending to embark on or perhaps you'd like to ask some specific questions.  All of the members have had to start from somewhere and they will give you good, honest advice.

Ensure that you are aware of what is happening and beware of that email dropping into your inbox stating that you can “get rich quick”.  There is no easy way to make money on the Internet, it takes a lot of time, effort, determination and hard work. 

Remember:- If it looks to good to be true, it probably is.


Monday, April 16, 2012

Don't Eliminate the Middle Man Add One!


Today, there are situations when we actually add a “middle person” instead of eliminating one for increased service efficiency. If it’s cost-effective and demand is high, then proper market positioning will make it a worthwhile endeavor. For example, my sister just informed me of a food delivery service in New Mexico that will let you choose one out of many different food outlets (all types of ethnic/fast food)- and then guarantees delivery within a specific time period. This not only gives the customer assurance of reliability, but more choices for dining take –out style.

 In other areas of industry, the same idea holds true. There are electrical suppliers that no longer manufacture the product of electricity, but now are involved only in the delivery process of electricity to the customers. Because of market fluctuations, the new delivery supplier will utilize many other different energy suppliers to get the product of electricity to the customer efficiently and at the best market price.  Again, adding the middle man seems to benefit all around.

 In relating this theory to restaurants, it is the food runner that has become popular, especially in the larger dining establishments that rarely existed years ago. Food runners are employees who only work the rush hours of the dining room- only running food back and forth from the kitchen to the tables with light dining room table interaction (condiments, fresh pepper etc.). It is a 2-4 hr. shift, depending on how long the dining rush lasts.

 Before large restaurants existed, the waiter would complete the process of order taking and delivering of the food. Today, the food runner can be implemented (additional middle man) relieving the waiter of this time consuming and sometimes painstaking process. The waiter must share a percentage of his tip with the runner, but in return his job is eased because the food is delivered for him- allowing extra time to work more tables and up sell to customers thereby increasing sales. Though, it does remain the waiter’s responsibility to check the table for additional diner needs-- either while the food is being placed by the runner or shortly thereafter. The tip-out to the runner is usually 10-15% depending on the service system, but well worth it if waiter sales can increase by 20-30 %.   

The main point is the food runner addition improves delivery service efficiency while being cost-effective (if the sales increase outweighs the payroll increase). Properly integrating employees into the dining room with exact middle man connections always makes for smooth service flow. It’s not a matter of just blindly throwing extra employees at a service problem, but organizing the best system possible with the minimal amount of labor. 

Adding the middle man can sometimes streamline operations in such way that it becomes irresistible and impossible to ignore. Always, the demand arises when delivery routes of a service system become overloaded.


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Domestic Merchant Account Options


A domestic merchant account may be the best option for your company. That’s because when you have an account managed by a company located in your country of residence, both you and the lender are familiar with laws and business codes that can impact the way your company operates. An offshore entity, in contrast, may be less familiar with and less observant of the rules that govern spending and payment transactions in your country.

Your domestic merchant account may be beneficial in other ways, as well. When selecting a lender, you can choose one that you know something about. Perhaps you have had other dealing with this bank or institution, or you may know other business owners who maintain accounts there. It is likely, if you follow business news, that you have read something about the corporation and are aware of its standing in the professional community or the overall industry. Working with a company that you know and trust can help to build solid relationships that can blossom into additional promising directions. You may be able to secure other types of accounts or lending in the future if your merchant account turns out to be a rewarding experience for both parties.

Applying for a domestic merchant account may be easier than doing business with an offshore company. You might be able to visit a local bank or one of its branches, or you might even know someone who works there. With a foreign bank, however, you probably won’t know any of the employees, and you are not likely to get the chance of visiting in person. However, you can possibly apply online for both domestic and offshore merchant accounts, and communication with company representatives should not be a problem due to the latest technological innovations that put people in touch instantly with those around the globe.

Fees for a domestic merchant account may be easier to understand when they are posted in the currency of your native land. Conversely, it may take some figuring to calculate profits and fees from currencies in other regions. However, many merchant account lenders do a good job of making this part easy, and will promptly process payments from other countries so that they enter your account in your homeland currency. Yet following the financial news in your own dollar, peso, or euro can be easier than trying to determine the value of currency you understand. If you do opt for an offshore merchant account provider, follow the financial news in that country via media like radio, television, print, or Internet to get a sense of how things are going and any impact your account might experience as a result.

Obtaining a merchant services account is a terrific way to expand the way you do business. Accepting credit payments from customers in countries around the world can be a great way to increase profits while lowering costs. When weighing your options of partnering with a local or an international lender, check into the advantages of a domestic merchant account.


Saturday, April 14, 2012

Does Your New Product Qualify For A Patent


If you've created something unique and something you believe to be marketable the subject of patents should be of immense interest to you. Without a patent your idea could be stolen from you. With a patent in place the concept, and its financial rewards, are yours for a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 20 years.

Does your new product qualify for a patent, however? To determine this you'll need to not only prove its uniqueness but to also make sure it's not disqualified for category.

In the United States, for example, the issuing federal agency is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This agency offers utility patents, the most common form of patent, on brand new designs that can prove usefulness. They can even patent new varieties of foliage such as plants.

What cannot be patented, however, are new pharmaceuticals that are determined to be unsafe, nuclear weapons, phenomena theoretical in nature, inventions that aren't operable, non-operational changes such as aesthetic improvements, inventions whose primary purpose would be seen as illegal, and those considered by the patent office as "whimsical," i.e., serving no serious purpose. As of this writing the patent office also refuses "immoral" patents, but a change is in the offing that will eliminate this category from patent refusal.

One of the criteria used by the US PTO to determine uniqueness and thus eligibility for a patent is whether someone who is considered an expert in the field in which you're introducing a new product would consider the product not only useful but also unique. You will, therefore, delay your application for a patent until you've determined that the answer to this is yes. You'll want to provide the PTO with the name or names of experts who have attested to the usefulness and unique nature of your creation.

This is where you must be careful. Sharing your idea prior to its patent could result in its theft if you don't take precautions. Besides carefully studying the credibility and ethics of those from whom you seek a professional opinion of your new idea or product, you'll also want to carefully document your step-by-step creation - from original concept to completion.

Purchase a notebook. It doesn't need to be anything fancy - just a diary sort of concept that notes each and every move made and every idea generated that helped to bring your concept and product to fruition. While in this day and age you're probably more prone to use a word processing system to do so (and that's a great idea for backup since you can not only keep it on your hard drive but save it to CD, DVD or disk) you'll first want to record these steps, in your own handwriting, in your notebook. Make sure you date each step as well.

The process for earning a patent from initial application averages two years. However, while that process is pending you will still have proof that you're the inventor by showing the PTO documentation of application number and official date of filing. If applying online, you'll have this information in minutes. If you apply by mail, the documentation should arrive within eight weeks.

Once you've received your patent, you'll have protected your new product or idea from infringement. What this means is that were anyone to try to claim it as their own, or to duplicate it and use or sell that duplication, you could sue for damages.