Happy Business

Leveraged Buyout

2009-03-03T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by David Gass

As a small business owner, you must have knowledge of various financial issues and investment options. In the primary and secondary markets, you must have come across the term LBO, or Leveraged Buyout, several times. You may perhaps know what leveraged buyout is, but you may not have enough knowledge about its working. So, as an investor as well as a businessman, have a look at LBO and its various aspects.

Leveraged Buyout- What Is This? A typical dictionary definition of this term is "a debt-financed transaction, usually via bank loans and bonds, which aims at taking a public corporation private." In simple terms, a LBO takes place when a financial supporter gets control over a majority of a company's equity through the use of borrowed money or debt. Leveraged buyout is also known as high-leveraged transaction or bootstrap transaction.

It usually follows a ratio of 70% debt to 30% equity. LBO is basically a strategy in which a company acquires another company and in order to meet the acquisition costs it uses borrowed money like bonds and loans. Major companies as well as acquired companies assets are used as security for getting such loans.

As an investor, you can be a part of LBO either by purchasing the debt or by purchasing equity. There are mainly three types of transactions in the LBO market:

The transactions in which a public company is taken private,

The divestures that result from selling off divisions of a public conglomerate,

Private market transactions that involve companies whose stocks are not publicly traded.

In the context of LBO, a leveraged balance sheet contains a little portion of equity capital and a major portion of loan capital. The loan capital is generally borrowed through banks and public/privately placed bonds. In this case, the debt appears on the acquired company's balance sheet and its cash flow is used to pay back the debt.

The LBO option gives lucrative returns on investment, nearly 20%. It happens when a major corporate restructuring takes place and the financial guarantor sells shares in a public offering or sells the main company to another company.

On one side, LBO can make more efficient use of company's resources; but on the other hand, it can also cause great economic suffering. Despite this, a recent market study says that the market is quite friendly to LBO activities.

Whatever the case, as an investor you should have knowledge of LBO. It will surely help you in your portfolio management. If you are eager to know more about it, fix a meeting with a market expert or start searching the Internet for useful details.

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Organizing Your Electronic Files

2009-03-02T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Barbara Hemphill

Have you ever sat in front of your computer looking for a document knowing it was there the question is: "Where?" The answer gets amazingly complicated if the document is an attachment someone sent to you from someone else's e-mail account!

In addition to organizing the additional paper that results from our new technology, we now also have to organize the technology itself. Did you know that 80-95% of the information we work with daily is generated by email and electronic files?

How Computer Filing Works

Your computer is basically an electronic filing cabinet. This is true regardless of what kind of operating system your computer uses, what kind of graphical interface it uses to show you how things are organized, what tools are available to you, and what kind of words or icons it uses to identify and describe the features of those tools. Whether you use a Windows based program or a Macintosh, the principles of organizing the programs and the information are basically the same.

The problem with computers is that the information isn't organized according to how we work and think. It is organized by format or application source (email, documents, web pages, contacts, etc.). Yet we comprehend by subject, person, company, project, and some other criteria appropriate to the work we do.

What many computer users overlook is that with today's technology we all have the advantages of the 255-character file name, which can be a combination of key words and phrases! This feature, plus the search capability of the computer, gives you access to a powerful organizing tool which can save you hours of time looking for or recreating information which already exists!

"Today's Mail is Tomorrow's File" One of my overriding Paper Tiger principles is "Today's mail is tomorrow's pile." How do you apply this to your computer? If you have a computer full of unidentifiable files, and you waste more time than you can afford looking for what you need, the easiest way to get yourself out of the quagmire is to start over!

What does that mean? Ignore all your old files! Design your new computer-filing system, using the principles I am going to describe. Then re-file your old files into the new system as you need them or, back them up on some other media, or delete them.

How do you design an effective computer-filing system? First, remember one of the most important (and neglected) principles of organizing computer files: A computer's value is that it allows you to use a file again but only if you can find it again! Sometimes you may simply want to print another copy. Other times, you may want to update or change the document in some way, or excerpt parts of it to create a new document. In any event, your key to success in finding the information you need is keywords!

Setting Up Your Computer-Filing System

The first step to success in easy file retrieval is to point all files into one directory. Windows created "My Documents" for that purpose but you may create another directory. In addition to making it significantly easier to retrieve information you need, this technique provides another major benefit. It's much simpler to back up your data for archives or for transfer to other locations.

So here's my system -- or it was until I discovered another great productivity tool (see sidebar): I use My Documents. Then I create a subdirectory for each of the computer programs I use, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Paper Tiger, Access, QuickBooks, etc.

If you don't keep many electronic files, you can ignore the option of creating subdirectories and keep all your files in one directory. But if you have lots of files, that would be like tossing all your tools in your garage and then spending hours looking for a screwdriver!

In addition, you can create additional subdirectories for projects, clients, or categories of work. But be careful this can get you in trouble. For example, if I create a subdirectory for Clients, and a subdirectory for Articles, and then write an article for a client, where do I file it? The fewer directories, the fewer places to look and you'll soon see how keywords will allow you to find any file in your computer in a few seconds!

Note: If you're working on a networked computer, you may have a choice of multiple drives. Your organization may already have made this decision for you of which drive to use. For example, all files of mutual business interest or used by a single division of the business may be filed on one drive, while employees' private work files may be filed on another.

In any event, don't make your strategy too complicated. It would, for example, probably be more confusing than helpful to send separate projects to separate drives, when there's space for all of them on the same drive, especially if they're all related to the same role or client in your work life.

The Power of Keywords In the early days of computers and DOS, files had to be named with eight letters and a 3-character extension. As a result, we got into the habit of creating shorthand for naming documents. The problem (as with paper files) is that often we don't think of the same name every time we look for the document. Fortunately, we don't have that limitation anymore! The good news is that you now have up to 255 characters to name a file and the name can be a combination of words and phrases.

For example, when I am writing this article, I save it in My Documents/Word. I name it: Organizing Your Computer Files, article, 2003, website, DJ Watson, editor. Any of those words could be helpful to me when I, or someone else, try to find the file years from now.

In other words, to determine how to name a file, use the same technique as the one for paper files: Ask yourself, "If I want this file again, what word will I think of first?" Enter that word first, and then any other word or phrase that might help you retrieve that file. You can separate the identifying words with commas or semicolons. (Some punctuation marks and symbols are not allowed.)

Finding Your Electronic File in 5 Seconds or Less!

So let's say I'm out of town and my assistant needs to find this article. She can go to the Start Menu, Search, My Documents and type in any of the words I used to describe the article voila! It's there in seconds!

My favorite electronic coup: An editor of a banking publication calls to say they would like an article for their newsletter (today, of course!). I do a search on "Article" and instantly I have a list of every article in my computer. I scan the list quickly and see an article I wrote for a real estate newsletter, which I can easily adapt in a fraction of the time if would take me to write a new article!

Information is power if you can find it when you need it! (And you'll really feel smug when others can find it too!)

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

Financial Aspects Of Online Business Startup Advertising

2009-03-01T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Sean Mize

There are two ways to do things online---on a shoestring or with a budget. If you are operating on a shoestring, you are going to need to do things like article submissions, forum posting, and other free traffic methods. If you have a budget, you have the flexibility of adding in ezine ads, PPC, and paid article marketing.

You need to decide up front how much money you can spend online, and then you need to stick to your budget. If you have a campaign that is not making you any money, you cannot throw money at it and have it start making money. You will just be spending more money. On every campaign you do you will either bring in less than you spent, you will break even, or you will make a profit. This sounds simple, but I think that too often people forget that every campaign they do needs to make money. Just because you are making more than you are spending online is not enough. You must make changes to every campaign that is either breaking even or losing money--even if you have plenty of others that are making you money.

If you decide to go the 'free' route and generate traffic without spending any money, know one thing: you will pay for your 'free' traffic with time. And there is nothing wrong with that, as long as you know it up front. You will need to commit several hours per day to generating traffic. If you do, you should make it online. If you do not, you will not make money online.

This has been an excerpt from "Step by Step Guide to Building an Online List", a step by step report on building massive lists. To read more by this author, simply follow this link: Internet Marketing Secrets

Are you interested in learning how to build a responsive mailing list? Click here: List Building

Jump Start Your Credit Repair Business

2009-02-28T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jay Conners

If you own, or work for a credit repair business and you are looking to add some clients to your book of business, buying credit repair leads may not be a bad place to start.

Credit repair leads may not be a bad choice because these potential customers have committed to having their credit repaired by a professional such as yourself.

People looking for credit repair are not just surfing the web looking for information, they are serious about it and are waiting on a phone call.

Where can you find credit repair leads?

Credit repair lead companies are out there and are very easy to find by using just about any search engine available over the internet.

Look for credit repair companies that obtain their own leads through sites they own and operate them selves. This way you can be sure that the lead is of good quality.

Steer clear of companies that buy their leads from third party vendors and than sell them to credit repair companies at a profit.

This type of credit repair lead is better known as a recycled lead, or better put, plain old junk.

So, when buying credit repair leads, research the companies you are considering doing business with very carefully.

You work hard for your money, so make sure you get what you pay for.

Jay Conners is the owner of two mortgage related lead sites where he obtains leads from people looking for credit repair. Please visit his sites at http://www.callprospect.com/credit_repair_leads.html And http://www.callprospect.com

Culture Shock When Moving From An Urban To A Rural Area

2009-02-27T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jody Hudson

Culture Shock: When Moving From an Urban to a Rural Area.

by Jody Hudson

Rural Real Estate is popular. But, Think ahead and don't open yourself up for; Culture Shock; An Unnecessary Evil, when moving to a rural area. Anyone CAN prevent some of the Culture Shock that may occur when they move to a rural neighborhood!

Before you move to a rural property -- get to know the folks there and seek to learn the culture of the area -- the existing culture -- NOT the one you are accustomed to and not the one you want to make it into.

Our company just recently sold one of the most perfect Homestead Properties I've ever seen, at a very low price! Why? Because the new owner made himself so unwelcome in his new environment and so terribly alienated the neighbors that they eventually made him unbearably uncomfortable. Thus, he no longer wanted to live there.

He is an impolite environmentalist and decided to move from the city to a rural community where many of the families go back 400 years on the same land. He was a city boy with a degree in forestry, biology and ecology and had not a wit of people sense. His applied religion was based on watching Walt Disney movies; where the trees talk and man is evil and animals and plants are perfect.

He didn't want his new neighbors to hunt deer, to farm the fields early in the morning, to use agricultural chemicals or artificial fertilizers on the crops. He didn't like the airplanes that sprayed the killer bugs early in the morning. He didn't like the smell of chicken and pig manure spread on the fields either. He spoke out constantly, loudly and aggressively. He made enemies of nearly all his neighbors. He's gone now and I hope the new purchaser, also from the city, will not repeat his social errors.

Most of the folks that live here are great and realize they are in a new place and seek to become a part and work within our cultural, social and economic structures. Most of our new arrivals are wonderful and we have many as the population here in southern Delaware is doubling about every 6 years!

There is a tiny noisy scat of people, only a tiny few, who come and hate it here. Yet they left where they were to come have a better life in this area. We see it all the time. The locals call them environmental whackos, tree huggers, bug kissers and much worse. These are the people who have learned all about nature from Walt Disney, Nature Channel, Discovery Channel and Sierra magazine. And yes they often have college degrees. They are not aware that reality is different from their movies, readings, classes and dreams. Thus too many of them flee the city and then seek to enforce their ignorance and miseducation on those in the community they have joined. They try to bully others and try to get them to agree with the rules, regulations, concepts and philosophy they left behind in the city. NOT a good plan if they want to have a pleasant place to live. Many of these folks think they know more about nature, trees, plants, animals, the earth and everything else; than those whose families have lived in harmony with earth's life forms for decades or even centuries here. Hopefully my strong language above has impressed you to read and learn here, rather than at the eventually harsh hands of a rural community if you don't pay attention to what is here.

It is wise to visit the area you plan to live several times before you move there. Join the church, support the Volunteer Fire Department, buy gas at the closest gas station, purchase your beer or wine at the local liquor store, become familiar with every public area and visit the community centers and philanthropic groups in the area. Most of all chat with folks and tell them you are considering a move into the area and ask them for advice. Visit the Lions Club, Sertoma, Elks, Rotary, Red Men, etc., and seek to learn instead of teaching. Listen instead of talking. Ask, don't tell.

There is little, if anything, the newcomer can teach the locals about local things. If you must try to teach the locals something; if you try to teach them about your expertise where you came from, what you were paid to do in the past, about the job and area you fled (if you can find anyone who cares) - you are on a wrong course and will shorely wreck.

Obviously, if you are one of those people who left all that urban stuff, you are one who doesn't really find it all that valuable either. Otherwise you should have stayed there. And you can bet that is exactly what your neighbors will be thinking if you move into a rural area and take a know-it-all and I'm-so-much-smarter-because-I-come-from-the-city attitude. They may be quiet, or even polite in your presence for a while, but that sort of an attitude will cause only animosity in those around you. And, they will talk about you, briefly to each other and your bad attitude will preceed you and be nearly impossible to correct later.

Find out what the community needs and wants from new or prospective members, such as yourself; really find out, don't guess or assume and leave pre-judgement out of the picture. We've had numerous folks who have moved here to be marketing experts or PR experts or Graphic Design experts. Not one of the several dozen I've met over the last 30 years is still in

business and none of them are even still here as far as I know. The service they were hoping to charge big money for was not wanted at any price, not even free.

One of my customers from some twenty five years ago -- moved from San Francisco into a "small (pop. 800) unspoiled, rural, quaint, picturesque town -- populated with salt-of-the-earth and down-to-earth folks" as she spoke of them at first. The couple I speak of had gelded their son, actually they had a surgeon do it, so that his voice would not change with age - all so he could sing in a world famous choir.

They wanted to start training the locals to build a "Boy's Choir". They were infuriated that the local school district would not support a boy's choir that they were certain could be the envy of the world, if they could just show everyone how to do everything. A year later they spoke of "the nasty little town full of stupid irritable ignorant slobs, shanties, shacks, old trucks, fat toothless men, red necks, gossipy women, uneducated Rubes and inbred hicks whose idea of culture was a beer and burger in a pickup truck.". The San Franciscans are gone now too. Their name seldom comes up, and when it does, it is not in a good humor or a good vein.

I am in the business of selling rural land, forests and homes. I love the people who already live in the several areas where I work. I love the customers I do business with. MOST of the time, the newcomers fit in well with the preexisting community. Some, very few, of my customers move in and spoil the area for themselves and for a little while, for those already here. The only reason is that they have not learned of the REALITY of rural, country life in the particular community before they purchase there.

It is often, in fact usually, not possible to rent before buying in a particular area; so it is very, very wise to look well before you leap into a rural community if you did not grow up there. Even if you did grow up in a rural area and then did not stay in touch with family and friends there since, you may find you no longer fit in. But you can relearn those customs you left behind, if you really want to "return to your roots". And if you've never lived in the area, you can learn the ethnicity, the customs, and learn to be a good neighbor.

IF you seek to fit in and contribute to the community, according to what IS really needed and wanted in that particular community -- you may well enjoy a type of heaven-on-earth in your new home.

One fellow comes to mind who came, loved and was well loved. He was a military radio expert who had traveled the world, made tons of money, lived in DC and Northern Virginia for decades. Attended the finest, fastest, and most expensive functions in the area and after retirement decided to move to our rural resort area. He moved here at the height of the CB craze, when almost everyone of the rural folks had a CB and wanted it to work better or needed one properly installed in their home or car. He did it all free of charge for anyone who asked. He was after all retired. Every time I visited him he'd load up my Wagoneer with eggs, fruits and vegetables from the farms, orchards and gardens of those he'd helped. I helped him with making the contacts he wanted to make and with getting permissions to private "fishing holes" away from everything. He was a catch and release fisherman and would always clean up any and all trash around the fishing hole, before he even started fishing there.

One neighbor kept this gentleman's grass cut and told him he get a good cussing if he wastefully bought a lawnmower. Another neighbor wouldn't take a nickel for changing the brakes on his car. Another neighbor fixed his roof for free. Several of the ladies in the neighborhood would cook some extra dinner for him, two or three times a week, and bring it over. He was invited to dine somewhere in the surrounding community almost every night. And, he was asked for stories of his world travels and the fancy parties he went to. He was fit, and actually fairly wealthy as he lived simply, had been paid well and invested well during his working years.

He could have afforded an expensive home but he chose instead to live simply and well within his means. His car broke down, it was about 8 years old, one time and he pulled over, got out and planned to walk a couple of miles to get some help. He told me three cars stopped to give him a ride in the space of a few minutes and one of them, in a pickup truck hooked up his car and towed it to another friends house where it was fixed for free.

He later sold the car at a very reasonable price to a lady in the neighborhood who really needed some help. He sold it to her for $1,000 -- about what the dealership would have given him and a couple of thousand less than one would have cost her. He paid cash for another car three years old. He could have afforded a new Mercedes, if he wanted one. He was constantly telling me how great his neighbors where. Why? Because he was a good neighbor to everyone else!

He passed away, we don't know why, and there were hundreds at his funeral, more than most natives would have and none were family... He left a nice inheritance to the local volunteer fire department, for new equipment and asked that instead of flowers, folks plant a tree. We use him as an example of a GREAT newcomer and he set a high standard for us all as neighbors!

Jody Hudson has been a Realtor in Delaware since 1972 and has sold in many areas of America as well. He has a lot of other articles and essays on his web site: http://www.kate-jody.com/essays/index.html

Pricing Your Products

2009-02-26T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Marc Singer

In our scramble to find a way to offer the lowest prices on the Internet, we often overlook the basic steps that we should be taking BEFORE we even offer a product for sale.

We also overlook something even more important: you don't HAVE to have the lowest price in order to make great sales. Following are some things I do before and after determining my bottom line. I sell by having products drop-shipped for my sites, which works VERY well, but these steps should be covered no matter your distribution method.

Should you be selling this item now?

Snowboards don't sell well in the summertime. You may have a hard time moving a pair of roller blades in January. Don't waste your time and your site space marketing products out of season. Ask your supplier for a little historical information regarding the best time to sell their products. Believe me, to everything, there IS a season. They have the figures. If they don't want to share this info with you, find another supplier.

Identify your costs

Profit isn't just the difference between wholesale and retail. You have other costs to consider. Think about every penny you spend in order to get that product to the customer's door, and plan accordingly. For example, your merchant account probably costs you about 2.2% plus 30 cents per transaction. On an item you'll sell for $20, that's 74 cents. Don't forget that calculation when pricing the item. Are you warehousing the item? How much is that space costing you per item per month? Did you spend money stocking up on shipping materials? How much per unit? What about advertising? Monthly hosting costs? You may need to project some estimated sales in order to arrive at some of these figures.

This may seem very complicated, but it's really not. Just take the figures one at a time, and you'll arrive at a wholesale cost plus an amount that, when added together, becomes your initial ESTIMATE of "cost of goods sold". Identifying all your costs is critical if you want to price your products properly.

Check out the competition

Search on the item you plan to sell. Check out the competitors' prices. But DON'T get caught up trying to beat the wrong competitor. You need to stay within your "venue".

My stores are built in Yahoo Shopping (http://store.yahoo.com). 90% of my traffic comes from there. When I seek out my competitors, I look for other businesses like mine ONLY in Yahoo Shopping. Then I compare.

If I'm thinking about selling a product, and I get 1,500 hits in 400 stores on that item in Yahoo Shopping, forget it. If I get a hundred hits in 20 to 40 stores, I'll look into it further.

So check out the competition, narrow down your product list, make a note of the five lowest prices you find, and then ask yourself another question:

Is anybody going to buy this thing?

This doesn't have much to do with pricing, but it should be said.

When considering products, there's unique, and then there's too unique. Yak Cheese may sound like something that nobody else has for sale on the 'Net. There's a reason for that. If you sell more than 3 boxes a year, I'll EAT some.

Unique is Rain Barrels made in Maine. It's Exotic Cheeses imported from Italy. Silk Parisian Lingerie. Things you don't see every day, but would be proud to give as a gift.

Then there's "common". Everybody and their grandmothers are selling Alabaster Figurines on the Internet. Do they sell? Sure, in a limited fashion. Do you want to sell them? Not if you want to make any real money.

In my experience, unique products, like Rain Barrels and Parisian Lingerie, DO sell. So do Coleman Sleeping Bags, and Conair Hair Dryers. BRAND NAMES sell. Look at your potential product, and ask yourself honestly if YOU would buy it on the 'Net.

Set your price

Take the five lowest prices you collected on a product in your list that has survived the above. Calculate your estimated cost, then subtract that from the lowest price. If you don't see at LEAST 15% profit, don't bother.

If you do, there are a couple of ways to proceed. You can undercut the lowest price in your "venue" by a bit, and hope to "kick off" the product and get yourself noticed. Chances are, though, that the following week you'll find that someone has undercut YOUR price by just a bit. That becomes a losing game.

I generally set up a couple of "loss leaders". These are desirable items (in my general product line) that I sell dirt cheap just to bring in customers. Then I price the rest of my products at the second or third lowest price in my venue. The customers come in for the loss leaders, and then I can market everything else to them via email. I spend a lot of time making my site look better and easier to navigate, and pay a great deal of attention to my customers.

That makes me more reputable in the eyes of the customer. You'll find that people don't mind paying just a little more if they feel comfortable in your store. They don't like to worry that they're buying from a "hack" who may not deliver. Nothing says "hack" like a cluttered, confusing storefront.

Follow up

After you've sold an item for a month or two, revise that "cost of goods sold". Measuring past performance is just as important as setting the correct price to begin with. If sales drop, recheck your competition. If that's not it, drop the product, or shelve it until the "season" comes back around. Don't get sentimental about your products, and NEVER just let your store sit there in limbo once it starts to make money. This is a dynamic business; stay on top of it!

A last word (or three)

Retail pricing on the Internet is so fraught with permutations that it would be impossible to cover everything here, even if I KNEW everything. The steps above are just the basics of a process that works for me. Hopefully something here will strike a chord and work for you as well. Patience and persistence are the keys to a successful Internet business, so hang in there, and don't quit the day job for at least a couple of weeks. ;o)

I hope this helps in your future marketing decisions.

About The Author

Marc Oswald Singer

CEO WSP Advertising Inc.

http://www.wspromotion.com/

Compassion Bringing Your Humanity To Work

2009-02-25T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Roger Schwarz

Compassion is one of five principles of the Skilled Facilitator approach. (It's also one of the four core values of the approach.) I have already written about the other four principles: curiosity, commitment, accountability, and transparency.

Compassion means temporarily suspending judgment so that you can appreciate others' perspectives or situations when they are different from your own. To be compassionate you need to be genuinely concerned about the other person or people's needs. You need to think about and feel it from their perspective.

Here's a simple example. When I'm teaching facilitators to work with groups, sometimes they get really frustrated by the group. The group members don't stay on task or they don't keep commitments. When the facilitators get frustrated they wonder why I can seem so "patient." My answer is that I have compassion for the group. The team members are trying to change (which is why we're working with them) and they don't always change at the pace we would like them to. Getting angry at the team for not changing fast enough doesn't help them or me.

If you're working with someone who is feeling overwhelmed by his workload and you don't think he has that much work to do, being compassionate means temporarily saying to yourself, "This sounds really difficult for him. Let me understand how he's thinking and feeling about it. I may be missing things that he sees." It's easy to be compassionate when you agree with the other person's situation; it's more difficult - and more meaningful - when you're compassionate with others who see things very differently from you.

Sometimes people think that compassion means feeling sorry for people and taking care of them in a way that rescues them. Not in our approach. Our definition of compassion means appreciating their situation and holding them accountable. It means sharing all the relevant information with someone even if she may feel bad hearing it. Sometimes a client will tell me, "I don't want to give a coworker negative feedback because it would hurt her feelings." But when you withhold feedback that can help someone change and improve, you take away the chance to change. I think that's cruel, not compassionate.

When I introduced compassion to my work a number of years ago, I was concerned that my clients (some of whom work in scientifically-based organizations) would see it as "touchy-feely." To my surprise and relief, they immediately understood the value of compassion - often because it was missing in their own workplace.

It's hard to have compassion for others if you don't have compassion for yourself. As a recovering perfectionist, I know this well. As long as I demanded perfection of myself, I would take myself to task when I didn't meet my own standards. And I did the same with others. If you are always judging yourself unfairly; you will do the same to others.

Compassion makes it easier to use the other principles I've discussed in earlier columns. When you have compassion, it's natural to be curious about what leads people to do what they do and it's easier to be transparent about what you're thinking. That's because the questions you ask and the points of view you share stem from your interest in learning rather than simply judging. When you have compassion, it's easier to maintain accountability because accountability is in the service of development rather than punishment. And when you have compassion, you are more likely to surface everyone's underlying needs; that makes it easier to generate commitment.

What do you think? Share your thoughts with me and others at the Mutual Learning Action Group.

Roger Schwarz, Ph.D., is author of the international bestseller "The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers and Coaches" and co-author of the recent "Skilled Facilitator Fieldbook: Tips, Tools, and Tested Methods for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches," both available on Amazon.com and via other quality booksellers.

You can subscribe on our site to Fundamental Change, Roger Schwarz & Associates' free, monthly ezine: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/ezine_signup.html In exchange for subscribing, you'll receive a link to a free .pdf copy of "Holding Risky Conversations," a chapter from our recently-published fieldbook.

We write Fundamental Change to help you create workplaces and communities that are simultaneously highly effective and that improve the quality of life.

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* Address issues important to you as practitioners and leaders
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Selling A Business

2009-02-24T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Kent Pinkerton

Once you have decided to sell your business, there are a number of steps that you need to take to help you ensure that you find the best deal possible. Among these steps, one of the most important is for you to be aware of the process of selling your business. This is because selling a business is considered one of the most complex processes in business. In addition to this you need to ensure that you cover all your bases so that you get the best deal for a business that you have worked so hard to build.

The first step you need to take is to make sure that the decision of selling your business is confidential. If word gets out that you are selling your business, it may have some adverse effects not only on your workers and suppliers, but also on your customers. The next step you need to take is to look for a broker who can put in the legwork in looking for interested buyers. However, you need to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable broker. One of the ways to do this is to get referrals from the Better Business Bureau in your area. After doing so, you need to contact an appraiser who would give you a fair valuation of your business, which can be helpful in the negotiations with potential buyers.

Once your broker has located a buyer who has offered you a price that you are willing to accept, the buyer then needs to furnish you with a Letter of Intent, which outlines the terms and the tentative price of the transaction. Usually, these letters allow buyers to investigate your business and to work out whatever needs to be finalized for the sale. After which, a purchase agreement would be drafted, which finalizes the details of the sale and then it would be signed and the sale becomes complete.

Selling a business is considered one of the most complex transactions in business. Therefore, entrepreneurs who are planning to sell their business need to do their homework to ensure that they get a good deal. This includes knowing the process of selling a business very well because doing so can help business owners get the best possible deal for their businesses.

Selling A Business provides detailed information on Selling A Business, Selling A Website Business, Selling A Small Business, Tips For Selling A Business and more. Selling A Business is affiliated with Merger And Acquisition Strategies.

Rental Companies Have Record Year

2009-02-23T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Mike Mavison

2005 proved to be a very good year for the rental industry. Several companies showed record earnings and revenues last year. Caterpillar, H&E, Ingersoll-Rand, and JLG were among the leaders in earnings.

Caterpillar, Peoria, IL, had record profits and revenues in the third quarter. With revenues of $8.98 billion and profit of $667 million both numbers were up dramatically from the 2004 year. Caterpillar attributed the growth to strong global demand and improved pricing.

H&E Equipment out of Baton Rouge, LA had a very strong third quarter as well. Their gross profit rose to $13.4 million, an increase of 40.1 percent from the year before. They also had a revenue increase of 22.7 percent to $27.5 million that quarter.

Ingersoll-Rand, Annadale, NJ showed an increase of 10 percent in the third quarter to $2.6 billion. This was led by growth in their compact vehicle technologies, construction technologies, industrial technologies, and security technologies. There was also an increase in their parts, service, attachments, rental and used equipment sections.

JLG Industries, McConnellsburg, PA had a record fourth quarter as well. With a sales increase nationally of 33 percent and 36 percent internationally JLG showed a 34 percent increase in over all revenue.

Financial forecasts were upbeat and hopeful for this year as well. Equipment prices will be higher this year due to higher material and transportation costs, but the demand for renal equipment should not change.

Article From http://www.rentalcow.com.

What To Say When The Media Calls

2009-02-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Carolyn Moncel

If the media were to call you today for an interview, would you know what to do or say? That question was posed during a recent conference on small-business ownership and micro enterprise creation, which was held here in Paris. I watched the reactions around the room, and it occurred to me that for most small-business owners, the only thing more frightening than conducting a follow-up phone call with a reporter is having that same reporter actually interview them.

There is only one way to overcome the fear. You have to simply adopt and apply an old U.S. Army recruitment slogan, "Be Prepared." Don't get caught without an answer the next time the media calls. Follow these quick tips for success:

Ask the reporter to describe the subject and story angle for the interview.

Establish the medium for the interview (i.e. live or taped television, print, radio, etc.)

Discover when (date and time) and where (by phone, e-mail or in person) the interview will take place. Also try to determine if the reporter will need additional information from you, as well as the story's deadline.

Research the reporter's past articles so that you'll be comfortable with the story's tone.

Create talking points. These are brief positive statements about you and your company that you will want to be included in the story.

Anticipate the types of questions that that reporter might ask, and prepare truthful answers for them.

Assume that everything you say to a reporter - jokingly or otherwise, will be used in the story. Always be aware of what is being stated, and if an awkward silence develops, don't feel obligated to keep talking if you have no more to say on the subject matter.

Avoid speculation or hypothetical situations. It could lead to being misquoted. You are the expert so stick to what you know.

Admit when you don't know the answer to a question. However, make it your top priority to find the answers and deliver them to the reporter immediately. It is also fine to take a moment to think before answering a question.

Avoid using technical terms or jargon. You must be able to explain your ideas simply and concisely.

Take notes and don't be afraid to ask the reporters questions as well.

Make yourself available by phone or e-mail in case the reporter has additional questions or wants to do a final fact check before completing the story. This will help give clarification to something you've said or give an opportunity to fix something if you've misspoken.

Thank the reporter for selecting you for the interview.

About The Author

Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.

Paper Shredder Reviews

2009-02-21T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Peter Emerson

Paper shredder reviews offer critical evaluation of the features and functionality of paper shredders. Paper shredders have now become an integral part of stationery accessories. Paper shredders are available aplenty in the market with various specifications. Paper shredder reviews help you find out the right product which will meet your specific needs. Paper shredder reviews provide detailed information on the characteristics of paper shedders and compare their utility in practical experience.

Paper shredder reviews are generally written by customers out of their personal experience. However, some dealers include some promotional reviews also. Paper shredder reviews evaluate shredders based on the capacity and style. Paper shredder reviews are available for all the three styles of cutting mechanism such as crosscut model, strip cut and the confetti-cut.

Paper shredder reviews usually rate shedders with respect to their efficiency and pricing. The rating depends on the overall performance of the model, ease of maintenance, ease of use, reliability etc. Reviews also include the pros and cons of the product in detail. The narrated strengths and failures of the model are substantiated with the aid of personal examples. Special features of the product such as automatic sensors, built in features, noise level, multi utility etc are usually given preference in the reviews.

Paper shredder reviews also provide guidelines for consumers regarding maintenance and cleaning. They give information such as ideas for the proper disposal of the shedder waste, particular function of some keys, selection of the apt shredder bags, positioning of the shredders etc. Customer support from the company is usually given special appraisal in product reviews.

Paper shredder reviews are available in magazines and Internet sites. Paper shredder reviews are currently available for models such as Fellowes PS-70, Royal VF1000MX, Staples, Memorex Michael Graves Shredder, Aurora Electronics AS505S, GBC Shred master, Adler Royal HT500X, EPS-611X, Primera, and more.

Shredder provides detailed information on Shredder, Paper Shredder, File Shredder, Chip Shredder and more. Shredder is affiliated with Shrink Wrap Systems .

It Consultants Save Your Clients From Themselves

2009-02-20T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

As professional IT consultants, don't let your clients be the first on the block to buy something new, unless they have a really good reason and can cost-justify the bleeding-edge purchases.

"Latest and Greatest" Isn't Always the Best Choice

While buying the "latest and greatest" does have its time and place, this kind of purchasing strategy really puts your neck on the line and can rapidly deplete your clients' limited technology budgets which of course they need to conserve to afford your expert guidance.

Instant Depreciation

Buying the latest and greatest PC, whether it's a desktop, notebook or server, is a lot like purchasing a new car at the beginning of the model year, as soon as it becomes available. Sure, your clients will get the fastest processor, the most RAM and the slickest supporting components.

However, your clients will pay steep price premiums for the novelty of being early adopters of state-of-the-art PCs. This means your clients may incur massive depreciation expenses much like the way new cars lose several thousand dollars in book value the moment you drive them off the dealer's lot.

IT Consultants Should Monitor Their Clients New PC Purchases

Because these PC purchase-related expenses are rarely trivial, start things off right by keeping your clients new PC purchases under close watch. Don't be shy about recommending bona fide bargains on last year's model whenever possible.

At the end of the day, this leaves more money in their technology budgets for high-level projects where IT consultants like you can really make a dent on your clients' bottom line results.

Where Smart IT Consultants Find PC bargains:

To keep abreast of special promotions and other PC bargains, check out the following sites

CNET Shopper -- www.shopper.com
eBay -- www.ebay.com
TechBargains -- www.techbargains.com

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Create Or Buy Your Own Product

2009-02-19T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Sean Mize

One of the keys to making money online and creating a long-term viable income is that of owning your own means of profit. What that means is, whatever you do, you own it. Whether it is a product, a website, a marketing system, or a collection of leads, you must own it.

If you do not own it, you are simply building for someone else, much like when you work for someone else offline. When you build for someone else, sure, you receive a commission, but once you stop promoting, your income disappears.

So you must own the means of creating your own profit. If you choose to sell online, create or purchase a product. Then sell it. If you choose to promote a website, promote YOUR website, not someone else's. If you are building a list, build your own list, don't build one for someone else that you can mail. If you want to own a marketing system, build your own.

Does this mean you cannot promote someone else's product or system from time to time? Of course not. But promote it to YOUR list. Or what about using someone else's marketing system when you are first getting started? Sure, but do it to get started, knowing that on down the road, you will have your own.

Build your own website, and send traffic through it first--never send traffic directly to an affiliate site.

This has been an excerpt from "How to Create Your Very Own Online Money Making Empire", a step by step report on achieving remarkable success online. To read more by this author, simply follow this link: Internet Marketing Success

Are you interested in learning how to build a responsive mailing list? Click here: List Building

7 Simple Steps To Uncovering Great Niche Market Web Site Ideas

2009-02-18T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Brian Terry

Discover how easy it can be to come up with potentially profitable web site ideas by following these simple 7 steps.

1. What are your personal passions?

All niche marketing experts agree that when you're working on creating your first niche product it's important to "tap into" any passions you might already have.

Imagine how much easier it's going to be when you're working on something you have a real "passion" for!

Here's a great place you can start start to get things moving...

Spend 5 minutes "brainstorming" all that interest you, go ahead and just write down anything that comes to mind.

If you can't think of anything right now then I've got the perfect solution for you. Recently I created an amazing web site that actually generates niche website ideas at the "touch" of a button.

You can access this great web site idea generator right here for free: http://www.TheresAnIdea.com/new/web-site-marketing-idea.html

2. Who else shares your passion?

It's all very well having an interest or a passion, but what if there are few others who love what you love? What you need to look for is a large group of people (or a niche market) online who share your same passion.

This is easy to do, just go to Google.com type in the subject of your passion then add the word "forums" to the end, then press the "Google Search" button.

So for example if you have a passion for Fly Fishing just do a search in Google for "Fly Fishing Forums".

In less than a second you'll see at a glance how many forums there are about your chosen subject. Go ahead and check a few of them out so see how active they are.

It's these forums where you'll find all the people who will ultimately become your customers or visitors to your niche market website idea.

If there are none or very few of these forums, just go back to step 1. and brainstorm some more. On the other hand if there are plenty of these online forums around move onto step 3.

3. Show me the money!

Once you've found a market of people who share your interest there are a few more things you need to know before taking another step...

a) Do they have a credit card? b) Are they used to making online purchases.

The reason why you need to ask this is because not everyone has a credit card and is prepared to use it online.

So how do you find out if your niche market has what it takes to buy whatever you plan on selling?

Simply go back to the original search you did on Google. This time look at the advertisements on the right hand side of the page. If you can see plenty of advertisement that's great! it means that other people are paying money to advertise to your niche market (or the people who share your passion).

If there are few advertisements on your Google search results page, just go back to step 1 and start over.

4. Give 'em what they want!

Here's where the fun begins...

You've found your niche market, you know they have money to spend, now you need to find out what they want.

What you must do now is get into the "meat" of the matter and find out from the horses mouth exactly what people need, create a product to fill that need, then sell it to them.

How do you do this?

Step 1: Set up what's called an "Ask Campaign" website.

Step 2: Advertise your "Ask Campaign" website in Google to target your niche market.

5. Words are the true currency

It's time to get back to "brainstorming" again as this time we need to know what the people in your niche market are searching for, more specifically what words and phrases they're using.

There's a great free tool I recommend called "Good Keywords" which you can get here: http://www.goodkeywords.com.

This is the "brilliant" tool that's going to get you ever more "closer" to discovering your next great niche market web site idea. It's through this essential tool that you'll discover how many people are searching for things within your niche market.

What you need to do next is collect the top 10 keywords and phrases people are using within your niche market. Once armed with this list it's time to get your Ask Campaign set up and in place.

6. Ask it!

Everything you need to know about setting up an Ask Campaign can be found here: http://www.askdatabase.com

Once you've got your Ask Campaign website set up it's time to get it in front of as many people in your niche market as possible. What you're going to do is get them to ask you a question. The questions they ask you will reveal the problems they are facing. Once you know what problems they face you're in a great position to deliver the solution.

Here's my own Ask Campaign web site... go ahead an ask me a question :-) http://www.theresanidea.com/AskBrian.php

7. Google it!

Build it and they will come... only when you have your Google Ads in place!

To open up your Google AdWords account just go here: https://adwords.google.com/select/

What you're going to do now is write small ads that drive people to your "Ask Campaign" website where you just ask them to ask you a question, for example... "As someone interested in "X" what is the biggest problem you're facing right now?"

So there you have it... the "7 Simple Steps To Uncovering A Great Niche Market Web Site Idea".

Recently one of my subscribers asked me "If there was one single skill to master that makes the biggest difference as an online niche marketer, what would it be?"... I simply said, learn as much as you can about how to Advertise in Google.

To help you on your way, here's a great no cost Google Adwords course: http://www.theresanidea.com/adwords.html

Brian Terry is the creator of the world's first online niche market website idea generator. You can generate well over 4,708 niche web site ideas at the touch of a button by visiting There's An Idea!: http://www.TheresAnIdea.com/new/web-site-idea.html

Business Phone System Solutions

2009-02-17T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Ken Marlborough

Businesses today cannot afford important employees being out of touch. A business phone system is an ideal solution to this problem. Whether it is a small, medium or big business organization, business phone systems have become the absolute necessity in today's competitive world. Business phone system solutions also play a vital part in uplifting business establishments.

Modern business phone systems come with solutions for all the data transfer hassles in a business organization. Features such as auto attendant, call groups, cell phone call forwarding, call recording, call reporting, access for remote workers, email integration, and unified messaging are included in most businesses phone systems. These cutting edge features have helped to increase the productivity of big and small business organizations equally. Apart from increasing productivity, businesses phone systems solutions improve customer services. This enhances the relationship between customers and entrepreneurs.

The choice of business phone systems basically depends on the type of the business organization. Business phone systems are available in four different models. They are key systems, private branch exchange (PBX) systems, KSU-less phones and voice over IP (VoIP).

Small business organizations that require less number of extensions can opt from key phone or KSU-less phone business systems. The key phone type business system is perfect to support extensions above five and below forty. A KSU-less phone system is suitable for an organization that requires less than ten extensions. Thus, this system is widely used in small and home based business organizations.

But, if the number of extensions is more than 40, then private branch exchange (PBX) business phone system is the best solution. Earlier PBX businesses phone systems were very huge and extremely expensive. But with the advance of technology, the PBX businesses phone system has developed to a point that it can be accommodated on a desk. This type of business phone system can also be programmed, depending on one's need. With the introduction of the Internet, voice over IP systems became more popular. In recent years, voice over IP systems have incorporated the most advanced technologies for businesses everywhere.

Business Phone Systems provides detailed information on Business Phone Systems, Small Business Phone Systems, Affordable Business Phone Systems, Professional Business Phone Systems and more. Business Phone Systems is affiliated with Business Phone Services.

The Mathematics Of A Firefight

2009-02-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Arvind Kumar

When you examine the mathematics of a firefight, it's easy to see why the big company usually wins. Let's say that the Red squad with nine soldiers meets a Blue squad with six. Red has a 50 percent numerical superiority over the Blue. 9 versus 6. Or it could be 90 versus 60 or 9000 versus 6000. It makes no difference what the number are, the principle is the same.

Let's also say that, on the average, one out of every three shots will inflict a casualty.

After the first volley, the situation will have changed drastically. Instead of a 9 to 6 advantage, Red would have a 7 to 3 advantage. From a 50 percent superiority in force to a more than 100 percent superiority.

The same deadly multiplication effect continues with the passage of time.

After the second volley, the score would be 6 to 1 in favor of Red.

After the third volley, Blue would be wiped out completely.

Notice how the casualties were divided between the two sides. The superior force (Red) suffered only half the casualties of the inferior force (Blue).

This result may be just the opposite of what you have been led to believe by all those Hollywood movies-the handful of marines decimating a company of Japanese before the marines are finally overrun.

In real life it's different. What happens when a Volkswagen Beetle hits a GMG bus in a head-on collision? You wind up with a few scratches on the bumper of the bus and a very thin German pancake. (The bigger you are, the harder they fall.)

The two vehicles have exchanged momentum. It's a basic law of physics. The larger, heavier vehicle sustains less damage than the smaller, lighter force.

There's no secret to why the Allies won World War II in Europe. Where the Germans had two soldiers, we had four. Where they had four, we had eight. The skill and experience of an enemy who had practically invented modern warfare and the leadership of men like Rommel and Von Rundstedt could not change the mathematics of the battleground.

In the military, the numbers are so important that most armies have an intelligence branch known as the order of battle. It informs commanders of the size, location, and nature of the opposing force. (The case of General William C. Westmoreland against CBS was based on whether order of battle documents in the Vietnam war were falsified or not.)

This article may be re-printed as long as following resource box is included as it is with out any alteration.

This Marketing Idea is published by http://www.nuttymarketer.com Visit us to find more of cheeky gorilla Ideas.

Think Property First For Commercial Real Estate Mortage

2009-02-15T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Joseph Hanoa

Make sure the condition of the property you want to buy will survive market conditions before seeking a commercial real estate mortgage. When you go to purchase a new residence, a good lender does a thorough financial background check on the individual seeking to borrow money. On the other hand, when you go to apply for a commercial real estate mortgage, the lender's greatest concern is the property. Some of the most important issues include your credit score. But that's not enough. The lender wants to make sure the property is in pristine condition and will survive tumultuous market conditions.

Research the commercial market

Before deciding to seek a commercial real estate mortgage, scout the city or town and get a sense of the market conditions. Are there many "for rent" or "for sale" signs for multi-family units such as offices or apartments? Is the commercial property in a part of town that receives enough traffic flow or is it difficult to locate? Talk to professionals in the area to find out where you can find the best deals before obtaining a commercial real estate mortgage.

Prepare to put money down

Just as you would put money down on the purchase your dream house, you will need to come up with money for a commercial mortgage. Most lenders want between 15 and 20 percent down. Next, you are ready to see if you can pre-qualify for a property. A loan officer will put together a loan package before giving you a letter of interest. Then, the lender will review the file and create a loan document.

Gathering documents for mortgage

You can begin getting together the documents you need in order to move along the commercial mortgage process. Put together your employment history for the past two years as well as with salary, employment dates, pay stubs and the contact information of your employers. You should also figure out your net worth and list all other assets. Make sure you have all of your tax records organized. Bring along your social security card, the last three statements from savings and checking accounts, stocks and certificate of deposits. You should make a copy of your 401K or IRA plans, the title of your automobiles or loan information. Finally, write down the names, addresses and account numbers for all credit cards, loans and mortgages so those facts and figures will be handy for your loan officer.

Joseph is the proud owner of Commercial Estates, a website that will explain everything you need to know about Commercial Real Estate. We invite you to visit our site today and see what we have to offer.

The Story Behind Blue Cross Blue Shield

2009-02-14T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Christopher Luck

Developed in 1929 by a man named Justin Ford Kimball, Blue Cross was an association of health insurance plans. It was in 1982, after Blue Cross had originally lost its affiliation with the American Hospital Association, that they merged with National Association of Blue Shield Plans to form Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Technically, Blue Cross Blue Shield is a trade association for a series of locally operated plans. There are 40 local member companies of Blue Cross Blue Shiled that operate under the umbrella. In addition, the company, or rather its local affiliates, act as Social Security administrators. Many would say, in fact, that managed health care in the United States is very closely linked to the Blue Cross Blue Shield design.

Blue Cross Blue Shield's operating headquarters are located in Chicago Illinois and in Washington D.C. The company employs about 850 people in its headquarters. The Member Blue Plans part of the company employs over 15,000 people, making it one of the 20 largest employers in the United States.

About a third of all Americans, including those in Puerto Rico, or 93 million Americans, are being provided health care from Blue Cross Blue Shield. Their insurance plans reach a variety of people through a variety of products including those for small business, large corporations, or private individuals.

Since the inception of Medicare by the US government in 1965, Blue Cross Blue Shield has helped to process the claims and payments. In 2003, in fact, the company's Medicare contractors processed about 90 percent of the Medicare claims from hospitals and about 72 percent of those from physicians and practitioners in the health field.

The Blue Card Program is one that links healthcare providers and each individual Blue Plan in the country through one electronic network for both claims processing and reimbursement. This allows them to serve large nationally known corporations like Microsoft, Xerox, and UPS. Over half of the fortune 500 companies are covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The company also includes a very comprehensive website. There, you can find out more about the history of the company, locations for the 40 national member companies that are in line with Blue Card Program, and you can also look up doctors and hospitals on the Blue Card Program. There is contacts information and even a very comprehensive frequently asked questions page that is helpful. Press releases are easy to find, as is the glossary, which is very helpful if you are unfamiliar with insurance and health care related vocabulary. Overall, the website is easy to navigate, easy to read, and most importantly it is comprehensive and helpful.

If you are wondering about healthcare options, then you should at the very least know who Blue Cross Blue Shield is. Through the information available here or at there website, you will be able to make educated decisions on whether or not their healthcare is right for you or your company.

Christopher M. Luck has over 15 years experience in working in upper management at Blue Cross Blue Sheildand is now offering his free professional Health Advice to the public. If you are at all interested in Christopher's health insurance advice, tips, or secrets, you can visit his health insurance blog.

10 Blazing Ways To Skyrocket Your Profits

2009-02-13T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Rudy Cline

1. Use a "P.S." at the end of your ad copy. This is were you either want to repeat a strong benefit or use a strong close like a free bonus.

2. Publish a free ebook and give it away from your web site or in your e-zine. This will increase your traffic, sales and e-zine subscribers.

3. Create multiple streams of income with your web site. You could sell your own products, join affiliate programs, sell advertising space, etc.

4. Give your visitors compliments in your ad copy. This can earn their trust and put them in a good mood, in return they will be easier to sell too.

5. Create new products or services only if there is a strong need for them. You won't have anyone to sell them to if you don't have a market.

6. Sell your backend products to your customers right after they order. Take them to a "Thank You" web page that includes other products you sell.

7. Sell a few products on your web site instead of selling a large amount of products. To many choices can overwhelm your visitors and they won't buy.

8. Include content and free stuff on your web site that promote the products you're selling. If they don't read your ads, they may read your offerings.

9. Remind your visitors that you're human not just a web site. You could publish information on your family life, a picture of yourself , a profile, etc.

10. Provide a "Contact Page" on your web site. Give your visitors as many options to contact you as possible. This'll add credibility to your business.

Rudy Cline publishes "Home Business Tips", a fresh and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people like YOU! If you`re looking for the *best rated* home business opportunities from an honest friend in the business, come by and grab a F-R-E-E subscription today at: http://www.homeworkforyou.org

How To Know If The Interior Design Business Is Right For You

2009-02-12T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Robert Smith

Have you ever seen a beautiful house or office building and wondered who did the work? Have you ever wished that you could do some of the work that you've seen elsewhere? Many people wonder what it would be like to be an Interior Designer, but they rarely ever go beyond thinking about it.

An interior Designer is a consultant. You are there to beautify any particular environment as well as provide your clients with the service of explaining why you are recommending, and doing the things that your project will require. You must educate your client about interior design as well as design.

You have obviously given the idea of being an Interior Designer serious thought or you wouldn't be reading this. Of course, like most people, you are probably wondering whether or not it is the right choice for you. I can guarantee you, that after you've read this, you will know for sure if Interior Design is the right career choice for your future.

Interior Design can be a very lucrative job choice for the right person. You might be wondering exactly what an Interior Designer does. It is really simple. An Interior Designer creates, organizes, and designs commercial and/or residential properties. Basically, an interior designer works with the interior of a particular space, such as rooms, offices, boardrooms, and various other internal spaces. Here is a list of some of the places that interior designers can work in: hotels, banks, restaurants, stadiums, arenas.

This doesn't seem very broad, but think of all of the other types of homes and businesses that I didn't mention. The possibilities are truly endless in this field. Interior Designers do more than just decorate a space. In some cases they can add extra rooms, design patios and gazebos, add or remove wall space, and they spend a great deal of time networking with people.

Interior Designers are responsible for creating a comfortable and relaxed space for their clients to live and/or work in. It is your duty to offer clients the best work that their needs, and budget can give. People put a great deal of trust in you, and you must reward that with the best final result possible.

About The Author
Robert Smith Find more articles and tips about decorating interior design by visiting http://www.decorating-interior-design.com This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine, web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included. (c) 2002-2005 www.decorating-interior-design.com All Rights Reserved

Should We Admit Failure

2009-02-11T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jeffery Glaze

Failure is something that none of us ever plans for but it is a part of the human condition. As we go through our lives there are few if any who have never experienced this phenomenon. So as we experience failure, how do we accept it and move on if we are unable to admit it?

I am not suggesting that when we fail that we broadcast our failure to the world at large. I am suggesting though that admitting failure is a necessary tool that we must use if we are ever to be successful again.

An admission of failure is a very personal thing and it should be done with those whom we have a special relationship. Often we can find it difficult to admit to those we love that we have failed. It is especially difficult to admit failure to those who had expected it from the beginning.

To be wildly successful at anything requires us to go into a venture with a narrow definition of what success looks like. if we have not defined success before we attempt something, how do we know when it is time to give up on it and try something else?

Most people define success as having a dollar amount attached to it, but it is always not a financial reward that comes with success, often success is totally unrelated to finance.

Therefore as we work in a business we must be prepared to make a determination as to what success in that business looks like. If our success depends on a financial reward, we need to know what we must do to achieve that reward, otherwise we are at risk of failure. If on the other hand success is determined by the impact that we have on the lives of others, we can not always expect that this success will have financial reward.

So is it possible then to actually fail and succeed at the same time? This is the point that I would like you to ponder. As you go through your life, ask yourself what the impact is that you have had on the lives of others. Then weigh that impact on the result that you have achieved. It may not be a situation where you can claim a financial victory immediately, but it may also be a situation where you are primed to go forward and accomplish something that will reap a great financial reward.

It is with this thought that I would like to close this article. I know you have read the books that used this phrase and I believe that to achieve success we must all be prepared to live by these words. Whether we are successful now or have been in the past, we are all involved in a process of "Failing Forward" and it is in this common condition that we should all remember to be supportive of others when we see their need for support.

Jeff Glaze is the Editor of http://www.AtlantaEvent.com, founder of http://www.privacy-first.com e-mail certification program and the author of several e-books. His company, Mostcool Media Inc. ( mostcoolmedia.com ), specializes in marketing planning, coaching, business networking training, web and media development. His e-book "The Six Xtremes Of Power Business Networking" is available here: http://www.atlantaevent.com/ebook.htm Jeff Glaze is available to speak to your group and can be contacted at 678.508.5975 Copyright © 2006 by MostCool Media Inc.

5 Great Ways To Make Money Online

2009-02-10T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Andrew Jamaz

The reality is that there are so many ways to make money online that the hard part is choosing what avenue you would like to take first! There are several E-commerce opportunities available on the Internet that would allow you to work from home. As with any information you receive from the Internet, be sure to do your homework. Research all companies before you sign up or invest with them.

Affiliate income: Selling someone else's proven product can be a great way to earn income without a high investment. Using your unique link, you refer customers to their product site and when they buy you receive a commission. Sometimes as much as 50%! If you have your own product you can also use affiliate programs to drive traffic to your website. Special tracking software is available to keep track of your affiliate programs.

Selling on Ebay: There are many ways to sell on Ebay. Many people clean out the attic and sell what they find. Others scour yard sales and flea markets for unique and/or valuable finds. Still others market their new products by holding auctions and opening a storefront directly on Ebay. For a small fee you can set up an action on Ebay. And don't worry, you can set a reserve price to make sure you get at least as much as you want/need for the item.

Selling E-books: The number one product for sale on the Internet today is information. The term E-book is short for electronic book. They are books available, for a cost, for immediate download. Any information you have that would be beneficial to someone else can be packaged and sold as an e-book. No printing costs, no shipping costs, high markup. Most e-books are in .pdf format, and can be read with Adobe's free software Acrobat Reader, which makes them all the more appealing to the layperson.

Taking Surveys: Believe it or not these companies not only ask for your opinion, but actually pay you for it. What a find! By filling in an online survey for these companies you are helping them with market research, and they can reward you by paying you or offering you gifts or special offers.

Earning per click from Adsense: Adsense is a program run by Google. Website owners can enroll in this program to put text, image, and video ads on their sites. These ads then pay you on either a per-click or per-thousand-ads-displayed basis. AdSense has become popular because the ads are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the ads is targeted to the website. This service is free and involves a minimal time investment. It is also customizable so that its appearance will compliment your site scheme.

This Article By Incomemax.com. There are thousands of opportunities to make money online at Incomemax.com. Visit us today!

Advanced Ftp Hosting For Designers Architects Printers Etc

2009-02-09T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Adam Hobach

Irrespective of their business volume, companies are registering for FTP hosting services to make client communication efficient and secure. If you are looking for a smart option to send large files over the Internet then it is recommended to register for advanced FTP hosting services. Advanced FTP hosting service provides necessary support to transfer large digital files safely from one computer to another via Internet. Email service is not sufficient for business process to exchange vast pool of information, nor it is the right option to keep the information away from Internet predators.

FTP, commonly known as File Transfer Protocol, is an efficient communication protocol that serves all purposes of corporate communication. You can send large files irrespective of their format (text file, image file, audio file, video file, multimedia file, etc.) through Internet by keeping the privacy of the content. Advanced FTP service provider will allocate separate space in their server as you register for FTP hosting service. This space will remain private for your business and allow you to store information in the allocated space that you want to share with other.

Advantage of File Transfer Protocol

File transfer protocol comes with two major advantages transmitting large digital files and securing the information. Large file size is the main barrier for sending digital information over the Internet. You can share information and transfer files in the following ways:

Sending files as attachment via Email
Uploading files on the FTP server to share with other parties

There is a drawback in the first option. Email does not always allow files, which are large in size. Moreover, a mail server doesn't always support all files types. Some common file extension, which are restricted by the mail server: '.wav', '.scr', '.pif', '.exe', '.bat', '.com', '.lnk', '.hta', etc.

There is no restriction on file type in FTP hosting service. Therefore you can easily transfer files via FTP server.

Advanced FTP hosting services are the right option for Designers, Architects and Printers to share their files over the Internet. It is observed that image files are large in size and creates problem when sending them through Email. Designers or printers need to send layout or multimedia presentation in digital file format. Therefore, Advanced FTP is a suitable communication protocol to fulfill the business purpose of graphic artists and illustrators.

Printers, Architects and Designers need a communication protocol that can transfer their artworks as well as protect images and the multimedia presentations from unauthorized third party. If you are in printing and publishing or you are a designer, advanced FTP service allows you to transfer files protected by secret password. In other word, it can be said that you can transfer files by encrypting the content. This feature of advanced FTP hosting service comes with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or SSH (Secure Shell). You can store encrypted files in the FTP server and provide the password as a 'key' to the recipient to view the actual content of the file. Therefore, it is recommended to designers, architects or printers to use advanced FTP hosting service with added security feature for ultimate protection.

Transferring large files via advanced FTP

Graphic designers or architects take the help of advanced FTP hosting service to transfer large images, layouts or presentations to their clients. Digital files are uploaded on the FTP server through a remote computer that has access to the FTP site.

FTP hosting service provider's will allocate you space on a server to store files. Moreover, they will provide you with option to create multiple FTP accounts for other users of your business process. Only the users who have the authority to access the allocated space can transfer files through their FTP account.

Remarkable features of FTP hosting service are:

Fast transfer with high speed connections
User friendly Control Panel to manage FTP accounts
SSL/TSL 128-bit data encryption
No upper limit of the file size
Suitable uptime
Remote monitoring
24/7 Technical Support

Advanced FTP hosting service comes with the feature 128bit FTP encryption. This encryption feature is available in FTP hosting services that have security tools like SSL or SSH. Users will encrypt the content of the file and upload that compressed file on the server. Another authorized user, who has the 'key', can download that file to his/her local drive. The recipient will use that key to decrypt the content.

Adam Hobach is a Network Engineer with "InstantFTPsites.com". You can learn more about "FTP Hosting" services online at http://www.InstantFTPsites.com.

© 2006 InstantFTPsites http://www.InstantFTPsites.com You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "Author Biography").

Pain At The Pump

2009-02-08T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Matt Christensen

Everyone is feeling the pinch to the pocketbooks at the pumps these days. What can be done? Should anything be done? In this capitalist society it is not the duty of the government to interfere. However the gas prices are getting out of control. Katrina is over and production has recovered yet the prices increase. Oil companies are recording record profits. Obviously we need an alternative power source. However what is the incentive to a major company to invest in alternatives when oil is so profitable? Protecting the environment despite how obviously important it is has never been a motivator for companies.

Some Senators are debating enforcing a winfall tax. However I feel this is a horrible idea. Studies show the free market is better suited for dealing with changes than the government. A winfall tax will take profits from the oil companies and put it in the hands of the government which it will no doubt be wasted or used to line the pockets of dirty politicians.

My advice if any oil company execs are reading is to take your excess profits and invest in your own futures. Oil will run out or become so high priced it will be abandoned. The best option is to invest in alternative energy and excel in it as you have with oil. Look at other industries as times change. Kodak was in trouble as digital cameras emerged. Kodak adapted and got in the digital market. Phone books had to adapt to the internet. No one uses a phone book to look up a number any more. They had to create a web presence. Those are two small examples but you get the idea. Sure it might be 20 years away but eventually oil will not be needed whether oil companies adapt or not. It is in the oil companies best interest to take their profits and invest in alternative energy before the government imposes a tax and wastes it.

Matt Christensen http://www.mattchristensen.net

Whats The Best Product To Sell Online

2009-02-07T18:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tim Knox

I wish I had a dime for every time I've been asked, "Tim, what's the best product to sell online?" I also wish I had a nickel for every blank stare I received when I answered: "That's simple: information." I'd have enough money to finance another startup or two.

As more and more entrepreneurs move to the Internet seeking their fortunes, "What's the best product to sell online," has become the number one business question of the decade.

The next question is always: "Why information?" Again, the answer is simple: because no other type of product is easier to create, faster to bring to market, easier to distribute, and potentially more profitable.

Many info products net as much as 75% to 95% profit on the initial sale after all costs have been deducted. And residual sales to established customers can offer 100% profit.

Informational products come in many forms. An info product can be a digital book (e-book" is the accepted term), a digital report or white paper, a piece of software, a website, a newsletter, etc. Any product that is informational or informative in nature can be considered an info product.

Here's why information is the best product to sell online:

Fast to create, fast to market

Forget a product development cycle that is years in the making. Forget an intense design and costly manufacturing process. I have literally created info products in as little as two hours and had them generating revenue shortly thereafter. If you have an appealing topic and a computer, you have all the tools you need to create an info product.

No inventory to stock

Forget filling your garage with boxes of cheap watches and cases of mega vitamins that you will never sell. When you sell information there is no inventory to stock. Your product is digital (I like to call it electronic air) and requires no space in your garage, just a little space on your computer. One of my most successful info products is a 30kb e-book that requires almost no space at all.

Low startup costs

When you sell information you can literally create a product for next to nothing. If your product is an e-book the only investment required will be in the time it takes to put words to digital paper. If you become an affiliate marketer of someone else's info product your investment can be zero.

You can automate the sales and delivery process.

Thanks to internet technology you can sell info products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and never lift a finger. In fact, you don't even have to be awake or at home to make money with an info product. I know many successful info entrepreneurs who are getting rich despite the fact that they work as little as an hour a day.

They check the website and their email, then go play golf or hang with the kids for the rest of the day. You can completely automate the sales and delivery process so your website does everything for you.

An automated website can give a potential customer your sales pitch, take the order and process the payment, deliver the product by email, and even follow up in a few days to make sure the customer is satisfied and offer to sell them additional products.

You can offer immediate access or delivery

Online consumers are an inpatient lot. They want things NOW! These are people who stand in front of the microwave impatiently tapping their foot and frowning at their watch. Selling information is the best way to give your customers immediate satisfaction. As mentioned earlier, an automated website can process the order and payment, then immediately email the download link for the product to your customer.

There's no shipping and handling

One of the things I never liked about selling hard goods was the manual process of taking the order, running the credit card, placing the order with a dropshipper or filling the order of my stock. I hated finding a box and packing peanuts and printing the label and taping it all up and lugging it to the post office. Every minute I spent filling orders was time that I was not being compensated for, therefore, my profit grew less and less with every minute spent on shipping and handling. Informational products require no shipping and handling. Most are delivered by email. In the time it takes you to click your mouse, you can deliver an info product.

What if you don't have your own info product to sell?

This is one of the most appealing aspects of selling information. If you don't have an info product, creating or finding one is much easier than you think.

We'll discuss that process in detail in the next article.

Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim's latest books include "Small Business Success Secrets" and "The 30 Day Blueprint For Success!" Related Links: http://www.smallbusinessqa.com http://www.dropshipwholesale.net