When you go to bed and when you get up are keystones to restful, refreshing sleep. Once you learn to synchronize your body's biological clock, your body will know when to sleep and when to be alert.
1. Wake at the Same Time Every Day.A good night's sleep actually starts in the morning. The second your eyes flutter open, light shoots down the optic nerve and into the brain's biological clock. There it stimulates the production of a smorgasbord of hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, eating, sleeping, thinking, remembering -- even how you feel from minute to minute."Sunlight activates the brain," says Frisca L. Yan-Go, M.D., medical director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. And activating it at the same time every morning synchronizes your body's biological clock. Then your body has a clear direction that at midnight it's supposed to be asleep and at noon it's supposed to be awake.Wake up at a different time every day and the clock is out of sync. You feel groggy and hungover for hours, and even when you start to feel a bit more alert after that first Starbucks, you really never achieve the mental edge of which you're capable.
2. Hit the Sheets Only When Sleepy. No, not just tired. Sleepy, as in your eyes are droopy and you keep losing track of what people are saying to you.
3. Get Up. Sleeping from 11:30 P.M. until 2:00 A.M., tossing and turning until 4, then sleeping until 6 gives you eight hours in bed but only 4 1/2 hours of sleep. That's a huge mismatch that can actually inhibit your sleep drive and cause insomnia all by itself. To prevent that from exacerbating your sleep issues, when you wake at 2:00 A.M., get up and go read a book in the living room. Being up increases your sleep drive -- which just could make you sleepy enough to actually fall asleep when you return to bed.One caveat: Don't stay in bed when you're awake. A part of your mind will begin to associate the bed with being awake rather than being asleep. And that can turn on a nasty "I'm-not-going-to-sleep!" anxiety that will rev your engines whenever you get into bed. It's one of the most insidious -- and potent -- causes of chronic insomnia.
4. Give Yourself an Hour. The one right before bed. You need it to wind down and transition from the woman-who-can-do-everything into the woman-who-can-sleep. Unfortunately, most women are not giving themselves one single second. According to the 2007 National Sleep Foundation poll, during the hour before bed, around 60 percent of us do household chores, 37 percent take care of children, 36 percent do activities with other family members, 36 percent are on the Internet, and 21 percent do work related to their jobs.
5. Beware Sunday Night Insomina. Staying up late on Friday and Saturday nights and sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday mornings is frequently the gift we give ourselves on weekends after a hard week at work. Yet that little gift -- small as it is -- is enough to screw up our biological clocks. Even if you get to bed early on Sunday night, you will not be ready to sleep, and you will not end up being the happy camper you were expecting come Monday morning.
http://www.rd.com/health/mind-and-body/sleep/5-ways-to-train-your-body-to-fall-asleep/article.html
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
What are the advantages of high oil prices?
The increase in the cost of oil every day gaining increasing turnover, and it is very unlikely that in the near future the cost of the black gold drops below $ 100 per barrel. High prices for oil - certainly a positive for Russian companies. It is also worth noting that much of the increased revenue is given to the State as taxes that are tied to the value of black gold. That is, the rising oil prices - rising taxes and the state budget, respectively.
Credit cards Visa or Master Card?
Credit cards Visa or Master Card?Suffice it difficult to select a credit card, especially when it comes to credit cards Visa and Master Card or even AMEX - American Express. And Visa and Master Card "- is more payment systems, rather than just credit cards. They are linked with banks around the world. And those, in turn, produce and use different cards for payments. When paying with its card holder contributes% of the amount of transfer. In turn, guarantees the correct use of payment cards purchased goods or services. American Express - a self-payment system, which includes credit cards as well as cards for payments.
So, what to choose?
VISA
Visa - a huge network with a payment claimed 20 million distributors, cards are accepted in 150 countries around the world. Visas issued to 20 banks, and now in circulation around the map billion.
Master Card
Master Card quickly developing a payment system that in the near future promises to be 1 in the world. 25000 banks produce master cards, and cards are active in 210 countries worldwide. Approximately 22 million points of sales and service centers Master cards worldwide.
AMEX
American Express - one of the best-known financial services, which operates in 130 countries around the world. In addition, the travel is great.
Total
Choosing between Master Card and Wiese is simple enough. And Visa and Master Card are everywhere, and you can hardly find a place where would actively Visa and Master card would operate. Some banks offer select one of the payment systems Visas or Master card, depending on the conditions and characteristics of payment cards - the interest rate and terms of repayment of money. Regarding American Express, then it is not so simple. Map is not as widespread as Visa and Master Card, although the number of vendors and service centers grows. If you are a service like AMEX, do not be afraid - card is valid in all major shops, restaurants, and you can pay in many places. AMEX extremely popular in the United States.
20 Money Hacks: Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Finances
1)Use cash. Instead of charging things to credit cards or debit cards, use cash for non-bill spending such as eating out, gas, groceries. Spending cash makes the spending more real, and there’s an added advantage of knowing when you’re out of cash, instead of spending more than you2)Small weekly savings transfers. I got this idea from my friend Trent at The Simple Dollar, who automatically deducts $20 a week from his check to savings. I decided that I could live with $40/week without really feeling it — it’s a relatively small transfer that I barely notice, and I save about $2,000 a year on top of my larger bi-weekly savings transfers.
3)Stay home. Going out makes you more likely to spend unnecessarily. You eat at restaurants, go to the mall, stop at the gas station for snacks. It’s hard to avoid spending when you’re on the road. Instead, stay home, and find free entertainment. It’s also a great way to bond with your family.
4)Don’t get catalogs. Or emailed announcements from companies trying to sell you stuff. Their announcements of sales or cool new products make it very tempting to buy something you don’t need. Instead, stop the catalogs and emails from ever getting to you in the first place, and you’ll spend less.
5)Keep a 30-day list. If you have an impulse to buy something you don’t absolutely need, put it on a 30-day list. You can’t buy anything but necessities — everything else goes on the list, with the date that it’s added to the list. When the 30 days are up, you can buy it — but most likely, the strong urge to buy it will be gone, and you can evaluate it more calmly.
6)Cook at home. I know, it seems more difficult than eating out. But it doesn’t have to be hard. Throw together a quick stir-fry with frozen veggies and either boneless chicken or (my favorite) tofu with soy sauce or tamari. Make home-made pizza with a ready-made crust, some sauce, cheese and veggies. Put some spices on something and throw it in the oven while you cook some brown rice. Not only is this much cheaper than eating out, but it’s healthier.
7)Exercise. Staying healthy is the best way to avoid costly medical bills later.
8)Use the envelope system. It’s the same idea as using cash for spending, but in addition you use envelopes to split your spending cash into categories. My non-bills categories are groceries, gas and miscellaneous spending. Three envelopes, and when they’re empty, I’ve spent my allotment.
9)Talk with your SO weekly. It’s important that you and your significant other be on the same page. You should have the same financial goals, and from there you should agree on a general spending plan and a policy for impulse buying that won’t have either of you wanting to choke the other. Make sure you both know what bills have been paid, what your balances are, etc. A weekly meeting of just 20 minutes accomplishes that. Communication is key.
10)The spreadsheet tracker hack. There are expensive programs like MS Money, Quicken, and the like that will do amazing things with your financial information. There are even free ones, on your desktop or online, that can do all kinds of things. Trouble is, I don’t need all that. All I want is a way to track my money easily, with no other bells and whistles, and a way to access that online so that I can view it from anywhere. The best way I found to do that is through Google Docs and Spreadsheets. I created a simple spreadsheet to track my bank accounts, that does everything I used to do with MS Money. It has the date of each transaction, the title and amount, a little field for memos, and a running balance. What more do I need? Keep it simple. Update: View a sample I put online here.
11)Pay savings and debt first. When you sit down to pay your bills (I do them all online), make the first bills you pay be your savings transfer and your debt payments. If not, if you pay them last … you’ll often end up shortchanging them. But if you pay them first, you’ll make sure you still pay your rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries and gas … so you’ll just cut back on other spending.
12)Exercise at home. Some of you will disagree with me on this, which is OK — everyone should do what works for them. But I’ve saved a lot of money that I used to spend on gyms by just running at the local track or on the roads in my neighborhood, and buying some simple weights and a chin-up bar. I do a lot of body-weight exercises (pushups, Hindu squats, lunges, pullups, dips, etc.) and I don’t need a gym for those things.
13)Cut out cable TV. I’m not saying I don’t watch TV — I watch DVDs, so that I’m sure that what I’m watching is something great, rather than the useless stuff you find on TV most of the time. And there’s a lot of it online for free if you look. Not a huge savings, but it adds up.
14)Declutter. By getting rid of all the excess stuff in your home, you not only make your life much simpler and more peaceful, but you make it harder to buy stuff that will just clutter things up again. Once you’ve simplified your home, you won’t want to go back.
15)Lend and borrow. Give books and clothes and toys you don’t need anymore to your friends and family. If you need something, send out an email asking if anyone has it. Chances are, they’ll give it to you for free if they don’t use it anymore.
16)Barter. It’s a lost art, but lots of people will take your services or goods instead of money, especially if you’re friends or at least know each other. Get into the habit of offering to barter, and you’ll find yourself saving a lot of money. My website design was done through the barter system, so I saved well over $1,000 there, for example.
17)Use online savings. I use Emigrant Direct, but ING Direct is also popular, as are a bunch of other online banks. Not only do you earn like twice the interest of a normal bank savings account, but if you don’t get the ATM account it’s not as easy to withdraw money … making it less likely that you’ll get money out on an impulse.
18)Try frugal gift-giving. Giving people gifts is one of the most wonderful traditions, as it shows generosity and caring. Until it becomes commercialized. Then it’s just really really expensive. Instead, try giving the gift of spending time with someone. Try giving them something you baked or made yourself. Try giving them services they’d appreciate. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to be generous.
19)Teach your kids about advertising, saving, earning, and gift-giving. If you have kids, educating them about money will save you a lot of money in the long run. If they know about how advertising influences them in tricky ways, they’ll be less likely to demand (OK, beg and plead for) the latest fad toys. If they know about saving and earning money, they’ll respect the money that you earn, and that you are trying to save. If they know that gift-giving doesn’t have to be about spending a lot of money (see above), they won’t necessarily want expensive stuff.
20)Find happiness in life, not spending. Many times people buy stuff because they think (subconsciously perhaps) that it will bring them happiness. They just HAVE to have the latest gadget or shoes or cars. It’s so fun! And yet, you buy that stuff, and you’re only happy for a day or two at most. Then you just need to buy more. It’s a never-ending cycle. Instead, learn to love life. Find joy in nature! In the people around you! In doing something you love! In exercise and meditation! There’s so much in life to make us happy, there’s no need to find it in spending.
http://zenhabits.net/2008/02/20-money-hacks-tips-and-tricks-to-improve-your-finances/
10 Surprising Economic Implications of a Barack Obama Presidency
1)Increased Tax Equity: Mr. Obama’s tax policy typifies the liberal stance of his party, favoring a system that is equitable and progressive, above all else. The core component of is tax policy would bring tax relief to the middle-class. Whether he would pay for this “relief” through a tax increase on the upper class or through budget cuts is uncertain. It will not be financed through a bond issue (increase in government debt), as he has pledged to balance the budget. [More on this below]. In addition, Mr. Obama has pledged to eliminate so-called “tax havens” for the wealthy and loopholes in the tax code exploited by special interest groups. It is expected that this increase in tax revenues will partially offset the middle class tax cut.How Mr. Obama’s tax policy would impact economic growth defies prediction. Subscribers to the infamous “Laffer Curve” would argue that a fall in middle-class tax rates would theoretically increase unemployment and hence, increase government tax revenues. However, since America’s wealthy contribute a disproportionately large share to the coffers of the Federal government, a tax increase on the rich could theoretically lead to a decline in government tax receipts. This idea remains controversial, and most politicians conveniently err on the side of the argument that is consistent with their politics. This lack of clarity means it’s inappropriate to comment definitively in this article.
2)Fair Trade: Barack Obama’s trade policy eschews both protectionism and unbridled globalization in favor of the more fashionable “fair trade.” Insofar as trade is conducted fairly, he is an advocate. On the other hand, when governments are belived to use unfair tactics, such as subsidies, dumping, and exchange rate manipulation, he favors countervailing efforts to block such trade. For example, he has vocally argued that the perceived undervaluation of the Chinese Yuan represents an indirect subsidy for Chinese exporters, and he favors legislation that would “equalize” the playing field.
In addition, Mr. Obama supports an increase in America’s domestic manufacturing sector and a consequent increase in employment. As with some of his other policies, he has been vague on how this would be achieved, whether through subsidies or tariffs, or a less conventional method. Finally, Mr. Obama supports energy independence, which basically translates into less reliance on foreign oil and gas producers.
In its entirety, this loosely sketched trade policy represents a significant break with the unapologetic free-trade stance of the current Bush administration. While it is doubtful that many of these measures could be implemented, the trade imbalance could be singlehandedly reversed by a decrease in energy imports, which represents an estimated 35% of the total deficit. Classical economic theory dictates that in order to correct a trade imbalance, a nation’s currency must depreciate proportionately. If this theory is applied to the US, a shrunken trade deficit achieved by an Obama presidency should stem the multi-year decline in the Dollar.
3)Employment Versus Growth: Mr. Obama’s criticisms of the Bush Administration’s economic policy have centered around the “jobless recovery,” whereby America’s economy enjoyed strong growth while the unemployment rate hardly budged. Accordingly, Mr Obama would prioritize employment over economic growth. Since free-trade is theorized to maximize growth, Mr. Obama’s “fair trade” policies could come at the expense of efficiency, and hence GDP growth.
On the other hand, he supports rural investment, increased access to capital among minorities and the poor, and improvements in the nation’s transportation infrastructure. All of these measures are consistent with both employment and growth. In addition, his support for renewable energy, innovation (via an R&D tax credit), and a greater emphasis on math and science education, aim to cement America’s status as the world’s leader in technology and innovation. The current flow of capital and labor (albeit not always ideas) favors developing countries, so Mr. Obama’s proposals are somewhat against the grain. The payout for the US economy could be large but it could also be costly.
4)Support for the environment: One of the recurring themes of Mr. Obama’s campaign is support for the environment. While environmentalists have delighted in promises of marine and forestry preservation, the direct economic implications are less cut-and-dried. It has long been argued that economic growth and concern for the environment are diametrically opposed. This notion is certainly belied by the boom in alternative energy, which is supported by Obama. In addition, Obama’s proposed cap on carbon emissions could force businesses to become more efficient. However, it could also come at the expense of output, as corporations curtail production to be meet more stringent environmental standards. Finally, Mr. Obama is a staunch proponent of ethanol, part and parcel to his pursuit of energy independence. While this directly benefits the US economy, it has also been shown to increase food prices as land is diverted from food production to energy production. Thus, while GDP would increase and the US would likely receive more foreign capital, the purchasing power of US consumers as well as the value of the Dollar would be eroded.
5)Expansion of Home Ownership: Barack Obama has promised to make home ownership both easier and more affordable, especially for poor families. Unfortunately, one of the byproducts of the current expansion of such housing has been the subprime lending crisis, one of the primary causes of the economic downturn. Of course, Mr. Obama has also pledged to crack down on so-called “predatory lending,” in which complex mortgage products with artificially low interest rates are used to lure unsuspecting borrowers.
6)Skepticism of Business Establishment: While not stated explicitly in his platform, Mr. Obama is generally opposed to “big business.” He has pledged to rein in predatory lending through increased regulation of mortgage companies. He uses hostile language to describe healthcare insurance companies and managed care organizations, which he views as part and parcel of the never-ending rise in healthcare costs. In addition, he will fight special interest lobbies generally, and the mortgage lobby specifically by making it easier for individuals to declare bankruptcy. Currently, there is a loophole which exempts certain obligations (namely mortgage payments) from re-negotiation during bankruptcy, and presumably this would be modified. Then there is his concern about M&A between large companies, which he perceives as anti-competitive and limiting of consumer choice. The icing on the cake will take the form of an investigation of conflicts of interest on Wall Street, where consolidation has created situations where pre-existing client relationships can compromise objectivity.
In short, the the business establishment is dreading an Obama presidency, with its strict regulatory climate and consumer protections. Some analysts believe that the stock market performs better under Republican presidents because of the perceived friendliness with Wall Street, but ultimately economic factors will predominate, and good investors don’t put too much stock in the President’s ability to sway the markets.
7)Support for small businesses: It may come as a shock to those who have grown accustomed to the handful of large corporations dominating the business landscape that the brunt of the US economy is powered by small businesses. In fact, one of the few positions Mr. Obama shares with President Bush is his support for small businesses. Accordingly, he will use a combination of tax relief and healthcare subsidies to facilitate growth in this vital sector of the economy. The healthcare subsidies will take the form of direct reimbursement for healthcare benefits paid by small businesses, many of whom are struggling to provide health insurance for their employees. This could prove difficult to implement because of the tremendous costs involved, and would need to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget.
8)Labor Equity: Unions remain a bastion of the Democratic Party, and a large source of conflict with the Republican Party. To his credit, Mr. Obama’s position is somewhat more nuanced than that of his Party. He supports a broad spectrum of labor rights, including enhanced protections for the right to unionize and promoting a work-life balance, perhaps by expanding the Family & Medical Leave Act which was signed into law during the Clinton administration. His final goal of a higher Federal minimum wage has been largely preempted by individual states, which have taken much initiative in this regard.
Labor rights are similar to environmental protections in that both are seen as antithetical to economic growth. Free-market economists are typically opposed to unions and wage floors because they necessitate wages higher than what the market would otherwise pay. Accordingly, Mr. Obama’s position represents a sop to the fear of cheap foreign labor (whether immigrants or workers abroad) percolating in the working class. This jives with his fair-trade policy, which would prioritize domestic employment over efficiency.
9)Foreign Policy: Mr. Obama’s foreign policy would be decidedly less aggressive than that of the Bush administration. He favors soft power, in the form of diplomacy and foreign aid, over the hard power of a strong military. Controversially, he has volunteered to meet with all foreign heads of state without any prerequisites. At the same time, he has also pledged to continue expanding the military, both in terms of manpower and technology.
The economic implications of foreign policy cannot be overstated. Due in part to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it now costs the US government an estimated $1 Trillion per year to conduct its foreign policy. In addition, it has been estimated that the total costs of the war in Iraq could exceed $3 Trillion by the time the US has successfully extricated itself. The majority of this outlay will be financed by debt. Thus, a Barack Obama presidency can be expected to increase the budget of the defense department but decrease discretionary military spending. In addition, the US maintains embargoes and/or limits trade with certain nations for political reasons, which could also change if Mr. Obama was elected. Finally, the price of oil is connected with geopolitical events. This is exacerbated by the fact that a significant portion of the world’s oil is controlled by regimes that are viewed as hostile by the US. This is reflected in the significant risk premium (estimated by some analysts at $20 per barrel) currently built into the price of oil. Improved relations with these governments (Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria) could lead to a reduction in the price of oil.
10)Fiscal Discipline: From an economic standpoint, fiscal policy represents a natural segue way from foreign policy, because it is among the largest components of the Federal budget. Mr. Obama has pledged to restore fiscal discipline by curtailing earmarks and re-introducing a system of PAYGO into the budgeting process, whereby spending increases must be simultaneously offset before they can be approved. Social security will be shored-up, and further reinforced through incentives to save for retirement. Lower medicare costs will be obtained through negotiations with healthcare insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Overall, the goal is modest one: a balanced budget.
An impressive agenda, to be sure, but Mr. Obama’s senatorial record on fiscal policy is mixed. On the one hand, he spearheaded ethics reform legislation to cut Congressional waste and only designates earmarks for public projects. On the other hand, he voted against using the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to pay down the Federal deficit by automatically reducing spending on programs deemed ineffective. He has also voted against cuts in entitlement spending and agriculture subsidies. Thus, if Mr. Obama has any real intention of reducing the national debt, or at least of balancing the budget, he may have to break with his Party.
Democrats are generally viewed with skepticism when it comes to the economy. With his emphasis on consumer and worker rights, as well as in maximizing employment and wages instead of efficiency, Barack Obama is set to become the rule of his Party, rather than the exception. At the same time, his fair-trade brand of protectionism and his threats to limit unfair competition from abroad could reverse the trade deficit, which has surged since the 1980’s. The trade imbalance could also be narrowed by the switch to alternative energies, many of which could be generated domestically. Finally, his promise of fiscal responsibility stands in stark contrast to the runaway government deficits of the Bush administration. With a healthy economy and budgetary prudence, he could even hope to begin paying down the national debt. While less conducive to economic growth, protectionism and fiscal discipline would stem the twin deficits, and go a long way towards restoring confidence in the Dollar.
What to do with dirty money ?
There are times when taking people’s money – even for a job you worked hard on – just doesn’t feel right. Some clients get a break because they needed help and you wanted to be generous or kind, but sometimes…
…sometimes a client wants to give you money and it just feels dirty.
You almost want to give the money back. “No, keep it. Thanks. No charge” you might say. You just want the project – and the client - gone. Come on. You know the jobs I’m talking about. Every freelancer has at least one memorable working relationship that leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Think back. Think about the overly difficult projects that extended far over the original scope, the clients who just couldn’t be pleased, or ones that asked you rush and work overtime – and you did.
Think about those rare relationships when you really didn’t like the client’s attitude but felt obliged to do the work. How about when you said yes to a job just because you really needed the money?
Listen to That Little Voice
A post-project “dirty” money feeling usually comes from jobs that you shouldn’t have taken in the first place. Thankfully, one tried-and-true method helps you discern which job aren’t going to be a good fit: trust your gut instinct.
There may not be any particular reason that you can see to pass the project over. But something way down deep inside tells you that you should leave this project for someone else to handle.
Most of the time, we hush up that little voice inside. We tell it to be quiet. We heap on the self-reassurance excuses. We get determined to face the project with clear communication to prevent any possible misunderstandings.
Nope. That little voice was right. The best plans always go astray, and sure enough, the project becomes one that you wished you’d never agreed to work on.
Pass It On
It’s too late to pass on the job. You’ve come this far. You can either tie it up or tell the client it’s just not a good fit, or you can put your head down and bull through the rest to get the work off your desk.
You’ll probably feel relieved when the day you’re done comes. You probably won’t feel very excited about the payment. It has lost its meaning. It isn’t a good incentive or reward any more. And when you look at your bank account, seeing the amount just makes you feel bad, reminding you of the past.
A reward should be a positive experience. It should make us feel better in some way. Proud, happy, fulfilled… not bitter and a little disgusted. That positive reward, somewhere along the way, turned into a negative reinforcement.
So pass it on. If you really don’t want to touch the money, accept payment gracefully and then pass on the dollars to someone else. The best way to deal with a negative is to turn it into a positive.
Give the money to a charity. Offer a lump sum as an angel investment to someone who is really struggling. Throw a contest and give the cash away on your blog or get some books and hold a raffle.
Trust me – you’ll feel better than if you just paid your Visa bill.
http://freelancefolder.com/what-to-do-with-dirty-money/
Saturday, March 22, 2008
40 grandiose business ideas
The following ideas were brainstormed by fourteen high school students in a 90 minute period on July 20, 2003.
1. underwater restaurant
2. spa franchise
3. foldable hammock for car trunks
4. high quality light fixtures
5. health bar chain
6. comfy, damage-free ear phones
7. chair with popcorn holder, tray, built-in radio, massager
8. self-cleaning microwave
9. security software to protect against hackers and credit card scams
10. wholesale store without membership card
11. aerobic center for teenagers
12. chair store w/ imported European chocolate
13. restaurants for dogs and cats
14. oxygen tanks so dogs and cats can go diving
15. computer animation company
16. real estate company
17. cosmetics/hair care company
18. bowling alley in Cartagena, Columbia
19. Store that makes custom clothes
20. electronic translator that you put in your ear
21. fashion design company for new designers that need a start
22. iron rod production
23. selling traditional jewelry
24. brail screen that reads computer and translates the text on a computer into 3D brail that the blind could read
25. lumber company
26. Make a ski board rotating wardrobe at ski resorts
27. flavored straws
28. A grocery store that also had a fitness center
29. a diagonal load dishwasher
30. sushi restaurant
31. Candyland theme park chain
32. web design/advertising company
33. per month CD online company
34. educational software for the visually impaired
35. bringing broadband internet access into developing countries
36. Sonar for blind people
37. voice/data equipment for hospitals
38. drink machine that talks to you.
39. a teddy bear with sensors and small computer inside that would talk to infants/toddlers and encourage good behavior or tell them a bed-time story
40. an online store where you could customize clothing and then have it shipped to you
41. an educational software company that made console games for kids that were actually fun to play
The Italian opened the closest to the Sun asteroid Italian astronomer Andrea Boattini found the closest to the Sun asteroid
His discovery he made while observing other known asteroid during a call the Sun.
"When I studied them, all of a sudden, I suddenly saw another object is not moving too quickly and are fairly unusual trajectory" - said Andrea Boattini, employee Observatory Mount Lemmon in Arizona. -- "He was so bright that at first I thought that this is a comet."
Currently known about 5 thousand asteroids that cross the Earth's orbit plane, but the only discovered 10 asteroids travelling inside the orbit of Earth - the Earth-Sun.
Object found Andrea Boattini, is about 0.80 astronomical units from the Sun (an astronomical unit is equal to the average distance from Earth to the Sun).
The other two closest to our luminary asteroid located at a distance of 0.89 astronomical units and 0.93 astronomical units from the Sun. Discovered a rather large object, which is about 2 km away, but it does not threaten the Earth.
This man earned 1 000 000$ through knife
It all started a decade ago, in 1997 David Adamovich interested in throwing knives. He liked impressive show: Spot light, sparkling knives, beautiful woman from the wall, and the risk of adrenalin.
How America's Banks Lost their Reputations
He may be retired and out of office, but his words still carry considerable heft -- especially when it comes to quieting things down. "We will never have a perfect model of risk," market guru Alan Greenspan wrote in Monday's edition of the Financial Times. There have always been periods of euphoria and periods of fear on the markets, and "asset price bubbles build and burst today as they have since the early 18th century, when modern competitive markets evolved."
The former Fed chief's message was clear: Despite all the turbulence currently rocking the markets, there's no reason to panic. But it remains to be seen whether people will actually follow Greenspan's advice. After all, the near bankruptcy of Bear Stearns, a company as American as peanut butter and jelly, has reinforced the devastating impression that some of the world's biggest banks no longer have any clue how to steer relatively unscathed out of a seemingly never-ending loan crisis.
But Bear Stearns, which was just acquired in a last-minute rescue by JPMorgan, may not be the only market-moving news this week. Other major investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley are set to release earnings. On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs announced write-offs totalling $1.72 billion -- less than anticipated by analysts, but still dramatic, with a drop in profits of 53 percent. Investors are calling it the "Week of Truth."
But it's not as if these financial institutions knew the precise scope of the losses they faced. "The valuation of securitized loan packages is highly dependent on how the market is behaving," said Dorothea Schäfer of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). "Last autumn, 30 percent write-offs were considered realistic, but now that figure is 50 percent and nobody knows when it will hit 60 or 70 percent." That goes a long way toward explaining why the banks are having such a tough time providing statements on the scope of their losses.
"Until now, financial markets were considered a fast, fair measure of the valuation of securities, but it has collapsed in the areas" affected by the credit crisis, said Manfred Jäger of the German Business Institute (IW). There's now a crisis of faith in the markets that won't be easy to mend. That's why it doesn't surprise Jäger that banks are waiting so long to release figures -- to extent that they can even reliably provide them. "The markets are responding to every new bit of information in an exaggerated manner, depressing share prices."
'It's a Vicious Circle'
The high level of nervousness in the markets is also creating a situation in which the banks have less and less room to maneuver at a time when they urgently need money. "If, for example, they call on hedge funds to increase their security, then they are forced to buy bonds. But those purchases push down the value of bonds and the degree of debt climbs. It's a vicious circle," said IW expert Jäger.
But experts claim it is the banks themselves that have created the mess. "They entered into fairly reckless transactions with high-risk loan packages, always trusting that things would go well," said Roland Döhrn of the RWI Essen economic research institute. In order to secure money from markets, the banks also took advantage of loopholes in regulations, he said. "Credit lines for subsidiaries, which then went into speculative finance products, were limited to 364 days -- because after one year, banks are forced to deposit their own capital." So the banks' slide into the crisis was far from coincidental.
"Innovation euphoria" is how Ms. Schäfer, the DIW expert, diplomatically described the reason for the banks' enormous problems. Financial institutions have believed for a long time that they could minimize risk by rolling up all their loans in special packages. Now disillusionment is setting in, as it did after the New Economy balloon deflated. "Although speculation and hyperbole belong to the system," said Schäfer, "a healthy skepticism is always recommended over lofty profits."
No Clear Blame
"The banks should have known that securitized loans are high-risk," said IW expert Jäger. The problem is that structured loan packages are so complex that they don't reveal any clear culprit -- thus allowing everyone to shift blame to someone else. "Everyone's pointing fingers at the ratings agencies now, but everyone bears some of the guilt," said Jäger. He's therefore calling for greater transparency: In retrospect it always has to be clear who is assuming risk, who's responsible, and who can be made responsible. "If you rent a car at your own risk," he said, "you automatically drive more carefully than you would if the insurance was covered."
In the meantime, the banks have all come to understand this -- and now they're working in overdrive to counter the impression that, out of pure profit motive, they fundamentally underestimated their risks. Since October, financial experts from the world banking organization have worked on a new code of conduct to help prevent similar crises in the future. By doing so, the Institute of International Finance, led by Deutsche Bank chief Josef Ackermann, is hoping to not only restore faith in banks, but also to keep regulatory authorities and political bodies at bay and prevent them from pressing ahead with stricter rules.
In that sense it might be enough if banks could shift their thinking toward what market expert Wolfgang Gerke describes as a "return to normality." And what does normality mean? "The law of returns is not the only law," Gerke said. "Awareness of risk also has to be considered. That's an old, simple virtue."
http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,542158,00.html
10 Mistakes People Make When Starting a Business
What are the common mistakes that new entrepreneurs make and how can you avoid making them yourself? Here is our top 10 list of mistakes people make when starting a business:
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Creating a new Business Card
Some very useful links about how to create a business card and get inspired...
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Business Marketing - The Most Important Aspect Of Your Business
You're currently at the situation where you have built up a company based on products or services that you genuinely believe will provide great earning opportunities. Before you get ahead of yourself, however, you need to gain the attention of the market to make them pay notice to what you're selling first. And this is not an easy thing to do.Here are 6 tips for your first attempt at business marketing:
It is not all about the money - Many business owners make the mistake of believing that the bigger and flashier a marketing campaign is, the more market attention it will gain. And true, and expensive advert will capture your market's notice, but it may not retain it long enough for them to buy into what you are offering and to trust in you.
Don't delegate - You should only trust yourself and your partners to build the marketing foundations to your company. Your employees can't possibly know and love your company as much as you do, no matter how qualified the employees are. You can ask for advice from outside sources such as experts, and they can create a marketing business plan for you, but make sure that you work closely with them and don't just wait for their outcome.
Be ethical in business marketing - Whatever you do, avoid using illegal or deceptive methods whilst carrying out your business marketing. If you want your company to be successful, you must learn to love and respect your customers. You may be tempted with quick money-making schemes but these won't work for your business in the long term and it may lead to the company going bankrupt.
Don't be shy - There's no room for shyness in the business marketing industry. Now is the time to overcome your inhibitions and face the world. You will need to stand up for your company, if you want to market your business effectively. It is crucial to sound convincing and actively promote the many wonderful benefits you are offering. People want to be engaged, and the only way to do this is to be assertive and forthcoming.
Bring your target market closer - In business, you need to think of your target market as your own family. By doing this, you will gradually learn which ways to reach customers and keep them interested in your company's products or services. It is important you learn everything about them including what they like and what they dislike. You should get to know them so well that you can almost perfectly predict how they would react in any situation.
Focus on benefits and not features - Remember this when it comes to business marketing as it is important. Make sure you focus on the benefits of your ad campaign or marketing strategy as apposed to the features of your product or service. Customers are more likely to remember how their life can be made better or easier by what you are offering, rather than how your product or service works.
One last point to note is that evaluating the results of your marketing strategy should be high up on your list of priorities for the business. One can always learn a large amount from past successes and failures and this knowledge can serve your company greatly.
James Copper is a writer for http://www.marketinglinx.com where you can find help with small business marketing
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Copper
Creating Your Online Business in 8 Easy Steps
It's hard to focus when there is so much information coming at you. It's hard to know what to use and what to discard. But it is a MUST to make those decisions and learn to make them right from the start. Information overload can drive you crazy!Everyone talks and writes with "letters". They should make a dictionary so we could cut the learning curve. By the time you buy all the latest products, go to conferences, and learn all the jargon, your head is spinning. You don't know where to start so you don't get started.
You must take action. Below you'll find 8 ways to break it all down and make it much easier to understand. Take it one step at a time and you'll get there!
1. Get To Know Yourself.
It's hard when you first start to write down your interests, accomplishments, etc., so read this to get ideas and just think about them when you're going about your day and they will be a lot easier to put on paper.
a. Accomplishments - even small things mean a lot so don't count them out - write them down.
b. Interests - what would you do if you had spare time or extra income.
c. Does something come naturally to you - what's easy for you may not be for someone else.
d. Now go the other way - what are some things that bother you. What annoys you. What makes you nervous.
So many times just going about your daily routine you will come across situations that you wish you could just buy a guide, have a small widget, have a mentor, etc. Write everything down, no matter how trivial you think it is. You don't have to have one large project when a few small projects will get you the same results.
2. Keywords - Do Your Research
Look at keywords and phrases. If you find no one is looking for your subjects it doesn't necessarily mean there's no competition. It very likely means no one is looking for this and it will be a hard business to build.
One of the free search tools is SEO Book's Keyword Suggestion tool. A couple of paid tools are Wordtracker or Keyword Disc.
3. How Much Competition Do You Have.
Like I said before, it's not a bad thing to have some competition, it means there is interest. If you've thought of a subject, it's highly unlikely that someone hasn't thought of it and it's failed to produce any results.
Dissect the competition - take notes. Think of better ways to do the same thing. Maybe a better story, easier system, more detail oriented.
Be unique - find your advantage.
4. Check Out Your Would-be Customers
Make a list of subjects you've been brainstorming about and set up a simple survey to find what questions people have about them. Give them some choices. Some hire ghostwriters to do this research/survey. It's much easier to write about something if you know what questions they want answered.
You could run PPC (PayPerClick) advertising or you could ask questions on a few forums, with an incentive for those filling out the survey. One incentive is to offer them a digital or ebook form to download when it's finished.
5. Product Creation
Having done the survey will make this task much easier.
They say if you want to be successful, do what successful people do. So find a few people who are successful in what you're thinking about and interview them.
Another method is the find a quiet, serene place away from distractions to just think and write. Let the words flow and worry about editing later. Put down all your random thoughts and worry about organizing them later.
If you're comfortable speaking, create a video with Camtasia Studio or Power Point. Some people learn better by watching and listening.
6. Sales Copy Creation
Before you produced your product, you had in mind the questions, problems, desires or frustrations your customers have. Now you have your rough draft and from that should be able to pull ideas out of that for some good sales copy.
If you're new to this, it may be easier to start with a lower cost product that won't require such an intense sales copy. This video will give you some ideas for creating strong sales copy - review this recent video by Jay Abraham...
Ask yourself how you can make your product irresistible. Do you have a special story or a special way of solving problems. Think if you were looking at your product - why would you buy it over your competitors.
7. Secure Ordering and Website Setup.
You can use Clickbank.com to set up your ordering system for digital products or a site like Kunaki for CD's or DVD's. If you use Paypal/Kunaki script you can even package several products together.
Free website design software is available at Nvu. SBI is a web hosting site that has website design tools built in. Dreamweaver and Frontpage are more advanced tools that are available.
8. Traffic
Most often you will want to start generating traffic through MSN Adcenter, Google Adwords, and Yahoo Search. Generating traffic to these immediately will help you find out if your product is selling or not. If it's selling, you'll want to try some other strategies, especially affiliates. Test first as no one wants to be your guinea pig. One good list owner could mean instant success.
Other forms of marketing you can expand into are search engine optimization, ezine advertising, forum participation, blogs and articles as soon as your product is profitable.
RINSE AND REPEAT.
Nancy J. Lolita would like to help entrepreneurs decide if they're building a business or a job. Make it simple. Build your online business so you can live life more freely - work less, earn more. 8 key strategies and links to help you break it all down. http://www.terrydean.org/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_J._Lolita
How To Start An Internet Business With ZERO Budget
When thinking of establishing an internet business, one of the things a person should consider is the cost. In most cases, putting up an internet businesses usually involve spending on the following items:
• Web Hosting - obviously, you will need to have a web host that will help you set up your internet business. Their services may include a domain name; mail manager and POP email accounts. Fees for their services can cost from $70 to $800 annually depending on the services you availed of.
• Sales Letters - you will need to spend on effective sales letters that will be sent out to market your product. Although this may not cost much, you will certainly have to spend a lot of time distributing them.
• Payment System - in order to protect your e.g. digital product from illegal sharing between users, you must have a system like DLGuard. Installation usually costs around US$127.
• Monitoring System - You will also need a system to track sales performance and create real time reports. This way you will be able to see how well your product performs and how well it sells to your target market. By analyzing such data you are able to find out the weaknesses of your product's sales page to improve it. Moreover, you will be able keep track of your sales records, the best and worst days.
• Network Fees- establishing a business network is crucial for the success of a business. Although most of them offer free membership, there are still some networking portals that charge you a certain amount in membership fees or even commissions.
Most of these internet businesses set aside a big portion of their capital for marketing and advertising costs. With millions of consumers relying on the internet to provide them with easy access to product information, it is not surprising that effective online marketing has become a priority. But instead of wasting money on useless ads, there is a growing number of internet businesses that rely on affiliate marketing.
Basically, affiliate marketing allows you to market products without spending outrageous sums of money on advertising. Online marketers or affiliates will accomplish the job for you by promoting your product on their websites. Each item or product sold will earn the affiliate a certain amount of affiliate commission. It is actually a very simple and cost-effective way to market and sell your products online. Many businesses swear by affiliate marketing especially since it has saved them much money.
Having established how affiliate marketing can help you, you must now look for a reliable online affiliate marketing network portal that can provide all your internet business needs at NO COST at all!
As one of the leading affiliate marketing network portals in the internet community, Click2Sell.EU can provide you with an effective way of selling and marketing your products. It already has a built-in affiliate network, large selection of payment methods, user-friendly interface and an advanced reporting and monitoring system. All you need to do is to register and put your product or item for sale in the Marketplace. Click2Sell affiliates will take care of the rest! The best thing is you will only be charged a very small amount for each product you sell and you can pay the affiliates conveniently as well! At the end of the day, you will enjoy a nice profit as well as big savings at no trouble.
Egidijus Andreika is a creator of Click2Sell.EU Affiliate Programs Network. Click2Sell allows you to sell your products online and run your affiliate program. Get paid instantly to your account, recruit affiliates on our online marketplace. Sell products online with Click2Sell.EU Visit Click2Sell affiliate network
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Egidijus_Andreika
• Web Hosting - obviously, you will need to have a web host that will help you set up your internet business. Their services may include a domain name; mail manager and POP email accounts. Fees for their services can cost from $70 to $800 annually depending on the services you availed of.
• Sales Letters - you will need to spend on effective sales letters that will be sent out to market your product. Although this may not cost much, you will certainly have to spend a lot of time distributing them.
• Payment System - in order to protect your e.g. digital product from illegal sharing between users, you must have a system like DLGuard. Installation usually costs around US$127.
• Monitoring System - You will also need a system to track sales performance and create real time reports. This way you will be able to see how well your product performs and how well it sells to your target market. By analyzing such data you are able to find out the weaknesses of your product's sales page to improve it. Moreover, you will be able keep track of your sales records, the best and worst days.
• Network Fees- establishing a business network is crucial for the success of a business. Although most of them offer free membership, there are still some networking portals that charge you a certain amount in membership fees or even commissions.
Most of these internet businesses set aside a big portion of their capital for marketing and advertising costs. With millions of consumers relying on the internet to provide them with easy access to product information, it is not surprising that effective online marketing has become a priority. But instead of wasting money on useless ads, there is a growing number of internet businesses that rely on affiliate marketing.
Basically, affiliate marketing allows you to market products without spending outrageous sums of money on advertising. Online marketers or affiliates will accomplish the job for you by promoting your product on their websites. Each item or product sold will earn the affiliate a certain amount of affiliate commission. It is actually a very simple and cost-effective way to market and sell your products online. Many businesses swear by affiliate marketing especially since it has saved them much money.
Having established how affiliate marketing can help you, you must now look for a reliable online affiliate marketing network portal that can provide all your internet business needs at NO COST at all!
As one of the leading affiliate marketing network portals in the internet community, Click2Sell.EU can provide you with an effective way of selling and marketing your products. It already has a built-in affiliate network, large selection of payment methods, user-friendly interface and an advanced reporting and monitoring system. All you need to do is to register and put your product or item for sale in the Marketplace. Click2Sell affiliates will take care of the rest! The best thing is you will only be charged a very small amount for each product you sell and you can pay the affiliates conveniently as well! At the end of the day, you will enjoy a nice profit as well as big savings at no trouble.
Egidijus Andreika is a creator of Click2Sell.EU Affiliate Programs Network. Click2Sell allows you to sell your products online and run your affiliate program. Get paid instantly to your account, recruit affiliates on our online marketplace. Sell products online with Click2Sell.EU Visit Click2Sell affiliate network
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Egidijus_Andreika
Small Business Marketing - Why Logos Matter
If you're like many business owners, developing a logo is way down on your list of priorities. You may be waiting to build a bigger client base, become more established, or generate higher revenue. "I'll wait until I'm bigger to develop a logo," you think. The truth is, having a logo may get you there faster.
A logo is an image associated with your company, giving people a visual cue and an easy way to remember you. Some people remember words better, some remember images better. A good logo gives those visual learners something memorable. Everyone is more likely to remember you if they associate both words and images with your company.
Logos work hard for your marketing campaign.
Keep up Appearances
A logo positions you as an established business with staying power. Even if you're just getting started, you don't want to give your customers the impression that you won't be there to deliver the results you promise.
Convey Confidence and Competence
A professionally designed logo backs your promise and shows that you believe in your business. You're confident enough to develop a complete branding strategy and place your logo on everything from your letterhead to your delivery trucks.
Communicate Focus and Attention to Detail
When your marketing materials feature a good logo, you look like a professional. A logo is a unifying element for all your marketing materials. Professional designers can play on your logo in a variety of ways to keep it fresh and interesting but also identifiable.
Set Your Company Apart
If you're thinking about postponing logo development, lots of other business owners are too. Get a jump on them with a well-designed logo that communicates your business' uniqueness and creates a memorable impression.
So what makes a good logo? First, it should be eye-catching. Professionally designed logos have the visual appeal and impact of artwork. Your logo should also convey something about your company and accurately represent your business. A well-designed logo can make you appear professional, playful, helpful, experienced and a whole host of other characteristics.
Caution: The only thing worse than not having a logo is having one that is inconsistent with your branding or looks amateurish. This is not a job for your teenage nephew. A logo should look clean, clear and sharp whether it appears on a business card or the side of a bus.
A great looking logo that's consistent with your branding strategy can be an important tool in establishing your business identity, increasing sight recognition and promoting your business. All the things you're waiting to accomplish before you develop a logo. Funny how that works, isn't it?
Lisa Hoffmann is chief copywriter for PRstore, a full-service retail marketing franchise with 41 stores in 18 states. PRstore makes professional marketing accessible to small- to medium-sized businesses by offering affordable marketing solutions and eliminating the pricey retainers often required by traditional marketing agencies. For more marketing and business tips, visit the PRstore blog. To take your marketing to the next level without busting your budget, look for a PRstore near you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Hoffmann
A logo is an image associated with your company, giving people a visual cue and an easy way to remember you. Some people remember words better, some remember images better. A good logo gives those visual learners something memorable. Everyone is more likely to remember you if they associate both words and images with your company.
Logos work hard for your marketing campaign.
Keep up Appearances
A logo positions you as an established business with staying power. Even if you're just getting started, you don't want to give your customers the impression that you won't be there to deliver the results you promise.
Convey Confidence and Competence
A professionally designed logo backs your promise and shows that you believe in your business. You're confident enough to develop a complete branding strategy and place your logo on everything from your letterhead to your delivery trucks.
Communicate Focus and Attention to Detail
When your marketing materials feature a good logo, you look like a professional. A logo is a unifying element for all your marketing materials. Professional designers can play on your logo in a variety of ways to keep it fresh and interesting but also identifiable.
Set Your Company Apart
If you're thinking about postponing logo development, lots of other business owners are too. Get a jump on them with a well-designed logo that communicates your business' uniqueness and creates a memorable impression.
So what makes a good logo? First, it should be eye-catching. Professionally designed logos have the visual appeal and impact of artwork. Your logo should also convey something about your company and accurately represent your business. A well-designed logo can make you appear professional, playful, helpful, experienced and a whole host of other characteristics.
Caution: The only thing worse than not having a logo is having one that is inconsistent with your branding or looks amateurish. This is not a job for your teenage nephew. A logo should look clean, clear and sharp whether it appears on a business card or the side of a bus.
A great looking logo that's consistent with your branding strategy can be an important tool in establishing your business identity, increasing sight recognition and promoting your business. All the things you're waiting to accomplish before you develop a logo. Funny how that works, isn't it?
Lisa Hoffmann is chief copywriter for PRstore, a full-service retail marketing franchise with 41 stores in 18 states. PRstore makes professional marketing accessible to small- to medium-sized businesses by offering affordable marketing solutions and eliminating the pricey retainers often required by traditional marketing agencies. For more marketing and business tips, visit the PRstore blog. To take your marketing to the next level without busting your budget, look for a PRstore near you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Hoffmann
Your Home Business Marketing Plan
Whether your home business involves selling a certain product or promoting services, your marketing plan first must have to create a need before customers can become interested in your business. Today, there are so many websites as well as brick and mortar businesses that offer similar if not the same products and services to your targeted audience. With the insane load of competition out there on the net, you'll need a way to snag the online visitor quickly and create a sense of urgency to buy what it is you're selling.
Marketing your home business, especially online, is more than building a website and promoting it. While that may be the bulk of where your customers go to, you must also do some market research to determine the type of customer you want to attract, how to get their attention and then how to covert them from being a visitor to your website to a buyer of your business. Know exactly what type of customer fits the product or service you're selling. This can include demographics ranging anywhere from gender, age, location, income they make, the list goes on. The more targeted you are, the better.
A company without a website can use the internet in their home base marketing plan to educate potential customers about their products or services and why they are different among the rest. A benefit to having this is so when customers actually visit your business they have a sense of personalization. They know more about you and what they are looking for than the average customer off the street. In today's age of the internet, it also gives your home business a degree of credibility; since the common thought it that every credible business has a website. So, if you don't already have one, get one!
Home business marketing also includes different strategies that are required to attract visitors to your website and your business. Some of these strategies are search engine marketing, affiliate marketing and article marketing, which can make the business owner appear as an expert in the field of their business. When people search for information on the internet they are often directed to text-based articles on the subject and if your home based business can provide the information they're looking for, there is a better chance they will count on you to fill their needs. Ta-da! Credibility is established!
Marketing, as opposed to advertising, is not about selling a particular product or service. It's more about educating your potential clients of how your business can fill their need for the product better than any one else. It could be through lower prices, better quality, or through a better educated sales force. Your home business marketing must focus on informing your visitors about your knowledge of their needs. Once a person believes you truly understand that they need, they are more willing to do business with you.
Of course, once you show people what you have and show them the reasons they should buy from you, you will have to build their trust to continue getting their business. All follow-up calls or visits should be taken care of by you professionally. Say what you are going to do and then do what you say. Establish a good relationship to that person. The best form of marketing is word of mouth. Happy customers will tell others when they are impressed by your professionalism and great product/services, and then you've automatically established credibility with their friends. If these actions aren't followed through properly, your business marketing plan goes down the drain.
While marketing on the internet is a great way to improve you business, insuring its future will need more than just words on a computer monitor. Interaction with customers, even if by computer, will help your marketing plan boost the success in your home business!
Tara Brown is the owner of ExecutiveHomeBody.com and writes on a variety of subjects related to leadership and home business. To learn more about starting your own business, visit http://www.ExecutiveHomeBody.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tara_Brown
Marketing your home business, especially online, is more than building a website and promoting it. While that may be the bulk of where your customers go to, you must also do some market research to determine the type of customer you want to attract, how to get their attention and then how to covert them from being a visitor to your website to a buyer of your business. Know exactly what type of customer fits the product or service you're selling. This can include demographics ranging anywhere from gender, age, location, income they make, the list goes on. The more targeted you are, the better.
A company without a website can use the internet in their home base marketing plan to educate potential customers about their products or services and why they are different among the rest. A benefit to having this is so when customers actually visit your business they have a sense of personalization. They know more about you and what they are looking for than the average customer off the street. In today's age of the internet, it also gives your home business a degree of credibility; since the common thought it that every credible business has a website. So, if you don't already have one, get one!
Home business marketing also includes different strategies that are required to attract visitors to your website and your business. Some of these strategies are search engine marketing, affiliate marketing and article marketing, which can make the business owner appear as an expert in the field of their business. When people search for information on the internet they are often directed to text-based articles on the subject and if your home based business can provide the information they're looking for, there is a better chance they will count on you to fill their needs. Ta-da! Credibility is established!
Marketing, as opposed to advertising, is not about selling a particular product or service. It's more about educating your potential clients of how your business can fill their need for the product better than any one else. It could be through lower prices, better quality, or through a better educated sales force. Your home business marketing must focus on informing your visitors about your knowledge of their needs. Once a person believes you truly understand that they need, they are more willing to do business with you.
Of course, once you show people what you have and show them the reasons they should buy from you, you will have to build their trust to continue getting their business. All follow-up calls or visits should be taken care of by you professionally. Say what you are going to do and then do what you say. Establish a good relationship to that person. The best form of marketing is word of mouth. Happy customers will tell others when they are impressed by your professionalism and great product/services, and then you've automatically established credibility with their friends. If these actions aren't followed through properly, your business marketing plan goes down the drain.
While marketing on the internet is a great way to improve you business, insuring its future will need more than just words on a computer monitor. Interaction with customers, even if by computer, will help your marketing plan boost the success in your home business!
Tara Brown is the owner of ExecutiveHomeBody.com and writes on a variety of subjects related to leadership and home business. To learn more about starting your own business, visit http://www.ExecutiveHomeBody.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tara_Brown
How to Get Control Of Your Home Business Expenses
When you begin a home business, forget all the free time and endless vacations many people talk about. Your primary focus is going to be on making enough money to survive. One of the biggest problems new home business owners face is confusing income with profit and it is the profit that will determine if you are successful or not. There is money to be made in a home business, but if you cannot control the expenses, you may not survive on the home front for very long. Alternative home based businesses that require not start-up costs such as Yuwie for example are a great place to start.
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
Writing a Business Plan for Your New Patent
The first type of business plan is one you plan on showing to others. This might be so you can raise venture capital funding or get a bank loan. The second type of business plan is for yourself. It is in essence a document to keep you on track, something you can refer to in the day-to-day chaos of your operations and use to determine whether you are on target. First, let's explore the first type.
If you are writing a business plan to obtain funding, you are essentially giving a stranger an overview of your company. This person will want to evaluate your goals, your personell, and your financial projections for the future. Therefore, these are the things you want to address and give special attention to in your business plan. At bare minimum, your business plan needs an executive summary, a marketing plan, financial projections, and a description of the personell involved. Let's learn a little more about each phase, as each one is crucially important.
Executive Summary
The executive summary is what you might call "the main point." It is the most important part of your business plan. This is where you summarize the purpose of your company, how you will make money, in essence, what you will be going into business to do. You want to touch upon the surface of all the other categories, but without going into super-specific detail. For example, rather than naming the stores you want to sell your product in or the names of specific personell, you might say something like "We will utilize a robust strategy of discount store selling made possible by high-ranking personell in the retail field." A venture capitalist or business partner should be able to read your executive summary and come away with a broad understanding of your goals. Of course, you'll need to firm up specifics of how your business will be run in order to provide that understanding. Therefore, it would be best to hold off on writing the executive summary until after you are down with your marketing plan, financial projections, and personell descriptions. Then you yourself will be intimately familiar with the details and in a good position to sum it all up in your executive summary.
Marketing Plan
Your marketing plan is basically how you intend to reach your customers. It is also where you define your ideal customer: say, 22-35 year old SUV driving males in the northeast with incomes of $80,000 per year or more. The person reading your marketing plan should come away knowing where your product will be sold and how. Details are crucial here. Do you know buyers at Home Depot or Wal-Mart, if that's where you plan on selling? Will you be using Google AdWords or affiliate deals, if you will be retailing online? How much product can you afford to produce? How do you plan on keeping store shelves (or inventory) stocked? Anything related to how and at what cost your product reaches customers belongs in the market plan, spelled out in as much detail as you can go into. This will firm up your vision in the minds of anyone reading it.
Financial Projections
The number one question on the mind of any business partner is "How much money is going to come out of this?" The financial projections are where you attempt to answer this question. What are your sales goals? What kind of profit margin do you expect? When do you predict the company will be profitable? Are there significant debts that need to be taken and later repaid, such as for machinery or equipment? If so, you need to factor such things into your projections. A person reading your financial projections will want to know that you have taken everything into account and produced some realistic expectations for the business.
Personell
Finally, those reading your business plan will want to know that you have competent, accomplished people working with you. In the personell section, you want to list the names, achievements, and qualifications of anyone who will be working with you. The idea is to convince the VC or partner that the personell you have chosen are suited for the tasks that lie ahead. This is especially important, given the modern trend of venture capitalists appointing their own guys to companies they fund.
The other type of business plan is the one you write for yourself; for example, if you are bootstrapping with your own funds and growing the business organically, by reinvesting profits. This type of business plan can be much more informal in nature, since you will be the only one looking at it. However, you should still be thinking about the same questions. Too many business owners lose sight of why they are in business at all, and try to be all things to all people. This does not work, and a solid business plan is a great way to keep yourself focused on what matters -- on what is profitable.
Therefore, no matter how you choose to structure your business plan, it should have the following:
* Specific, numeric sales goals and time frames for achieving them.
* A list of ways you intend on marketing your product and the steps necessary to see it through
* When you expect to be profitable and why
Forcing yourself to think these things through will be an invaluable benefit as you build your company. They will give you standards to judge yourself against daily, as well as show you how to correct any mistakes you are making.
Eric Corl is the Founder and CEO of Idea Buyer, a marketplace for new technology and products that allows inventors to showcase their intellectual property to consumer product companies, entrepreneurs, retailers, and manufacturers at http://www.IdeaBuyer.com
You can email him at EricCorl@IdeaBuyer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Corl
If you are writing a business plan to obtain funding, you are essentially giving a stranger an overview of your company. This person will want to evaluate your goals, your personell, and your financial projections for the future. Therefore, these are the things you want to address and give special attention to in your business plan. At bare minimum, your business plan needs an executive summary, a marketing plan, financial projections, and a description of the personell involved. Let's learn a little more about each phase, as each one is crucially important.
Executive Summary
The executive summary is what you might call "the main point." It is the most important part of your business plan. This is where you summarize the purpose of your company, how you will make money, in essence, what you will be going into business to do. You want to touch upon the surface of all the other categories, but without going into super-specific detail. For example, rather than naming the stores you want to sell your product in or the names of specific personell, you might say something like "We will utilize a robust strategy of discount store selling made possible by high-ranking personell in the retail field." A venture capitalist or business partner should be able to read your executive summary and come away with a broad understanding of your goals. Of course, you'll need to firm up specifics of how your business will be run in order to provide that understanding. Therefore, it would be best to hold off on writing the executive summary until after you are down with your marketing plan, financial projections, and personell descriptions. Then you yourself will be intimately familiar with the details and in a good position to sum it all up in your executive summary.
Marketing Plan
Your marketing plan is basically how you intend to reach your customers. It is also where you define your ideal customer: say, 22-35 year old SUV driving males in the northeast with incomes of $80,000 per year or more. The person reading your marketing plan should come away knowing where your product will be sold and how. Details are crucial here. Do you know buyers at Home Depot or Wal-Mart, if that's where you plan on selling? Will you be using Google AdWords or affiliate deals, if you will be retailing online? How much product can you afford to produce? How do you plan on keeping store shelves (or inventory) stocked? Anything related to how and at what cost your product reaches customers belongs in the market plan, spelled out in as much detail as you can go into. This will firm up your vision in the minds of anyone reading it.
Financial Projections
The number one question on the mind of any business partner is "How much money is going to come out of this?" The financial projections are where you attempt to answer this question. What are your sales goals? What kind of profit margin do you expect? When do you predict the company will be profitable? Are there significant debts that need to be taken and later repaid, such as for machinery or equipment? If so, you need to factor such things into your projections. A person reading your financial projections will want to know that you have taken everything into account and produced some realistic expectations for the business.
Personell
Finally, those reading your business plan will want to know that you have competent, accomplished people working with you. In the personell section, you want to list the names, achievements, and qualifications of anyone who will be working with you. The idea is to convince the VC or partner that the personell you have chosen are suited for the tasks that lie ahead. This is especially important, given the modern trend of venture capitalists appointing their own guys to companies they fund.
The other type of business plan is the one you write for yourself; for example, if you are bootstrapping with your own funds and growing the business organically, by reinvesting profits. This type of business plan can be much more informal in nature, since you will be the only one looking at it. However, you should still be thinking about the same questions. Too many business owners lose sight of why they are in business at all, and try to be all things to all people. This does not work, and a solid business plan is a great way to keep yourself focused on what matters -- on what is profitable.
Therefore, no matter how you choose to structure your business plan, it should have the following:
* Specific, numeric sales goals and time frames for achieving them.
* A list of ways you intend on marketing your product and the steps necessary to see it through
* When you expect to be profitable and why
Forcing yourself to think these things through will be an invaluable benefit as you build your company. They will give you standards to judge yourself against daily, as well as show you how to correct any mistakes you are making.
Eric Corl is the Founder and CEO of Idea Buyer, a marketplace for new technology and products that allows inventors to showcase their intellectual property to consumer product companies, entrepreneurs, retailers, and manufacturers at http://www.IdeaBuyer.com
You can email him at EricCorl@IdeaBuyer.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Corl
Building Relationships to Build Business
Everyone you meet is a potential customer as well as a friend. We don't make friends just to drive business but it is important to keep in mind how our services and products can help and enrich our friends and acquaintances. If we truly value what we do and what we offer, it is only natural that we want to bring these things to everyone we meet.
Attending networking events is probably the most natural venue for building relationships. But don't limit yourself to scheduled networking events. In your day to day life don't forget to present your business to everyone you meet. I once gained two clients while purchasing a mattress set. Conversation is your key to establishing those relationships that can translate to new customers. Just be open and engaging in all your interactions.
But once you have established those relationships the real work begins. Relationships that are neglected or taken for granted will wither and die. Follow up is so important. Email and the telephone can be the life's blood to nurturing your relationships. Recently, services have become available to send actual greeting cards and postcards to your new acquaintances through online card services. These dynamic services can build a data base of potential clients, personal friends and family, and existing customers and allow you to send personalized cards to everyone on your lists. These cards are ordered through your computer and allow you to write your own message, choose formats, and personalize through photos. They are printed and mailed the US mail by the service provider at a cost lower than if you did the leg work and paid for the card and postage yourself. It is a new resource that every networking business person should investigate.
Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and important events becomes easy with these card services, where you are reminded when to send out cards or messages. As you grow your business you will discover that your first ventures into the networking world will train you for the hard work of relationship marketing and outsourcing the follow-up functions will save you a lot of time while keeping you current and thorough in all your follow-up efforts.
The most important thing is to make that initial connection and grow it into a lasting and sustainable relationship. Any established business has at its roots, a base of long-term loyal customers who formed the foundation for the business' growth. When you are just starting out it is important to keep the "big picture" in mind. That small customer who only needs your services every quarter can become a bi-weekly account if nurtured and valued correctly. Just be willing to do the initial leg work and outsource as many of the time consuming follow-up activities as you can. Coordination of effort is vital to a well rounded relationship marketing strategy.
Melissa Vokoun is a successful Business Advisor, Coach and Trainer. From 1983 to 2005 she was COO and VP of Sales and Marketing for a national telecom equipment distributor. Her passion for business, working with clients in solving critical issues in the strategic, tactical and operational areas of growth continues. She is now President and Founder of NuVo Partners and Successful Business Advisors and The Coaching Queen. To learn more about the services available, please visit the website at: http://www.coachingqueen.com or call 847-392-6886.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Vokoun
Attending networking events is probably the most natural venue for building relationships. But don't limit yourself to scheduled networking events. In your day to day life don't forget to present your business to everyone you meet. I once gained two clients while purchasing a mattress set. Conversation is your key to establishing those relationships that can translate to new customers. Just be open and engaging in all your interactions.
But once you have established those relationships the real work begins. Relationships that are neglected or taken for granted will wither and die. Follow up is so important. Email and the telephone can be the life's blood to nurturing your relationships. Recently, services have become available to send actual greeting cards and postcards to your new acquaintances through online card services. These dynamic services can build a data base of potential clients, personal friends and family, and existing customers and allow you to send personalized cards to everyone on your lists. These cards are ordered through your computer and allow you to write your own message, choose formats, and personalize through photos. They are printed and mailed the US mail by the service provider at a cost lower than if you did the leg work and paid for the card and postage yourself. It is a new resource that every networking business person should investigate.
Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and important events becomes easy with these card services, where you are reminded when to send out cards or messages. As you grow your business you will discover that your first ventures into the networking world will train you for the hard work of relationship marketing and outsourcing the follow-up functions will save you a lot of time while keeping you current and thorough in all your follow-up efforts.
The most important thing is to make that initial connection and grow it into a lasting and sustainable relationship. Any established business has at its roots, a base of long-term loyal customers who formed the foundation for the business' growth. When you are just starting out it is important to keep the "big picture" in mind. That small customer who only needs your services every quarter can become a bi-weekly account if nurtured and valued correctly. Just be willing to do the initial leg work and outsource as many of the time consuming follow-up activities as you can. Coordination of effort is vital to a well rounded relationship marketing strategy.
Melissa Vokoun is a successful Business Advisor, Coach and Trainer. From 1983 to 2005 she was COO and VP of Sales and Marketing for a national telecom equipment distributor. Her passion for business, working with clients in solving critical issues in the strategic, tactical and operational areas of growth continues. She is now President and Founder of NuVo Partners and Successful Business Advisors and The Coaching Queen. To learn more about the services available, please visit the website at: http://www.coachingqueen.com or call 847-392-6886.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_Vokoun
How to Get Control Of Your Home Business Expenses
When you begin a home business, forget all the free time and endless vacations many people talk about. Your primary focus is going to be on making enough money to survive. One of the biggest problems new home business owners face is confusing income with profit and it is the profit that will determine if you are successful or not. There is money to be made in a home business, but if you cannot control the expenses, you may not survive on the home front for very long. Alternative home based businesses that require not start-up costs such as Yuwie for example are a great place to start.
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
How to Get Control Of Your Home Business Expenses
When you begin a home business, forget all the free time and endless vacations many people talk about. Your primary focus is going to be on making enough money to survive. One of the biggest problems new home business owners face is confusing income with profit and it is the profit that will determine if you are successful or not. There is money to be made in a home business, but if you cannot control the expenses, you may not survive on the home front for very long. Alternative home based businesses that require not start-up costs such as Yuwie for example are a great place to start.
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
Little things that may seem insignificant when you worked for someone else can quickly add up and detract from your ability to survive financially. To begin with your office is now in your home and you will need to treat the home, and its associated expenses, as part of the cost of doing business. One of the biggest expenses you will have is utilities and if you can reduce utility costs for the home, you automatically reduce your cost of doing business.
Most states have competition among suppliers of gas and electric and searching out the company that offers the lowest price and best service may save you a few bucks every month. A couple of dollars may not seem like a lot of money when viewed in the overall picture of running the home business, but over time can up to significant savings. While looking at your utility costs, consider how many lights you leave on when you are not in the room. It is a common error by most families and one the savings devices could be automatic motion switches.
Motion detectors built into the light switches turn on the light when a person enters the room and shuts them off shortly after they leave. This can be a beginning to reducing energy consumption and lowering the bills. Try switching to energy saving fluorescent bulbs that are as bright as incandescent bulbs and although they cost a little more are more energy efficient and should last longer.
Ask yourself if you really need to heat at 72-degrees in the winter. Knocking a couple of degrees off the thermostat may save another couple of dollars a month and with the reduced energy bill you may be able to go out to lunch once in awhile. Speaking of lunch, there really is no need to venture out to the restaurant or even a fast-food joint for a burger. You have a completely equipped kitchen and refrigerator in which your lunch can be stored and prepped.
Do not get caught up in the convenience of online postage companies. Many of them charge a monthly fee, even id you do not use the service. They can run as high as $15 a month just so the service is available. Buy stamps when you are out and save that service fee. You may also not need the movie channels on your cable. You are going to be too busy operating your home business to enjoy many movies and they only distract you when you are supposed to be working.
There are many home based business that cost little or zero start up capital. One such program is called Yuwie, it has no start up fees and will get you going on the path of at least learning the ins and outs of internet marketing if this is your choice. Yuwie is a social network that pays it's users.
Leveraging the internet you can really keep advertising costs to a minimum with classified ads and blogging both of which are powerful promotional tools and cost no money to use.
For more information on how to start and build a home based business for free an with next to zero advertising options please visit Michael's site and grab his free success guide at Yuwie.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Van_Masters
Standard Font Sizes In Business Cards
Design and material are not the only elements you should think about when you create your custom business cards. In addition to these two, you also have to consider the font you are going to use for your content.
When designing, it is crucial for your business card printing pieces to have the right font and at the same time the appropriate size. Your text should be not too small or too big for your print card. If it is too small, it would be difficult for your target audience to read your information.
On the other hand, big letters just do not appear professional and with your limited space, it would be hard for you to cram all that information. Hence, there are standards that you have to adhere to help you create a distinguished business card without appearing like you do not know what you are doing.
First off, there should be a balance in the sizes of your text in your address and contact information, and your names and title. When designing your text, be sure to have your address and phone numbers between 7 to 8 point sizes. Your name should be 1 point bigger than these two elements. That means that if your address is at 7 point, then your name should be 8. On the other hand, your title can either be 1 point smaller than your address text size or similar to it. Your company name in contrast to all these elements should be from 12 to 15 point sizes.
There is a reason for making these sizes standard ones. If you happen to use different sizes for all your elements, I would not be surprised if your marketing tool looked disorderly and untidy. It will only confuse your prospects and clients. The key is to keep your sizes consistent so that your content would not appear disorganized.
In terms of how large or small should you go with your text, your words should not be smaller than 6 point. Use 5 point if you put everything in capital letters. In your name, it should not be more than 11 point. The address has a maximum of 9 point.
You should also consider the type of industry you are in. Most professionals go for smaller sizes such as 6 to 7 point text, especially for their addresses. Then again, it is much larger when sales agents produce their business cards.
But be wary also of fonts that print particularly smaller than the average size. When you use these fonts, be sure to adjust your sizes 1 point higher so as not to make it difficult for your readers to see your text.
A writer...an observer...continuously fascinated with the developments in printing technologies which greatly help the advertising and marketing of small to medium businesses.
Know exactly the standard font sizes that you need to have in your business cards with the help of business card printing experts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kaye_Marks
When designing, it is crucial for your business card printing pieces to have the right font and at the same time the appropriate size. Your text should be not too small or too big for your print card. If it is too small, it would be difficult for your target audience to read your information.
On the other hand, big letters just do not appear professional and with your limited space, it would be hard for you to cram all that information. Hence, there are standards that you have to adhere to help you create a distinguished business card without appearing like you do not know what you are doing.
First off, there should be a balance in the sizes of your text in your address and contact information, and your names and title. When designing your text, be sure to have your address and phone numbers between 7 to 8 point sizes. Your name should be 1 point bigger than these two elements. That means that if your address is at 7 point, then your name should be 8. On the other hand, your title can either be 1 point smaller than your address text size or similar to it. Your company name in contrast to all these elements should be from 12 to 15 point sizes.
There is a reason for making these sizes standard ones. If you happen to use different sizes for all your elements, I would not be surprised if your marketing tool looked disorderly and untidy. It will only confuse your prospects and clients. The key is to keep your sizes consistent so that your content would not appear disorganized.
In terms of how large or small should you go with your text, your words should not be smaller than 6 point. Use 5 point if you put everything in capital letters. In your name, it should not be more than 11 point. The address has a maximum of 9 point.
You should also consider the type of industry you are in. Most professionals go for smaller sizes such as 6 to 7 point text, especially for their addresses. Then again, it is much larger when sales agents produce their business cards.
But be wary also of fonts that print particularly smaller than the average size. When you use these fonts, be sure to adjust your sizes 1 point higher so as not to make it difficult for your readers to see your text.
A writer...an observer...continuously fascinated with the developments in printing technologies which greatly help the advertising and marketing of small to medium businesses.
Know exactly the standard font sizes that you need to have in your business cards with the help of business card printing experts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kaye_Marks
Position Your Business to Outshine the Competition
Your clients and prospects have access to more information and choices today than ever before. The number of small businesses increases daily, and competition can be tough. In the past, competition may have been similar companies in your part of town; now many small businesses must compete with others around the globe. Positioning your company can provide the competitive edge you need to outshine the competition.
Appropriately positioning your business enables you to communicate a meaningful, relevant message to clients and prospects and establishes you as an "expert" in your field. First, you must know and understand your market as well as the competition, their strengths and their focus. Then you can determine the most profitable place to position your business in relation to others in that market.
Domino's Pizza provides a classic example of this. They've positioned themselves to focus on one thing: fast delivery. They don't claim to cook up gourmet pizza, or a romantic dine-in experience. Just fast delivery -- and it works! They have cornered this position in their market.
If you're a florist and your number-one competitor is known for its bargain bouquets, you may want to target discriminating gift givers and position yourself as the shop that delivers the freshest, longest-lasting arrangements that recipients will enjoy for a week or more.
The Positioning Statement
Writing a Positioning Statement for your company is a precursor to branding the business. It will determine what you emphasize in your marketing materials. To help you create a company Positioning Statement, answer the questions below, or revisit your USP (unique selling proposition).
• What do we do best?
• Who is our target customer?
• What needs do we fulfill for them?
• Who is our competition?
• What makes us different from them?
A USP is a distinct and engaging statement that sets you and your business or practice apart from all the rest, by describing the unique value you offer. It tells your prospects, "This is why you should do business with us." You must clearly understand your market, your competitors and what they do well; and what truly differentiates you and your company from the competition.
Fun Exercises to Help You Establish Your USP
Set an afternoon aside and invite everyone involved in your business to a brainstorming session. Together, compile a list of every value and benefit your company offers that would entice someone to do business with you. Make it a really long list! Then, put a line through everything on the list that could also be said about your competitors. What remains are the unique qualities of your company. Use this as a starting place to create your USP.
If you're in business on your own, take pen and paper and write a one- or two-paragraph description of what sets you and your company apart from the competition. Then, ruthlessly edit away the generalities, until you're left with a clean, succinct, specific promise. From there, rework it, deleting all the excess verbiage and vague statements until you have a clearly defined Unique Selling Proposition that your client and prospects can immediately grasp.
Warning: Be absolutely sure that you are able to deliver on any promise you make. If your USP tells clients that you have "A complete range of widgets in stock at all times," and a customer calls to find that their preferred widget must be ordered and won't be shipped for a week, your USP has created a negative relationship.
Now, from your answers to the questions above and your USP, write out a Positioning Statement that expresses your company's specific place in the market.
With a clear Positioning Statement, you're ready to brand your business and make it stand out from the crowd!
Victoria K. Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, "In-Flight Refueling," at: http://www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victoria_K._Munro
Appropriately positioning your business enables you to communicate a meaningful, relevant message to clients and prospects and establishes you as an "expert" in your field. First, you must know and understand your market as well as the competition, their strengths and their focus. Then you can determine the most profitable place to position your business in relation to others in that market.
Domino's Pizza provides a classic example of this. They've positioned themselves to focus on one thing: fast delivery. They don't claim to cook up gourmet pizza, or a romantic dine-in experience. Just fast delivery -- and it works! They have cornered this position in their market.
If you're a florist and your number-one competitor is known for its bargain bouquets, you may want to target discriminating gift givers and position yourself as the shop that delivers the freshest, longest-lasting arrangements that recipients will enjoy for a week or more.
The Positioning Statement
Writing a Positioning Statement for your company is a precursor to branding the business. It will determine what you emphasize in your marketing materials. To help you create a company Positioning Statement, answer the questions below, or revisit your USP (unique selling proposition).
• What do we do best?
• Who is our target customer?
• What needs do we fulfill for them?
• Who is our competition?
• What makes us different from them?
A USP is a distinct and engaging statement that sets you and your business or practice apart from all the rest, by describing the unique value you offer. It tells your prospects, "This is why you should do business with us." You must clearly understand your market, your competitors and what they do well; and what truly differentiates you and your company from the competition.
Fun Exercises to Help You Establish Your USP
Set an afternoon aside and invite everyone involved in your business to a brainstorming session. Together, compile a list of every value and benefit your company offers that would entice someone to do business with you. Make it a really long list! Then, put a line through everything on the list that could also be said about your competitors. What remains are the unique qualities of your company. Use this as a starting place to create your USP.
If you're in business on your own, take pen and paper and write a one- or two-paragraph description of what sets you and your company apart from the competition. Then, ruthlessly edit away the generalities, until you're left with a clean, succinct, specific promise. From there, rework it, deleting all the excess verbiage and vague statements until you have a clearly defined Unique Selling Proposition that your client and prospects can immediately grasp.
Warning: Be absolutely sure that you are able to deliver on any promise you make. If your USP tells clients that you have "A complete range of widgets in stock at all times," and a customer calls to find that their preferred widget must be ordered and won't be shipped for a week, your USP has created a negative relationship.
Now, from your answers to the questions above and your USP, write out a Positioning Statement that expresses your company's specific place in the market.
With a clear Positioning Statement, you're ready to brand your business and make it stand out from the crowd!
Victoria K. Munro is co-founder (along with husband Dave Block) of Make-it-Fly® LLC, a company dedicated to creating success for small business owners through creatively designed programs and tools. Victoria has started and run nine different businesses. To receive FREE business success articles with tips to help you with your business, sign up for their award-winning ezine, "In-Flight Refueling," at: http://www.Make-it-Fly.com, and receive a free copy of the eBook, Get More Done in Less Time: 101 Quick and Easy Time Tactics & Tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victoria_K._Munro
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