Big Marketing Power in a Little Word

Your English teacher isn’t going to like this.

Don’t get me wrong; the grammar and composition you learned in high school English class are critically important, but those rules don’t necessarily apply all the time.

Allow me to explain.

Your old English teacher would have preferred you write, “By carefully employing certain words, a professional gains a powerful advantage when selling his or her products or when trying to persuade others to accept his or her ideas.”

Here’s a slightly different version: “By carefully employing certain words, you gain a powerful advantage when selling your products or when trying to persuade others to accept your ideas.”

What’s the difference?

These two statements essentially say the same thing, but the first one is written in “third person,” while the second one is written in “second person.” English teachers would prefer the first statement. In formal writing, it is generally frowned upon to use the words, “I” or “you.” Scholarly journals, text books and respected periodicals are normally written in third person.

Using the word “you” (and “your”) helps you do that.

No matter what your profession, there are times when your success depends on your ability to sell, pitch, market, convince, persuade, trade, suggest, coach, counsel, explain, and/or motivate another person. That all becomes easier if you address your reader or listener directly in the second person.

So, if you’re explaining something in an email, try to use the word “you.” If you’re giving a speech to prospective clients, paint a picture with “you.” If you want to empower and motivate your colleagues, use “you” to make your message resonate with them.

The word, “you” personalizes a conversation. It brings down barriers and erodes the formalities that may exist between you and the other person.

“You” can help prospective clients picture themselves using your products and services. For instance, if you are selling a time-share condo overlooking the ocean, your would-be buyer might be receptive to this marketing message:

“Picture yourself spending two weeks here every year. You can sleep in each morning in this king-sized bed, windows open with the sea breeze gently waking you up before you head over to your ultra-modern kitchen for your morning coffee. You step out onto your deck overlooking the massive resort pool. Your only problem here in paradise will be deciding what to do. Will you relax by the pool or will you take one of the hundreds of day adventures waiting for you in the surrounding area?”

Where do I sign up?

When I’m writing books or delivering speeches, I try to put “you” into the text even if the story I’m telling is about somebody else. When I use a highly successful person’s life or accomplishments to illustrate a point, I occasionally like to slip in “you” and “your” when I’m really talking about “him/his” or “her/hers.” Audience members are more likely to remember the point, if they feel like they are part of the story.

YOU will be a much more effective seller, marketer and persuader if YOU simply remember to transpose YOUR audience into YOUR stories.

One last thing – I have one important disclaimer for you.

There is a particular use of the word “you” that may backfire on you. Careful communicators avoid saying, “you must,” “you should,” “you better” or “you have to.” That’s bossy. It turns people off. Such language reminds you of when you were in trouble as a kid, like when your mother demanded:

“You have to clean your room!”

“You better finish your homework before you go outside!”

About the Author:

Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals do more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. As a professional speaker, he delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. You can learn more and follow his “Business Motivation Blog” at JeffBeals.com.

Follow @powerhomebiz

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Little,Marketing,Power

What is an Angel Investor?

Angel investors generally have a net worth of $500,000 to $5,000,000. Typically, these private funding sources also generate an income of $200,000 to $1,000,000 per year. The demographics among these investors vary considerably, but they are all generally looking to make investments of $100,000 to $250,000 into a small business that is located within 50 miles of their home location. This article will focus on issues pertaining to working with angel investors as well as alternatives to angel investment. Almost all angel investors are considered to be accredited investors. An accredited investor is an individual that has a net worth of at least $1,000,000 (excluding a primary residence) and earns an income of at least $200,000 per year.

Typically, angel investors are men between the ages of 45 to 70 that have had significant business and industry experience. Additionally, many of these investors want to be close to home as it relates to them providing money to a small business. As such, most angel investors want their investments to be within 50 miles to 100 miles of their primary location.

Although the angel investment industry is dominated by men, it is important to note that a number of female investors have entered into this industry. This is primarily due to the fact that women have become prominent business people and they want to be able to enjoy the same high reward returns that are associated with small business investing. Generally, investors that are women like to make investments into businesses that are primarily owned by women.

Working with Angel Investors

There is not a single business that does not face any type of specific business risk. A demographic analysis is extremely important when you are presenting to an investment group or group of private investors that have come together to make a syndicated investment. If you’re working with a small business investor then you should also inquire as to working with the small business investment companies that are licensed by this federal agency. Capital from the SBA is less expensive then equity capital, and you should make this determination when you are deciding whether or not to seek private capital.

As an alternative to working with an individual accredit investor, many small business investment companies are not directly looking to take a very large percentage of your business but rather are seeking to provide you with several different types of financing.

Many private investment firms and syndicated angel investment groups employ a number of economists that an extensive amount due diligence regarding your industry. Ultimately, when working with one of these types of firms, the amount of equity you sell is up to the quality of your business and its expected earnings. This is an especially important point to note when focusing on the net worth of a potential individual investor for your company.

You should always consider the risks involved when it comes to seeking an equity investors. Most angel investors high net worth individuals based on the standards set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission. If you do not own a high gross margin business, that do not have a substantial amount of tangible assets, then you should thoroughly focus on the fact that you’re able to generate a very high return on equity as this is extremely important to an individual investor or private funding source.

Angel investors and private investment firms are generally risk adverse. Again, most private funding sources want to work with businesses that are within one hour of their home. Investment capital always comes at a very high price as you need to provide a substantial amount of equity to your investor. New businesses tend to carry a significant amount of risk.

Angel investors typically are able to make their investment decisions quickly than a venture capital firm, which is one of the best benefits to working with these type of high net worth capital sources.

How to Attract Angel Investors

You are always going to need to have a well drafted business plan when you are working with an angel investor or syndicated group of investors. We strongly recommend that you are able to put together a number of comprehensive documents as it relates to your business as how much equity that you are willing to sell as it relates to your small business investment. In many of our future articles, we are going to discuss the exacting need for a business plan when dealing with an angel investor.

It should be noted that while this is an overview of an angel investor profile, each and every individual that you deal with is going to have a different idea as to what they want as it relates to their investment. In many instances, these private funding sources are going to want a significant amount of control as it relates to your business. In some instances, angel investors tend to take a hand off approach as it relates to the day to day operations of your business. As such, you should negotiate very carefully as it pertains to raising capital from these types of investors.

One of the ways that you can profile your investor appropriately is by having them fill out an accredited investor form that showcases their ability to provide you with capital while concurrently understanding their needs as an individual investor. As we have discussed before, it is imperative that you are able to provide you outside funding source with the equity and ongoing stream of revenue that can be generated by your business as a return on investment.

Follow @powerhomebiz

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Angel,Investor

Converting your Hobby into a Business

Hobbies are a matter of national interest. At some point in our lives, most of us have maintained an interest in an activity outside the workplace, a hobby. They fall across a wide range of spectrum of activities. The interest in the activity pursued as a hobby is generally due to the passion or the fruit of the pursuit, not pecuniary gain. On average, people spend 1.3 to 1.7 hours per day on their hobbies.

Depending on the level of devotion a person has to a particular hobby, it can be easily be converted into a profitable business. Turning a hobby into a business is one of the best ways to create a profitable business because of the combined passion for the activity and the potential for   establishing an income stream. Do you recall the last time you were excited to wake up and go to work? If that was ions ago, maybe now is the time to consider turning one of your hobbies into a business. Follow these steps to evaluate whether a particular hobby is worthy of being converted.

Value Skill Set or Knowledge Base

The valuation of the skill set involved will allow you to decipher whether you have enough of vested interest to pursue this particular hobby as a business venture. Depending on the activity involved you need to consider one of two prongs: (1) Knowledge Base and (2) Skill Level. For hobbies in the first category, the valuation is focused on the dedication to the activity as it provides an extensive knowledge base. For example, someone who collects rare stamps does not necessarily require a specific skill set. However, the dedication in collecting the rare finds may grant a certain status of connoisseur. Some of the hobbies that may fall in the latter category may include cooking, dancing or singing. The assessment for these hobbies will be skilled based on a scale of 1 to 10.

It is important to be honest with yourself in the valuation process. This should not be seen as an opportunity to turn “the thing that were never good at”, but chose to do anyway into a business. Now, let’s put it to the test. Grab a pen and pad, list all your hobbies and number them accordingly. From this list, create a second list. This time enumerate the hobbies in the order of the Skill Level. For knowledge base hobbies, consider this example as guideline. Suppose John collects baseball cards and stamps. In order to properly evaluate, John would count the number of cards collected in each category. The number of items collected will be indicative of his skill and familiarity with authentic baseball cards or stamps. If John has10 unique stamps compared to 500 baseball cards.  Collecting baseball cards will be No. 1 on the list and collecting stamps will be No. 2.

Value Time Spent

The Second step is understanding how much time is spent on each hobby.  This will include time spent participating in the hobby, as well preparation time and any other time spent promoting and promulgating that interest.  The time spent will also allow you to gage your dedication to each hobby proportionately. This may require you to take some time to figure out how much time you routinely spend per activity. Once you have an accounting of time spent, you are now ready to go back to the second list you made based on the Skill Set valuation. Now, next to each hobby write down the time spent.  You may notice that you spend more time on the hobby that is near the top of list. If that is the case, it may be a confirmation that you correctly valued your skill set because people tend to spend more time on activities that reinforces their self esteem.

Evaluate Market Need and potential for income

All that valuation is great, but none of that will mean anything if there isn’t a need in the targeted market. Generally, most of us must abide by the law of supply and demand.  In very rare case, some people are able to create their own market opening. The ultimate question you must ask for each hobby on the list is: whether there a market need for this as business opportunity? Specifically, you need to consider this thought: “if I convert___________hobby into a business, who would be my consumer and why would this person want this service?” After coming up with realistic answers for each hobby, you will create your third and final list. Reviewing the hobbies on list No. 2, you will create a new list, numbering all the hobbies based potential for income with No. 1 being the most promising idea. From this final list you should come out with your highest skilled hobby on which you possibly spend most of your time with a market opening and good potential for income.

Convert Leisure activity to Profit 

After narrowing down the ideal hobby to convert, you are ready to cash it in as your personal piggy bank. You will do that by increasing time spent, amount of money vested and relabeling that activity as a business for profit.  The time spent may be increased gradually over time or may be dramatic depending on the hobby. For example, John may decide to create a consignor shop that sells baseball cards or an online business that allows collectors to bid on rare cards.  Either scenario will require spending additional money and time. The relabeling of the activity is very important. Since collecting cards is no longer a leisure activity, when john finds a rare card that his friend Joe has been after for years, he cannot give it to his friend for $20 bucks. John’s mind must shit towards profit by selling that rare find to the highest bidder

After converting your hobby into a business, you should be well on your way to success. Be certain not lose the passion that drove your interest in the first place, that enthusiasm will always give you an edge over other businesses. For those, who had no specific hobbies or could not find anything on the list to convert, consider taking some classes at a local education center for anything that has been an interest. It is is never too late to pursue a hobby. Once you have a good list of hobbies that you routinely partake in. Maybe then, you can consider converting one of them into a business.

About the Author:

Catherine works as a business consultant empowering entrepreneurs with the necessary tools and resources to bring their entrepreneurial aspiration to success. She holds Juris Doctorate degree of law specializing in Business and has extensive experience with all aspects of business formation. Connect with Catherine at Catherine.delcin@gmail.com, or connect with her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CatherineDelcin.

Follow @powerhomebiz

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Converting,Hobby

Are You Financially Literate? A Checklist for Managers

Managers must constantly evaluate their firms’ strategies to assess how their decisions have been performing, modify these strategies as conditions change, and devise new strategies to boost performance in the future. Which activities should we devote more resources to and which should we cut back on? Which resources are not being used effectively? Should we outsource an activity or continue to perform it ourselves? Business decisions like these need to be based on information, and financial statements are a major source of this information.

But many managers don’t have a background in accounting and finance, so they don’t have the tools they need to answer these questions. They don’t understand the reports they are given to help them make these decisions. They either ignore the information completely, they misinterpret what the numbers mean, or they aren’t even aware of what isn’t in the numbers at all. All of these behaviors are dangerous to your firm’s financial health. They are like trying to fly a plane with no instruments and with the windshield fogged up.

Does this mean managers should run out and memorize a bunch of rules and regulations or hone the art of compiling financials? No, leave that to the accounting and finance teams. What managers and business owners should be concerned with is how to use the financial statements that are provided to them to better assess company performance and pinpoint opportunities.

As a business decision-maker who wants to evaluate investment strategies and make better business decisions for long-term profit, the following areas of knowledge are critical. To get a better sense of your financial literacy, check off the items you know how to do:

Read and interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.Dissect an income statement and balance sheet to understand the drivers of profitability.Understand financial reporting concepts, such as revenue recognition, inventory costing, depreciation, and taxes.Recognize how capital structure — the mix of debt and equity used to finance assets — influences profits and risk.Identify the relevant costs for decisions and calculate break-even points.Evaluate investment strategies and conduct discounted cash flow analysis.Put all of this together to develop a coherent business strategy.

If you have some open spots on the checklist, then there is still great untapped potential to put financial statements to work for you. Interpreting data and mastering financial statements can help you make better decisions and increase one’s value to a firm whether you are an experienced manager, executive, or leader at a large or small public or private company.

Another important reason for you to learn accounting and finance skills is to help you become a more valuable participant in discussions of corporate strategy and to be more effective in championing your ideas in the boardroom.

Gaining a better grasp of financials helps you know what questions to ask and what to focus on, determine what’s most important, and know what to avoid and to what to pay attention. It’s the synergies that arise from merging managerial experience with finance and accounting skills that can generate the most value to you and to your organization. Hence, boosting your financial knowledge makes good business sense.

© 2011 Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials,

Author Bio

Richard A. Lambert, author of Wharton Executive Education Finance & Accounting Essentials, is Miller-Sherrerd Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches finance and accounting in the MBA and Executive Education programs, as well as seminars in the doctoral program. The recipient of several teaching awards, his articles have appeared in The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Rand Journal of Economics, and Strategic Management Journal.

For more information please visit Finance and Accounting Essentials at Wharton Digital Press.

Follow @powerhomebiz

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Checklist,Financially,Literate,Managers

How to Start a Business without Personal Expertise

The right business could be a natural extension of your skills, education, and training. You can start a business based on what you know, what you are good at, and what you can do very well.

You may be a whiz in the kitchen and your family and friends have always complemented you on your delicious cupcakes. Using your baking skills as a startup point, you start a cupcake shop where you create and sell your delicious cupcakes.

You may also be very skilled in programming, and so you decide to use those skills to start a business creating apps for various businesses.

However, what if you don’t have any strong skills that you can parlay into a business? You don’t cook well; you don’t know how to program; or you don’t know how to design clothes.

Here are your options if you don’t have any stellar skills that you can use for your business:

Find and use opportunities that are available.

Not all business owners start a business doing something they love or are skilled in. Many stumble into their businesses because they saw opportunities in those businesses. Others choose their businesses because they saw immense growth potential in them, or they find ways to improve the current offerings that can blow the competition out of the water.

Learn the business.

You can learn anything as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort. There are a lot of opportunities to learn something. Read books and industry publications about the business you are interested in. Check if there are classes available in your community. Search the Web for information as well as online communities of industry players and other business orders. Network and talk to other business owners. Better yet, apprentice and work in these businesses before starting your own to give you a first-hand look about the business.

Tap into your inner strengths.

You may excel in something else that you may not even know yet. You may not have the talent in designing wedding clothes, but you may have a knack for organizing things and keeping everything in order that a business in wedding planning may suit you best.

Hire or partner with someone with the skills.

If you don’t have the talent for programming but excels in networking, you can work with someone who has the talent and start your own software development business. The other person will work on the technical jobs while you focus on finding clients and getting the name of the business out there.

Use outsourcing.

Another option is to outsource the more technical requirements of your business. The key is to be able to manage the outsourced workers, ensuring quality of results and consistency of output.

Follow @powerhomebiz

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Expertise,Personal,Start,without

Home Based Businesses Do Work

There are so many people out there who have finally had enough of their nine to five job and quit. There are some people who want to stop working for someone else but they are afraid to make that leap into the golden business opportunity that they have been presented with. So many people are under the impression that working for yourself proves to be nothing but trouble but that could not be any further from the truth.

Remember, you will never become rich working for someone else because you are working hard to make that person rich. Why continue to work for an hourly rate that is set by someone who barely knows you? It would not matter if you started working twice as hard, you will only be paid the same hourly rate. When you have your own business opportunity that you are working on you will see an increase in your income when you put in extra work.

With the right business opportunity, you will find that you are rewarded for the hard work that you put in. The more you work and the better you are at your work, the more money you will see. There is no other type of work that can provide that for you. Of course, it is important to make sure that you are seeking out the best of the best when it comes to signing up with a business opportunity.

If you are still having doubts about whether or not you can make a decent living with the business opportunity that has presented itself to you, you will want to look for examples of successes. Look at those who have gone before you and who are making a good living. You can be one of those people as there is nothing holding you back other than yourself.

Even if all of the people around you in your personal life do not believe that jumping into a home business opportunity is worth your time, you will want to still push forward. Allow your success to do the talking and show them just how well off you can be when you follow your gut and allow yourself to take risks for your future.

You might find that the first opportunity that presents itself is the best for you but then again, you might find that it is the second or third one that you come across. As long as you are pushing forward and always working to succeed, everything will fall into place. Start looking at more of the business opportunity details and you will probably be able to get a good idea as to whether or not it is the right one for you.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Based,Businesses

First Formula 1 Night Race Brings Big Money For Escorts

Fast cars and beautiful women. Somehow, they seem to go hand in hand, as proven by this weekend's F1 race in Singapore - the first night race ever to be held for Formula 1. TheStarOnline reports that there's been a surge in demand for escorts for this weekend :

Singapore’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix race this weekend has revved up demand for ‘social escort’ services from high-flying executives, a newspaper reported yesterday.

High-end social escort agencies say business is up by 20% as a result of the F1 race, with one client reportedly paying S$40,000 (US$28,368) for a six-hour booking, The Straits Times said.

The report goes on to make me green with envy :

Singapore Escort Services, which said it was handling the booking, declined to give more details but said it has already closed five deals compared with two or three on a normal weekend, the report said.

“This is the best weekend this year,” the agency’s owner, Prince Wong, was quoted as saying.

He will pocket more than US$50,000 in escort fees this weekend alone, nearly as much as what he earns in a regular month, the report said.

Ah well, money comes in waves or in this case at about 300++ kmph. Now I know what some of you may me thinking - that there's more to this whole escort service thing but to conclude the report :

According to The Straits Times report, a social escort’s main job is to smile and to entertain the client and his friends in small talk.

It said the agencies made clear that sexual services were not part of the deal.

Prostitution is legal in Singapore, but pimping and soliciting in public are not.

Oh all right. Go on and read between the lines... but what goes on in private pit stops is between the escort and the one who forks out 40K. Besides, it's legal in Singapore. But $40K for a 6-hour assignment? And the race only lasts for and hour and a half.

Just goes to show you that there are lots of ways to make money.

This entry was posted on 27/09/2008 (Saturday) at 4:30 pm and is filed under Hodge Podge. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Brings,Escorts,First,Formula,Money,Night

7 Ways to Save on Home/Central Heating Oil Costs this Winter

The price of heating oil has risen to levels many of us couldn't have imagined as recently as just a few years ago. This leap in rates has sent many people searching to find ways to save on their monthly utility bills, particularly during the winter months. While paying for home/central heating oil is unavoidable for many people, there are a number of ways to reduce how much you pay and the amount your home uses. Here are 7 of the best.

Due to online comparison websites and easy access to company websites, prices are more transparent than ever. There are a few online comparison websites dedicated to heating oil companies in the UK. Using these sites has replaced ringing around heating oil businesses as it is more efficient in terms of time and money, i.e. they very quickly let you know which companies offer the best value. Be mindful however to check that your chosen comparison website has the most up-to-date information.

Lower Your Thermostat

The simplest way to lower heating bills is to lower the thermostat. Sacrificing a slight amount of comfort could well be worth it when the next utility bill arrives. Marginally re-setting the thermostat downwards by a few degrees during the winter days will make a noticeable difference in oil usage. Moreover, at bedtime, the thermostat should be reduced even further.

Dirty air filters make the heating unit work much harder (i.e. use more oil) than it has to, so regularly check the filter to see if it needs replaced.

Insulation in the walls and under floors or ceilings in your home trap warm air or cool air inside and keep the external air from penetrating the house. When insulation is too thin or improperly installed, or nonexistent, the consequence can be a heating unit that is constantly labouring to warm the home. Adding extra insulation to the home, particularly above the top floor in the attic, will trap more heat inside during winter, and make the home far easier to cool during warm weather.

The easiest solution to dealing with rising heating oil costs is to put on more clothes. Wearing many layers of thin clothing is better than a few layers of heavy clothing.

The author works for a company who know a lot about sourcing the cheapest home heating oil in the UK by comparing home heating oil prices and comparing central heating oil prices.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Costs,Heating,HomeCentral,Winter

One 24 – Take THIS Road to Retirement?

One 24 ? Take THIS Road to Retirement?

Can One24 really help you achieve your retirement goals in as little as two years?  According to CEO and Founder Mark Seyforth, it?s possible!  The company claims that under their linear compensation plan it is actually achievable to earn over $100,000 per month in only 18 months for anyone who joins the company through the waiting list.  (To clarify, everyone who wishes to join the company must first be put on a waiting list.)

The next question is:  Will it work?  No one yet knows for sure; the company is too young ? less than half year old.  One24 boasts having the most unique and first of its kind compensation plan in the United States, and, it looks promising.  During a recent conference call, it was reported that there are already a handful of members earning five figures a month.  A guest speaker on the call said that he has been a member since the beginning (July, 2010), referred twelve people using the green and gold tickets who also joined the company, and enjoyed receiving his last check in November worth $6,300.  That amount of money could be life changing for many of us.  And, it will only continue to grow.  I think that?s impressive!

So, what exactly is One24?  It?s not a get rich scheme, nor is it multi-level marketing.  It is actually a 24 month retirement plan that predicts very good, if not excellent income by enrolling in their IRP, or incentivized referral plan.  There is no inventory, no investment requirements, and no meetings to attend.  It was all designed with the little guy in mind; the many of us who can?t or don?t enjoy selling or recruiting and who are not marketing geniuses.  The process is simple:  enroll in the IRP, refer people to your replicated website for placement on your waiting list, and watch your income grow.

Being a direct sales company, they presently only have one product to market:  superfood Natraburst.  The company plans on adding new products soon.  Natraburst is a powder that you mix with a beverage.  It is packed with natural vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, fiber, protein.  It is truly a burst of great nutrition.  In fact, the only requirement to qualify to earn commissions as a ?Preferred Customer? in the company is to purchase one unit of product a month and to refer one person who joins the company.  (That?s one person in total).  It?s definitely doable, since you feel confident in consuming a product with healthy ingredients, as well as working toward you financial well being.

In closing, the current economic situation dictates that we must all find a way to supplement our current income and prepare for our ensuing retirement years.  Learn more about One24?s retirement plan.  Turn tough times into opportunity.  Take this road to retirement.

For more information, watch the informative company videos at: http://www.one24toretire.124online.com and read a detailed synopsis with views and reviews at: http://www.one24toretire.blogspot.com/

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Retirement

Work At Home Entrepreneurs Profiting From Micro-Blogging

If you are one of those people who work at home then this article will get you thinking. There is a new kid in the block called micro-blogging. These are social networking sites where users can send short messages to people following them. Unlike blogging where you have to come up with a full article, micro-blogs are like one liner messages; talk of lazy work at home blogger. The amazing thing, you can generate huge traffic from this websites.

Whatever business you are running, attracting customers to your business is the key to your success. Currently, social media marketing is the way to go. But websites like Facebook and MySpace have been given a run for their money. This happened with the introduction of sites like Twitter, Yammer, Plurk and others.

The advantage of micro-blogs is that they are faster means of promoting your online business. Work at home business people have discovered that you can now reach more people through sites like Twitter, identi.ca and Jaiku. This is mainly because the number of people joining these sites is increasing by the minute. To some great extent this is an awesome deal to online marketers.

Early I called this mode of communication "lazy work at home blogger"; this is because all you need to come up with are updates containing 140 to 150 characters. Therefore, now you have no excuse for not succeeding in attracting sales leads to your online products. All you need is to come up with short juicy lines, that will leave people with no choice but to follow your links, which you include within your short messages.

The one thing that crowns it all when it comes to micro-blogging is the fact that it is mobile phone compatible. This means apart from working at home you can work on the go. Big multi-national companies are now spending millions of dollars to communicate to their customers through Twitter. A good example is Dell, which has hired over 100 employees to send hourly tweets to their customers.

Join us soon for more interesting facts about micro-blogging.

Follow the links below to get more insightful content on improving your work at home experience.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Entrepreneurs,MicroBlogging,Profiting

8 Simple Steps to Replacing a Heating Oil Filter

8 Simple Steps to Replacing a Heating Oil Filter By: suzie smith
2/16/2011 4:45:23 PM You should make it a regular part of your Autumn maintenance program to change the filter through which heating oil passes before it goes into the burner of a furnace. The filter, in most cases, is usually located on the tank and looks like an oil filter or cartridge filter. Changing it is extremely simple and will only take a minute or two. It?s important to remember to purge the air from the system after you have completed the filter change. This is a necessity. If it?s not carried out, the burner will not run due to air being in the system. It is therefore important that you get all the air out of the fuel line. 1 Go to the heating oil tank and find the oil filter and housing on it. It is commonly mounted on the outlet of the tank and has a shutoff valve between the tank and the filter housing. 2 Switch off the valve that controls the flow from the tank to the filter. This allows you to remove the filter and avoid spilling heating oil everywhere. 3 If you don?t already have one, obtain a drain pan and position it under the filter housing to catch any drips when you pull the filter out. There will still be fuel in the filter and the line going to the furnace, so you should expect an amount of fuel drainage. 4 On the top center of the filter housing is the retaining bolt. Locate it and remove the bolt with a wrench while at the same time holding the base of the housing with your free hand. Gently lower the housing down and remove the filter cartridge from it. 5 Install the new filter and replace the gasket on the filter housing with a new one. A useful trick is to rub a small amount of fuel oil on the gasket at this point. After this raise the filter and housing into place. 6 Re-install the retaining bolt and be sure to tighten it firmly with a wrench. Turn on the valve from the tank and check for leaks. You also have to remove the air from the filter and bleed the line before running the furnace. 7 Locate the bleeder for the filter; this is the small bolt on top of the filter housing. Open it with a wrench to allow the air to escape from the housing, leaving the screw open until you see oil come out of the hole. 8 Close the bleeder screw and bleed the line at the oil pump on the furnace. Carefully dispose of the filter and any fuel that ran into the drip pan. Check with your local rubbish disposal company if you are not sure where or how to get rid of it. The author works for a company who are experts in sourcing the cheapest home heating oil in the UK by comparing home heating oil prices.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Filter,Heating,Replacing,Simple,Steps

The Good Entrepreneur Competition

Are you an enterpreneur with a green idea? "The Good Entrepreneur" is a new TV series that will be screen on CNBC later this year. It's a new business competition that's backed by business and financial news channel CNBC. Also backing the competition are Allianz a global financial services provider. The aim of "The Good Entrepreneur" is to find the entrepreneur with the best sustainable, responsible and innovative eco-business concept.

Budding entrepreneurs across Europe with a green idea or business plan for a product or service are encouraged to enter online at www.thegoodentrepreneur.com.

The winner of ‘The Good Entrepreneur’ will receive a prize package worth more than £220,000 which includes financial support, advertising on CNBC and business support from Allianz. The competition closes on 31 July, with three finalists named in August and ‘The Good Entrepreneur 2009’ winner announced in November.

Support for entrants on the website will be offered by star business names including Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of Lastminute.com; Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of easyGroup and Nandan Nilekani, co-Chairman and co-Founder Infosys. Top business leaders from Allianz, General Electric International, LinkedIn and Microsoft International, alongside a leading professor from University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, will choose three finalists and select the winner.

The TV series will track the progress of the finalists as they receive mentoring and advice from leading entrepreneurs. The series, which will culminate in one of the finalists being announced as the winner, will be broadcast across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia on CNBC in the autumn.

The Good Entrepreneur website will engage leading business schools, business leaders and entrepreneurial organisations to create a new on-line community that helps entrepreneurs take great ‘green’ ideas and transform them into solid, responsible business plans.

This entry was posted on 30/06/2009 (Tuesday) at 6:16 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Competition,Entrepreneur

Affiliate Marketing Benefits

Affiliate marketing is beneficial both for merchants and the marketer.  It?s a popular method to earn profits, helps merchants to increase their sales and is the cheapest business on the internet.  There are many important benefits of affiliate marketing to marketers and merchants.  A few of these are discussed below.

A few benefits to the marketer are:

1.       Products are already provided for you.

A benefit of marketing is that products are already provided for you, so there is no need to create a product.   You just need to select the products to sell, get the required affiliate links and start selling.  There is no need to worry about the production or delivery of the products.  It?s taken care of for you.

2.       Very low start-up cost

Another feature of affiliate marketing is that you can start little out of pocket money (most of the time no money is required).  This is the lowest investment in today's world to start a business.

3.       Easy Online Business

The merchants make the products, deliver the products, handle the money transactions and complete all the hard work of a business, leaving the affiliate marketer to focus on marketing.  The fact that the only responsibility of the marketer is to promote their affiliate links, make it one of the easiest online businesses to get into.

4.       Make Money 24/7

With the affiliate links listed on the website all the time, you don?t need to remain online to stay in contact with your customers.  People can visit your website whenever they want, 24 hours a day and visit your affiliate links.  You?re only concern is to check your email to see how many sales you have.

5.       You?re not obligated to stay in any one particular market.

As an affiliate marketer you can choose products from the hot market at any given time.  It?s as easy as registering with a merchant that has an affiliate program, obtain the products and start advertising.

A few benefits for the merchant are:

1.       Less Time for Sales

The main website of the merchant is advertised by many marketers at the same time.  This allows many leads to the product page of the merchant and essentially more sales in less time.

2.       Broad Market to Sell

Having affiliate marketer?s that are related to your business expands the market to merchants.  The marketer?s website receives hits from potential customers and they in turn will visit your website to make the purchase.

3.       Less Effort

Affiliate marketers do the hard work of advertising your products for you.  This allows you to spend less on advertising and leaves you time to focus on the quality of products, delivering the product, or developing new products.

Affiliate marketing can provide the easy, fast and reliable money to marketers and allows for more sales for the merchants with less time and money.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Affiliate,Benefits,Marketing

A Resume Reference Guide

Are you about getting a new job or changing carriers? If yes,you should be ready to prepare a resume for yourself. Some believed creating a resume is complicated and nerve-wracking to develop,while to others the problem is references.

On your resume,there is high probability that you must list references. These references may come in two different formats. These are personal references and professional references. Many employers actually prefer to see a combination of them both. Also,according to research most hiring companies like to see at least three references on their job applications and resumes.

If you are now clear of what many companies want when it comes to references on a resume,you may as well start to list your references now. While this approach is necessary,you must proceed with caution. As I have earlier stated one of the many mistakes that resume writers make involves their references. Some of these common mistakes and ways to prevent them are outlined below.

The biggest mistakes job seekers like you make often involves listing no references at all.At times you may be submitting your resume without listing any references and get away with it but,it is as if you are taking a risk. Under the heading of references on your resume there should be something like ''references available upon request? On any application form if you are asked to submit references,you should do so. Omitting information on a job application may cause your application to be overlooked.

As earlier stated,most of these companies would like to see a combination of professional and personal references on their job applications and on all submitted resumes. This is a mistake that many job seekers also make and one that you will want to not make. For that reason, you may want to consider listing four references on your job applications or resumes. This would allow you to have an even number of personal references and professional references.

Keeping all these in mind will make you not fall a victim of rejection. This should automatically improve your chances of landing the job of your dreams or at least a job interview.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Guide,Reference,Resume

If U Do Not Know This, It Is Likely U Fail Online

The reason some people fail or quit online has a lot to do with their not recognizing what marketing system to use to market the product or the program they are involved in.

Example of such thing is getting involve in a sales marketing company that employs a network marketing strategy to train their marketers.You are bound to achieve very little or no success at all no matter what you do.

This also applies to a sales marketing company who attempts to treat all its customers like a business partner.If this company sell a product to a consumer it will find it difficult to call this consumer at least once per week to inquire whether they are getting the most out of the product like they would an actual business partner.

This phenomenon do exist, therefore the moment you are guided by this simple knowledge you will know whether promoting such thing as a business opportunity will really worth the time or whether there is a hungry market for it.

Every sales marketing employs network marketing from s crash ,and the network marketing is mainly sales marketing at its pick,so far people of like minds must come network together .But so far when it comes to you making money in marketing online you need answers to questions fast in order to make success in building your residual income.

That is why i will be focusing on the mixing together of both systems.The best form of hybrid is to get the best of both which result to instant pay and residual income combined.And this is difficult for most marketing companies which results to making experienced marketers develop their own systems which is then duplicated by their downlines or team.

Although,this method is hardly a simple task therefore such systems do exist only in small numbers. Lucky still,we are having some few companies that are springing up now offering hybrid system in the industry making things easier for the marketers to earn good money, fast and till infinity.

The best part is that the company should not only provide you with the marketing system but,good product,training and all you will need to earn good money and allow you to collect 100% commission.

Do you think this is impossible well,it is.You will achieve your financial goals fast with this plan.You do not have to become a genius marketer or build a huge downline before you achieve all you desire.

First,before proceeding you must know why you need this kind of model i have been talking about and why it is what every online marketer both experienced and inexperienced should go for.Every one of us wants this money fast and residual. The solution to both sales and network marketing now is G.I.C (Get Instant Cash) that is what i call it.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Likely,Online

How to Prepare and Print Form 1099-misc Yourself

As business owner, if you hire contractors, you need to furnish each contractor a completed Form 1099 by Jan 31. You also need file 1099-misc Copy A of all paper Forms 1099 with Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns, with the IRS by Feb 28.

Are you headache of the tax reporting now? For this tax season, you can take benefits from the features of ezW2, the easy-to-use 1099 & W2 printing software, which is trusted by thousands of users.

ezW2 1099 W2 software was specifically engineered with non-accountant business owners in mind. Its intuitive interfaces allow the user to get started on filing and printing Forms W2, W3, 1099 and 1096 without the long learning curve typically associated with financial software.

Followings are the 5 simple steps to printing form 1099.

Step 1: Start ezW2 software.

If you do not have this W2 and 1099 software installed, you can download it for free from

http://www.halfpricesoft.com/w2-software-free-download.asp. No registration needed and no obligation. You can follow the step by step online instructions to finish the installation in minutes.

Step 2: Set up company information for 1099 reporting

You can access this screen by clicking the top menu ??Current Company->Company??.

You need to enter the general company information for w2 and 1099 forms, such as Company Name, Address, Tax ID and others.

Step 3: Set up 1096 information

You can access this screen by clicking the top menu ??Current Company->1096 information??.

You need to enter the filer name and contact information here. This information will be displayed on both forms 1099-misc and 1096.

Step 4: Add 1099

You can access contractor by clicking the top menu ??Current Company->1099 Contractor list??. You can add a new employee or edit or delete an existing one easily by clicking the link on this form

You can also import contractor information quickly by using 1099 import form. You can access this import form by clicking the top menu ??Current Company->Import 1099??.

Step 5: Enter 1099 information and print 1099

You can access this 1099 editing screen by clicking the top menu ??Current Company->Form 1099??.

- The payer information will be filled automatically.

- Once you select the contractor from the contractor list, the recipient information will be filled automatically.

- Fill in the boxes on the 1099 Form.

- Click the Question icon or the instructions link to get help.

- Click the 'save' button to save the 1099 information

- Click the 'Print 1099 Forms' button to print the different 1099 Copies for this recipient. ezW2 can print forms 1099-misc copy A, B, C, 1 and 2

- Click the 'Print Instructions' button to print 1099 instructions.

Note: 

Form 1096 will be generate automatically based on form 1099 information
ezW2 allows user to set up unlimited companies with one flat rate. So if you have multiple companies or you are an accountant, you can add new company by clicking top menu ??Company Management->New company??

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: 1099misc,Prepare,Print,Yourself

4 Tips For Small Business Owners To Stay Optimistic In A Tough Economy

Businesses seem to be hitting a tough patch right now. While researching for this post, I stumbled upon this made-up term by a doctor, but I think if such a medical procedure DID exist, a lot of us would need it at one point or another :

Dr. Ralph Capone, the chief medical director of Excela Health came to talk about the new Strategic Plan and Vision for the health provider. First he had to add his own word of the week though, opticalrectumectomy. It is a new procedure in which a long pair of scissors is inserted up the rectum in order to snip the optic nerve behind the eye. It is designed to remove an individual’s shitty outlook on life.

Did you get the joke?

Here's another snippet that's in tune with what our good doctor is trying to say :

A shoe company once asked its sales team to name a country where there was ample opportunity for growth so they could expand their operations. They decide on a small african nation. The boss assigned 2 staff from their sales team to visit the country and generally gauge the demand for shoes in that country.

The first staff came back and reported that there would be absolutely no way for them to make money in that country because nobody wanted to wear shoes!

The second staff reported with excitement that their company could corner the shoe market there because EVERYONE needed shoes!

It's the same half-empty, half-full glass thing. But what's the point?

One of the best ways you can help yourself and your business (or even if you're not a business owner) is to hang tough, and stay positive. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Your mind is where 90% of your battles are won or lost. Despite everything around you telling you to have a shitty outlook on life, you need to stay optimistic. So here are some tips to help you avoid the negativity of today's tough economy :

Stop comparing yourself to others.
Everybody has their own life to lead and everybody has their own race to run in life. You can't compare yourself with the Smiths who have a condo in Bali, the Robinsons who manage a multi-million dollar company or the Lees who get to take holidays 3 times a year because their network marketing business seems to be printing money for them to your small home based food business and think you're not as successful as they are. Sure, you've got to set yourself targets and wanting to be successful like Donald Trump isn't wrong, but you've got to be realistic. There's a saying that goes "Success isn't measured by money, power or your position in life - it's measured by the obstacles that you've overcome". That saying applies to you personally as well as your business. Think outside the box – because you can.
Because small businesses have less breathing room in a bad economy or a very competitive niche, owners and managers need to get creative in order to survive. Thinking outside the box doesn't have to mean coming up with radically different approaches, but it does mean NOT restricting yourself to conventional methods.

Fortunately, small businesses are more nimble than large corporations and can initiate innovative (or unconventional) solutions without getting bogged down by layers of bereaucratic red tape. Small business owners can adapt quickly to economic changes by adjusting their plans - from budgetting to marketing. A smaller company can quickly tap into new markets, look for different sources of revenue, put non-critical projects on hold, or cut costs in resourceful ways.

So if you’re feeling discouraged, remind yourself that your independence and your ability to think and act outside the box are two of the most valuable tools you possess as a small business owner.

Review your value proposition.
If the economy is getting you (and probably all of the players in your niche) down, doing a bit of reflection can give you a morale boost. Think about it - you've run a successful business so far. You've built a customer base that trusts you and appreciate your product and service. You MUST have done something right, right? Reviewing the reasons why your customer base has stayed loyal to you is a great way to remind yourself that you have a great product or service. Go one step further and think about how you can add value to what you already have. Making this a goal can help re-ignite that spark of excitement in you and re-affirm your confidence in your business model.

When the economy get tough, it's time to understand your brand, hone your unique value proposition and remind your customers what it is that you do best. It's not about going on an ego trip, but promoting yourself can be the best investment you can make in difficult times, reminding yourself and your customers of the true value of your company and boost your confidence and your sales.

Be realistic, but optimistic.
While savvy business owners must be realistic about the economy, maintaining a positive attitude is critical. Try not to be influenced by others’ negativity, embrace your ability to be creative, and remind yourself of the true value your business adds.

Being a business owner means you're going to come up against problems. That's a sure thing - not a maybe. Some problems will be major and threaten to sink your ship, others will be minor bugs that just irritate you, but whatever the situation, you only compound the problem if you take a pessimistic view of things. Looking at the negative side of things just makes you more dissapointed, depressed and brings you closer to despair.

Remember that age-old saying "Tough times don't last, but tough people do".

Printed from: http://www.positivemoneyideas.com/blog/4-tips-for-small-business-owners-to-stay-optimistic-in-a-tough-economy .
© 2011.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Economy,Optimistic,Owners,Small,Tough

Passive Online Profits: Scam or Legit? Claims of Weekly Payments Whether You Sponsor or Not

I must say that I have reviewed and participated in many an internet marketing opportunity over the years. Some are valid business endeavors and some are truly garbage. It is not uncommon to find companies on the internet, especially network marketing companies, over-promising, overstating their capabilities and embellishing or exagerating the true potential of their opportunities.

  That is why I had to really scrutinize the promises I came across not too long ago being aired by one network marketing company. When anyone tells me I can make any amount of money by doing nothing, my antennas swiftly rise. And when I am told that such an income would be continuous; that I would be receiving a passive income on a weekly basis whether I sponsor anyone or not, said antennas nearly shoot out of my head!

  So, I proceeded to scrutinize this online opportunity as objectively as I could. How could one profit from doing nothing or from not sponsoring even one person in a network marketing business?

  While the company does claim that profits can be made by sitting on the sidelines, they also make it clear that even more profits can be had if one actually puts some effort into the business. They state that, through the products which are available in the member's back office, a very substantial passive income can be made by minimally promoting, not only the opportunity at hand but any business endeavor the member wishes to promote through these products and services for which the member pays a one-time fee at the outset.

  In other words, the business pays whether you do anything or not AND it also pays even if you use the marketing tools for an entirely separate business endeavor.

  After some investigation, I did find that the prices elsewhere online for what this company is offering are generally higher. Additionally, others offering similar products are charging monthly fees usually automatically deducted from the member's credit card. Surprisingly, this company does not have such a fee system. In fact, after the initial entry payment, there is never anything more the member must buy. The member is then entitled to all subsequent products and services offered by the company in the future as well. It is, in essence, a lifetime membership.

  Some of the products offered are a 'State of the Art' Voice Broadcasting System that comes with a minimum of 5,000 Fresh Leads!

  A Lead Capture Page System with dozens of Interchangeable Pages to choose from. Many of these pages appear to be generic in order that the member may use them to promote any business they choose.  There is a live webinar system, a lead upload mass email system and some other useful marketing tools available to the member. It is pretty much all push-button so that just about anyone, newbie or seasoned marketer could easily figure it out in short order. The company states that they 'even advertise and close sales' for you.

  I was able to review this company early enough during their pre-launch that I was able to test-drive it for only $97. During that pre-launch time period, all members were making $67 on each member they brought in. The company paid promptly and accurately. And yes, every Friday, every single member gets paid a percentage of every member, company-wide, who enrolls after them.

  After the pre-launch (January 1, 2011), the enrollment price rose drastically from $97 to $497. But the commissions also rose drastically from $67 to $400 for every new person a member brings in. The company promises to continue to pay everyone every Friday regardless of what they do; as long as they are a paid member. That weekly payment is derived from 50% of the entire company profits.

  This unique payout is attracting thousands of people from all over the world to sign up and the opportunity appears to be growing at a pace I have rarely seen from a network marketing company.

  It is also promised that all who got in prior to the launch date of New Years Day, 2011 at the early rate of $97 will remain eligible and grandfathered in for the higher commissions as if they had paid the $497 rate because they were in the Founding Members group.

  Whether or not future prospects will pay $497 for this opportunity remains to be seen. As I alluded to above, others are charging more for similar products and are tacking on a monthly fee. For this reason, the founders of this company do not believe it will be difficult to make these $497 sales to marketers, especially the savvy ones who will appreciate what is available to them as life members.

  This company states that their 'State of the Art' system cost over ? Million Dollars to Develop; that nothing else compares for the price. So far, I have not been able to disprove this claim. There are many programs, marketing tools, etc., that companies are promoting. Many of them turn out to be useless or outdated ebooks and/or software that is so old that it really is not worth the time it takes to implement. So in this regard, I do believe this company is on to something good.

  These are all products that, in my view, will greatly enhance any business one wishes to promote online. And you don't need to be a Brain Surgeon to figure them out. They appear to be very user-friendly.

  Another feature I noticed that struck me as being very uncommon in this industry is this company offering 24 Hour telephone Support. I do not recall any other online business being this accessible. This definitely adds good marks for a Network Marketing Business!

  All in all, I believe this opportunity, Passive Online Profits is well worth more than a passing glance. I do believe, with the user-friendly, push-button marketing tools in the back office, that this opportunity is quite the bargain at the one-time enrollment price of $497.

View the original article here

Read more »

Posted in: Claims,Legit,Online,Passive,Payments,Profits,Sponsor,Weekly,Whether